Jairo Riedewald has had to bide his time at Crystal Palace. Signed by Frank de Boer, he has never seen a full run in the starting 11; his appearances have been rather fortuitous. Yet, now, he is staking a claim to be the first choice left-back, benefiting from the injury to Patrick van Aanholt.
Jairo Riedewald Is Staking a Claim to Be First Choice Left-Back at Crystal Palace
Calm Presence at the Back
Riedewald, in a loose comparison, could be deemed similar to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Viewed by some as a defensive midfielder due to their presence and passing abilities on the ball, the Dutchman’s best position is arguably at full-back.
Unlike Alexander-Arnold and Van Aanholt, Riedewald does not excel in an attacking manner. However, under Roy Hodgson, that is by no means a terrible thing. The Palace manager sets his side up to soak up the pressure and hit teams on the counter-attack. The 23-year-old offers a calm presence out from the back, as he looks to play the ball out of defence instead of an aimless hoof upfield. It is a trait uncharacteristic to Hodgson tactics, but one that shows the root of Riedewald’s capabilities on the ball, having come through the infamous Ajax academy.
While Riedewald is by no means the finished article defensively, he has had to learn quickly. Statistics do not always tell the fullest story – Van Aanholt ranks higher than his Dutch counterpart in tackles and passes completed. Riedewald has been part of a starting 11 that has set up deeper in spite of injuries, with Hodgson not willing to risk his attacking abilities.
For example, when comparing their heatmaps in the last game that they both featured in retrospectively, Van Aanholt’s position on the pitch was higher. Of course, Palace faced Manchester City in Riedewald’s last game – meaning an ultra-defensive set-up – but Riedewald was significantly deeper.
Sitting deeper will not doubt test Riedewald’s defensive resolve, but the thought of losing his place will galvanise him into learning on the job.
Who Will Roy Hodgson Pick When Van Aanholt Returns?
What happens when Patrick van Aanholt returns from injury? Does he waltz straight back into the first-team? Or does Riedewald keep his place?
According to the man himself, Riedewald does not see himself as a left-back. On the contrary, his manager does. Speaking to the Crystal Palace website about how selecting the Dutchman to return came about, he said: “Turns out of course both get injured and both get injured at the same time. I remember talking to Jairo, saying: ‘Don’t you think you could play left-back?’ He was very reticent about that, virtually saying: ‘No, I don’t think I can. I won’t be able to do that job.’”
“I actually said to him the other day: ‘I did tell you, I knew you could do that job.’ We’ve always known there’s a very good footballer there but we’ve not been able to find a place for him or a home for him in the team.”
As a result, it gives Roy Hodgson a ‘nice problem to think about’. Does he return with the attacking threat down the left-hand side in Patrick van Aanholt? Or does he keep a defensive shape at the back with Jairo Riedewald?
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