Under the leadership of Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace remedied a poor start to their Premier League campaign to finish 12th place last season. The Eagles were able to starve off relegation fears following a strong finish, though they couldn’t make it on the league’s top half. This season, Hodgson is looking forward to creating some consistency in their seven straight Premier League season.
But can Hodgson ensure the Eagles aren’t entangled in a relegation scrap and guide the team to a top-half finish?
Reasons To Be Optimistic
With top guns like Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, and Luka Milivojevic on their squad, Crystal Palace had a flying start to the 2019/2020 season. The Eagles started the campaign against Everton in a goalless draw but won the other three consecutive matches against Sheffield United, Manchester United, and Aston Villa.
Compared to last season, Crystal Palace seems to be doing pretty well this year, with Zaha being a crucial part of Hodgson’s counter-attacking approach. The Ivory Coast International is also comfortably the top player in the squad. As such, his performance might yield more results for the clubs as the league continues to unfold, with the fans hoping to replicate the impressive run of results witnessed towards the end of the season.
Last season, Hodgson’s men claimed 27 points from their previous 15 matches, steering themselves clear from the relegation zone. According to http://www.th-footballfans.net, the run included a 3-2 victory at Arsenal and a 4-1 win at Leicester. Even better, the team has a clear system that plays to their strengths, with counter-attacking tactics that stunned the imperious Manchester United.
Midfielder Max Meyer is also a key element in unlocking the opposition defenses, helping the team to remedy their record in this season’s campaign. The German International couldn’t make a lasting impression his first year with Crystal Palace, though the 23-year-old seems ready to produce results in the 2019/2020 season. Additionally, the implementation of VAR might lead to more penalties for the team, most likely earned by Zaha and score by Milivojevic.
Reasons to Worry
For Palace, Zaha is in the center of everything, and their fans are concerned about what might happen if their prized asset gets distracted. Zaha had declared his intention to move to Arsenal earlier this summer, though the Gunners’ inability to match the £80M valuation from their London rivals prevented him from joining the club he supported as a kid.
While Palace may have managed to keep the Ivorian, they might suffer from holding on to a dissatisfied Zaha. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure to Manchester United has also left a gaping hole in the right-back, but Joel Ward has been trying to fill the position. However, Ward is nowhere close to Wan-Bissaka’s level of production.
Besides having a great start of their Premier League campaign this season, the Eagles have only managed to take one point in their last four games. The team will be facing Liverpool after coming back from the international break, ending a run of five games against the League leaders. Fortunately, their strong start this season means that a poor run against the big teams hasn’t put them in trouble. Nonetheless, Crystal Palace center back Garry Cahill warns that his teammates can’t afford to feel safe at the moment, though there’s still a great chance to make it to the top 10.
