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Long gone are the days when Crystal Palace’s main weapon was the long-ball – now, the Eagles have plenty of talent to carve out opportunities in style, with Wilfried Zaha capable of moments of wizardry and Andros Townsend getting fans on their feet every time he cuts in on that left foot.
Roy Hodgson has got these two in particular playing to the best of their abilities, yet the results don’t seem to follow – the Selhurst Park outfit won just five of their 19 home games in 2018/19, with most of their impressive performances coming away from SE25.
While Hodgson’s style seems to suit some, it certainly doesn’t others. Front men Alexander Sorloth, Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke all measure in at 6 foot 3 or higher and offer plenty of natural aerial threat, yet were all peripheral figures of the team last term for varying reasons and when they did play, were rarely given the right type of service.
Indeed, Townsend and Zaha both like to cut inside while even Palace’s full-backs aren’t partial to whipping in the ball from wide. Patrick van Aanholt averaged more shots per game (1.3) than crosses (0.3) last term while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a great defender but doesn’t offer all that much going forward with just 0.4 key passes per match. Accordingly, Palace ranked joint-bottom of the Premier League for crosses per match last season with 15.
Of course, readjusting the team to focus more on crosses into the box would require drastic shifts in personnel down both flanks. But if it’s too much of a stretch to use the strikers’ height in open play, perhaps making the most of it from set pieces would be a good compromise for the time being. That area clearly needs improvement as well; only relegated Fulham scored less set piece goals than the Eagles last term.
Where are Palace short?
Well, the south London outfit had one of the worst ratios of accurate corners to inaccurate corners in the league last season, with only 1.9 deliveries hitting the target per match while 3.5 missed, according to WhoScored. Considering the height of the aforementioned forwards as well as Cheikhou Kouyate, Scott Dann and James Tomkins, Palace could be missing out on some crucial goals due to the lack of a specialist.
Current takers Luka Milivojevic and Townsend clearly aren’t hitting the mark often enough – they averaged just 2.4 accurate corners per match between them last season – and both would better serve their team on the edge of the box, where they can pick up the second ball and unleash one of their trademark efforts from range, netting two and three goals respectively from beyond the penalty area last season. There appear to be few other options for Hodgson in such situations, so perhaps delving into the transfer market for a player whom he can rely on is best.
Player Profile: What do Palace need?
With plenty of height and physicality to cause the opposition problems from set-piece situations, Palace could cause untold damage if they had a player who can swing them in from the flag with consistency. Max Meyer has struggled to grow into the playmaker role since moving to Selhurst Park, only managing 15 Premier League starts, so bringing in a player who can connect the dots would also be a wise move, while competition for van Aanholt wouldn’t go amiss either. Understudy Papa Soare is reportedly leaving the club this summer.
Jean-Michael Seri: The Fulham flop has been linked with a switch to Selhurst Park already this summer having suffered relegation with the Cottagers in his first season in the Premier League. Crucially, the Ivorian completed 1.6 accurate corners per game, while failing just 1.2, according to WhoScored. He also registered 1.8 key passes per game – perhaps a good move for Palace.
Nicolas Gavory: The Utrecht man established himself as one of the best attacking full-backs in the Eredivisie last term, chalking up one goal and six assists in 34 starts. Capable of playing at left-back or at the base of midfield, the 24-year-old would certainly keep a few players in the squad, including van Aanholt, on their toes. The Frenchman completes 1.7 key passes per game and is accurate with his corners – he completes 1.2 per game, according to WhoScored.
Said Benrahma: The electric Algerian completed 2.3 key passes and 2.4 dribbles per game in the Championship last term, thus becoming one of Brentford’s star men. The 23-year-old chalked up an incredible 10 goals and 14 assists in 2018/19 and the prospect of he and Zaha on opposite wings is mouthwatering. Of course, he’s a natural at corners too, delivering 1.7 accurate balls per game.