It has been a strange season for Crystal Palace with big wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool showing the side’s quality while shocking defeats to Sunderland and Swansea summed up Palace’s rollercoaster ride this campaign. When you balance it all up the things that stands out is the outstanding quality that Palace has shown in the attacking third, and that suggests they could achieve a top six finish next season.
The problem for the Eagles is that the club’s constant managerial changes have led to several players being sold after short spells at the club and the turmoil has left fans unsure of where exactly the club is heading. Alan Pardew’s atrocious run without a win in 17 games eventually cost him the job, opening yet another door for relegation specialist Sam Allardyce. Despite their poor start under Pardew, Allardyce managed to steady the sinking ship and the points gained in recent weeks have steered Palace away from relegation.
Crystal Palace should now survive the drop and that is down to the Englishman’s ability to support clubs in desperate situations via his long-ball style of play. History suggests that Big Sam can only keep players drilled in this old-school way of playing for a short period before both players and fans get sick of it.
Avoiding relegation in that way is tricky, as Stoke City discovered when it kept Tony Pulis on as manager and the fans became increasingly frustrated over a period of time. Allardyce has faced the same problem at previous clubs and I expect his Palace spell to end with a similar fate.
The ex-England boss hasn’t managed elite-level players in his domestic career, as his preference seems to be players with a lower level of technical ability but higher than average aggression. The current Palace squad has an excellent blend of both, reminiscent of Newcastle United teams that have challenged for the league title.
Andros Townsend, Wilfred Zaha and Christian Benteke make up a front three that any Premier League defence would rather avoid. Newly arrived centre-back Mamadou Sakho could be the player Palace needs to balance those excellent attacking options with a more reliable ability to concede fewer goals. The big Frenchman has certainly helped and the signing of Patrick Van Aanholt has also given the club more stability in defensive areas to go with its pacey front line.
If Crystal Palace can manage to recruit the right players in positions where they need some strengthening such as midfield, it could begin a run of good Premier League finishes similar to the way Tottenham has now become a regular top six side. If not, then expect a crumble and another relegation dogfight under Big Sam.
by Nubaid Haroon YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
The post Football: Can Crystal Palace Join The Top Six? appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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