With Crystal Palace’s season turning into shambles, the club will have to make sure they compensate with this summer’s transfer window. The Eagles have gone a total of 13 games without a win in the Premier League, knocking them all the way down from a Europa League spot to a late fight to stay above relegation.
Ex-Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town manager Chris Powell commented on Palace’s recent slump in an interview with the South London Press:
It’s remarkable really. How the first half of their season – before the year ended – was outstanding and then 2016 just hasn’t gone their way in the league.
As a manager you are always worried when you don’t win games. The longer it goes on you look at different ways to arrest that slide. Thirteen games is a lot – we’re talking a third of their matches. That is not great. Confidence won’t be at its highest. It is really, really tough for a manager at any level – and any group of players.
I’m sure the FA Cup run has kept them going, a semi-final at Wembley. But it is a concern. They need to arrest that slide in the next game or two, so they are not dragged into any sort of relegation troubles.
I’m sure they’ll be safe.
The big loss, and missing link, this year is a goalscorer. Even Sunderland have Jermain Defoe, who has got 15 goals – Palace’s top scorer is Yohan Cabaye with six. Then Scott Dann and Connor Wickham with five. You’re going to struggle.
I know Wickham was coming into a bit of form before his latest injury.
The former Crystal Palace trainee Chris Powell goes on to criticize Adebayor’s recent performances. Powell continues his interview by explaining that the club need to add another striker.
Emmanuel Adebayor was always going to be a short-term fix. He’s not up to speed – you can quite clearly see that. He’s playing on his own, and very rarely does he do that. He normally links up with someone. They are missing a striker.
Powell comments on the loss of James McArthur and how his injury has affected the team.
But I’d say the big loss is James McArthur. The games I’ve seen Palace in – I was at the home games against Southampton and Spurs – he’s a very good player. He actually allows Cabaye to express himself more. Cabaye is missing him.
When you have no cutting edge then normally it comes out wide through Yannick Bolasie or Wilfried Zaha. If they are not on their game – and Wilf was marshalled quite well against Leicester – there is not much else.
The 46-year-old went on to say the club must recruit a stronger squad for next season.
They’ve got some good players. Really they have got to see the season through – there might be an FA Cup final at the end of it – and the recruitment to make the squad and team stronger in the summer will be paramount for Steve Parish and Alan Pardew.
Chris Powell wraps up his interview by discussing the positives from Crystal Palace’s recent 1-0 loss to league leaders Leicester City.
In the second half they showed a real spirit – a good attitude to try and get themselves back into the game. They looked a bit lethargic in the first period. They were almost waiting for something to happen – and it didn’t. Leicester upped their game and scored a good goal.
But in the second half there was more urgency. Bolasie and – particularly – Bakary Sako looked like they wanted to be on the front foot.
Sako flashed a few good crosses across the area and had a couple of shots.
The fans have been quite patient. They are still backing the team. If they see more of what they produced in the second half they will pick up the win and points.
Going to West Ham next, the form they are in, you can’t really see them getting anything. But you never know. They need to get together as a group and just iron out one or two mistakes.
Palace made things happen in the second half and could’ve nicked a point. Damien Delaney hit the bar. When things aren’t going for you they hit the bar and go over – but when they are they hit the bar and go in.
Crystal Palace will take on West Ham United this weekend. The last three matches between the teams have led to West Ham taking two wins and Palace winning the other. All games ended with a consistent score of 3-1 to the victors.
If Crystal Palace are able to win this weekend, they can potentially put themselves eight points clear of relegation. In addition, a win would end their drought of three points.
