Crystal Palace Season Preview
Crystal Season Preview
Palace’s 10th position and 48-pts total last season was an improvement of one place and three points on the previous season. After eight long years in the Championship this is a remarkable achievement. But their transfer policy this summer suggests it is just the start of Palace’s PL story.
The emergence of Crystal Palace as a genuine mid-table PL team perhaps doesn’t get attract the attention it deserves. Quietly and subtly they have gone about their business, running the club sensibly and recruiting management and playing staff carefully. Without throwing big transfer fees and silly wages around like many clubs… Until this summer that is.
The £10 million (possibly rising to £13m) signing of Yohan Cabaye was a huge statement of intent. Until then, only five PL clubs had spent less in the previous five years – including the promoted three Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich. The pursuit of strikers Loic Remy, Charlie Austin and Patrick Bamford – on loan, at least – proved it wasn’t merely a gesture to appease fans and sell season tickets. Likewise, the resistance of Everton’s £8m bid for Scott Dann - and the new £65k-a-week contract that went with it. Chairman Steve Parish has even gone on record with his ambitions to stay a Top Ten club.
The Eagles have landed…
The appointment of Alan Pardew at the turn of the year now looks inspired. It immediately prompted a run of eight wins from his first 12 matches that allowed Palace to observe the relegation bun-fight they looked at one-time destined for, from the comfort of mid-table. For me personally, seeing Palace storm off the field fuming at having been narrowly beaten by Manchester United was the moment that said they had to be taken seriously. So let’s do that…
Looking at Crystal Palace’s statistics it soon becomes clear that there is actually scope for improvement this season. The success of so-called ‘smaller’ clubs has always been reliant on their home form – the tight ground, the hostile crowd, the freezing cold ‘Away’ dressing room with no running water and so on. But Palace’s Away record will surprise some…
Palace on the road:
Based on their Away stats alone, Palace would’ve finished 5th…
Palace lost just once to a team outside the Top 7…
Palace scored more goals than Liverpool and Manchester United…
Palace conceded less than Chelsea and the same as Man City…
The defensive record (away at least) may be a legacy of the Tony Pulis era and is something to note for Fantasy League managers looking for defenders outside the usual suspects. With another center-back on Pardew’s shopping list – Swansea’s Ashley Williams and Newcastle’s Fabricio Coloccini have both been linked – Palace defenders should be filed in the category marked ‘Bargain’.
Rearguard action at the Palace…
Goalkeeper Julian Speroni, right-back Joel Ward and center-back Scott Dann only missed seven matches between them last season. The arrival of highly rated keeper Alex McCarthy is apparently imminent, having left QPR for more first team football. But Speroni remains first choice for now and has averaged 130-pts (in PL.com) over the last two seasons. That’s Top 6 territory.
Joel Ward has also averaged triple figures (106.5) over the last two seasons and has the right-back slot nailed down. No center-back (and only nine full-backs) returned more assists than Scott Dann (four) and he averages just four Yellow Cards per campaign too. All look solid value.
Martin Kelly and Damien Delaney clocked up 28 and 26 matches last term, respectively. But Senagalise international N’Diaye Souare featuring prominently in the latter part of the season (following his January transfer from Lille), so will contend the left-back berth with Kelly. And Delaney looks most at risk from the arrival of the additional center-back that Pardew covets.
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The middle order…
Much or Pardew’s tenure featured a 4-5-1 formation and this style clearly suits playing away from home – surrendering possession and playing on the break. Making the most of an exotic array of midfield pace and flair.
Last season’s stars and top FL scorer were Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie. Both are prone to the odd skittish moment – like Puncheon’s penalty that hit a steward at Tottenham – and have an eye for the spectacular – like Bolasie’s 11 minute hat-trick at Sunderland. Bolasie only scored one other goal all season, but provided 12 (PL.com) assists – a total only bettered Cesc Fabregas. There was some talk of other clubs looking at Bolasie, some of it whipped up by the player himself (‘favoriting’ a Tweet linking him to Tottenham) but this was before Palace started throwing their own money around.
