Perhaps the least expected statistic of the Premier League’s third matchday was the emergence of a form table showing that across the last 17 Premier League games Crystal Palace lie third.
Crystal Palace Form Needs Addressing
A Mixed Start
Of course, the all-conquering Manchester City and Liverpool lie far ahead of the rest. But the Eagles have taken five points more than Manchester United and nine more than Tottenham in the league since the 2nd of February.
This came after an inspiring performance against Manchester United, where attacking full-backs and a high pressing forward line earned them a 2-1 win. Yet this result occurred directly after a melancholy defeat to Premier League newcomers Sheffield United after which, many observers wrote them off as relegation fodder.
However, six days later Palace felt the wind in their sails after their victory at Old Trafford lifted them to 10th in the table. The South Londoner’s were clinical, scoring with two of their three shots on target. They maximised their chances as shown when Patrick van Aanholt converted the last-minute winner that had just an xG of just 0.08.
Home Form Poor Away Form Good
Beating the big six away from home is becoming quite the trend for Palace. They are the last team to win at the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad proving their scalping capabilities.
However, this is coupled with the fact that their form at Selhurst Park leaves much to be desired. Other than their 5-3 win against Bournemouth on the final day of the 2018/19 season, their next win in SE25 against current Premier League opposition came in December 2018, a 1-0 win against Leicester.
But, this is made more bizarre by the fact that they have beaten Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United all away from home since then, which is partly why Crystal Palace rank so highly in the form table.
This is indicative of the erratic Jekyll and Hyde nature of Roy Hodgson’s men. Perhaps they work best when they have to sit deep away from home and relying on the skill of talisman Wilfried Zaha. In addition, the overlapping runs of van Aanholt and the pace of Jeffrey Schlupp to carve out opportunities from limited possession. Or maybe it is the added pressure of a home crowd. The occasional raucous atmosphere at Selhurst Park heaps added expectations on to the players’ shoulders.
Solutions
Whatever the reason is, Roy Hodgson must use all of his 43-year managerial know-how to find the root of this problem. He needs to get the players to click at Selhurst Park the way they do in big games away from home.
Some of these away victories against the top teams will certainly be down to luck; no Palace fan would dispute that. The expectation at home will differ from that of away matches where the team tend to sit back and hit on the counter. In other games at home against the teams around them, Palace will have to find an alternative way to secure three points.
However, if Hodgson can find a viable solution to this pertinent problem then Palace will make significant inroads in the Premier League this upcoming season.
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