Roy Hodgson still has a year left on his contract at Selhurst Park. Yet, that has not stopped Steve Parish for starting to think about life after his 72-year-old employee. According to John Cross of the Daily Mirror, Crystal Palace are hoping to succeed in bringing Burnley boss Sean Dyche to south London, and it could be a match made in heaven.
The Reasons Why Sean Dyche and Crystal Palace Would Be a Perfect Match
Similar Style of Play, Meaning Very Little Risk
The current tenant of the manager’s seat in the home dugout in SE25 is a safe place of hands to say the least. After the failed experiment of Frank de Boer, they will not want a repeat.
As a result, Palace will want a manager who will offer a smooth transition into a new era. With a similar style of play, Dyche would not bring overhauling changes, meaning there would be very little risk.
That was one of their issues with Frank de Boer. The Dutchman tried to change too much to quickly, and ultimately fell out with the wrong people in the squad. Possession based football and looking for quick transitions in play was not, and has not been for much of their time in the Premier League, the way Palace played under Sam Allardyce. Selhurst Park has always been use to counter-attacking football, centring on the key players of the side. Frank De Boer did not have the players at his disposal to play the football he wanted, as explained by TifoFootball.
As a result, the Clarets boss is likely to be targeted as he would not change too much too quickly. His direct and defensive style of play is not dissimilar to that of Hodgson, although arguably the 72-year-old has demonstrated his Palace can play fluid attacking football more than Dyche’s Burnley.
Both Dyche and Hodgson favour basic, ‘traditional’ formations in a defensive set-up. The latter uses a 4-3-3 most frequently, but that three in midfield are defensive midfielders. James McArthur is the most likely to push forward out of the three, operating in between the number 10 and eight roles. Burnley operating mostly in a 4-4-2 system, whereby the two wingers look to feed crosses into the box, or try and bypass the midfield with long-balls.
A Redemption For Christian Benteke?
Hope in hindsight, but long-balls to a targetman and supplying the striker with an abundance of crosses could redeem the Belgian’s career.
The Crystal Palace club-record signing has never recovered from reaching the heights of his first season with the club. It has been downhill from the 2016/17 season, partly due to Roy Hodgson’s style of play not suiting his strengths.
During his first year with the club, the 29-year-old registered over half of his goals in the Premier League from headers. In all competitions during the 16/17 season, eight goals came with his head, seven with his right foot and two with his left.
Palace were under the guidance of a different pair of hands, however. Under Hodgson, Benteke has not seen his strengths utilised. The 72-year-old looks to counter-attack as quickly as possible, part of which comes from the Eagles not dominating games as much. When they do counter-attack, or even when they are searching for the striker at the edge of the box, it is a ball to feet approach, not balls into the box. Arguably, this is why Jordan Ayew has excelled this season.
As a result, if Dyche was to move to Selhurst Park, he may look to get the most out of a striker who once promised so much.
The Wilfried Zaha Effect
Alongside the style of play, this is arguably the most prominent reason for why Palace could hold a long-term interest in the Burnley boss.
Eventually, Wilfried Zaha will depart south London for the second time in his career. Where to is unknown, but he is an asset that cannot be held onto forever. Hearts will probably be broken, but if he was to move to a bigger club, no grudges could be held.
The 27-year-old leaving would bring a question to the minds of fans – how are Crystal Palace going to play? He is the focal point of the side, the first tactic always appears to be get it to Zaha and let him do the rest, but more often than not he is pinned into a corner and hacked down by select members of the opposition.
Therefore, Palace need experience. Experimenting with a young manager or a foreign export without having Zaha at their disposal could be disastrous. Dyche would bring a wealth of experience with him, and trust could be placed on the 48-year-old to excel in the job without one of the most loved players at Selhurst Park in history.
Would Sean Dyche Leave Burnley to Join Crystal Palace?
If ever a move was to happen, it would certainly raise an eyebrow or two.
Dyche has a secure job at Turf Moor. But according to the Mirror’s report, he wouldn’t rule out a departure in the near future. Whether that departure would be to a club such as Palace is the question, as it is essentially moving from one mid-table club to another.
Ultimately, he would have to view a move to Selhurst Park as a new and fresh challenge. If Hodgson remains for another year, then it could happen.
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