Jason Puncheon might be viewed as a slightly less loose cannon. He scored six goals, provided seven assists and has a solid three-year average of 123-pts (PL.com). There’s also Wilfried Zaha to consider, whose laconic skills look more at home at Palace than they ever were going to at Manchester United. But only translated into four goals and three assists. A lot will come down to how Alan Pardew balances the midfield between craft and graft. We know the team will be built around the talents of Yohan Cabaye, one of which is scoring goals from the middle of the field. His 17 goals and 14 assists in 76 starts for Newcastle suggest he will adopt the central attacking role in a midfield five, with Bolasie, Puncheon and/or Zaha supporting from wide positions.
Mile Jedinak, Joe Ledley and Joe McArthur will battle for the two holding roles. Jordan Mutch has more to his game than simply ‘water carrying’ duties – totting up seven goals, six assists and 123 PL.com points for relegated Cardiff in 2013/14. But if you’re looking for midfield points, the pick is between Cabaye, Bolasie, Puncheon and Zaha. Which brings us to the sharp end…
All quiet on the attacking front…
Or it should, but the blunt truth is that Palace lack a cutting edge. Last season’s achievements are all the more remarkable when you factor in the stat that their four strikers managed just 18 goals between them, with only one (Glenn Murray) scraping into Palace’s Top Ten PL.com performers! Murray’s seven goals came from just 15 matches at the tail end of the season, following a loan spell at Reading. But his recall was due to the combined and prolonged impotence of Frazier Campbell, Dwight Gayle and Marouane Chamakh. None of whom has proved fit for purpose in the Premier League.
Pardew (and Parish) has worked hard to add a front-man of proven PL quality, pursuing Chelsea’s Loic Remy and QPR’s Charlie Austin. So far they have had to settle for a (loan) signing of proven Championship quality in Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford. But that was something of a coup in itself, beating a number of PL clubs to the 21-year-old striker who scored 19 goals for Middlesbrough and was voted the best player in the division last season. It is an investment in potential though – for Palace and any prospective FL managers - and represents a bit of a punt. There might well be another addition in this area before the big kick-off with more reliable PL credentials. But even if there is, I’d suggest that Palace’s Forwards will again be the least fruitful category for FL managers to shop in.
Likely line-up…
Pardew will no doubt tweak personal according to fixtures – don’t expect Bolasie, Puncheon and Zaha unleashed away to Chelsea, supported by a midfield Pairing of Cabaye and Mutch for example. But generally speaking expect a 4-5-1 (or 4-2-3-1, if you prefer) that balances perspiration and inspiration like this:
Julian Speroni
Joel Ward – Scott Dann – Damien Delaney – N’Diaye Souare
Mile Jedinak – Joe McArthur
Yannick Bolasie – Yohan Cabaye – Jason Puncheon
Patrick Bamford
If a new center-back of the profile of the mooted Ashley Williams or Fabricio Coloccini arrives, expect Delaney to make way. And if a striker is added, young Bamford might be restricted to the bench more often than last his 46 matches season. Joe Ledley, Jordan Mutch and Wilfried Zaha will also get plenty of pitch time.
The standout FL picks come from the three attacking midfielders behind the front man. Bolasie is the wildcard, just as likely to be ‘found out’ as smash it out the park this season. Puncheon and Cabaye both have PL pedigree and are probably the safer option. Safer still – and a site cheaper – are defenders Joel Ward, Scott Dann and goalkeeper Julian Speroni. Palace will not be on the rough end of many beatings and if their home form can get anywhere last season’s away record, they could look at snip.
Crystal Palace will be looking forward to this season more than any in recent memory. At the start of last season Tony Pulis’ sudden departure looked to have sent the club off course. The appointment of Neil Warnock looked to have sent it into a tailspin. But with Alan Pardew at the wheel and Steve Parish navigating the Eagles have a chance of soaring higher than ever before this season.
Matt Nesbitt’s unspectacular but joyful playing career has given way to a much more successful but miserable one writing and providing betting advice. Email: Matt Nesbitt
