You are here
Home > EltasZone > Premier League 2020-21 preview No 6: Crystal Palace

Premier League 2020-21 preview No 6: Crystal Palace

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 14th

Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 1,000-1

While everything in the garden appears rosy given Palace ended the season well clear of relegation again, there is a growing anxiety among some fans over what the future may bring. The uncertainty over whether Wilfried Zaha will remain at the club he joined as a 12-year-old didn’t help Roy Hodgson’s mood when he admitted at the end of July it was “a dilemma” that “that only he and the club can sort out”.

As yet there doesn’t seem to have been any resolution, although Zaha has featured in Palace’s first pre-season matches against Oxford and Charlton. But while his determination to leave for the second time after joining Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson’s last signing in 2013 has yet to be matched by offers acceptable to the owners, Hodgson must be hoping an amicable solution either way can be found soon so he can concentrate on the challenges ahead.

The arrival of the England Under-21 forward Eberechi Eze from QPR for £19.5m – Palace’s most expensive signing since 2017 – has helped settle a few nerves among fans, with the playmaker scouted extensively over the past two years. With the teenage defender Nathan Ferguson signed after he left West Brom and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher expected on loan, the emphasis on trying to lower the average age of one of the division’s oldest squads is clear.

Palace missed out on the Canada forward Jonathan David when he joined Lille but are interested in the France Under-21 strikers Jean-Philippe Mateta of Mainz and Celtic’s Odsonne Édouard to provide competition to a forward line who relied heavily on a rejuvenated Jordan Ayew last term. The Ghana forward was deservedly player of the season after a subdued campaign from Zaha following his failure to secure a move.

How they finished

With the ninth-biggest wage bill in the league, Palace must find a way to balance the books and would be open to offers for Mamadou Sakho and Max Meyer, both of whom have a year of their substantial contracts to run. Christian Benteke is in the same boat but showed some signs of a renaissance after lockdown.

Hodgson signed a one-year extension in March. How long he can continue given that this will be his 45th season in the dugout remains to be seen. Seven successive defeats after securing their Premier League status led some Palace fans to call for him to be replaced during the close season. But Hodgson will relish the opportunity to bring some younger blood into the squad having made no secret of his desire for recruits over the past 18 months.

Palace’s best chance of immediate success is probably with an experienced operator such as Hodgson for now, although it will be intriguing to see how he utilises Eze in the rigidly defensive 4-3-3 system usually favoured. Led by the evergreen Gary Cahill last season, an experienced back four has consistently provided the platform for the club’s unprecedented stay in the top flight after being promoted in 2013 and Nathan Ferguson will be expected to edge ahead of Joel Ward, who filled in ably following the departure of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United.

The news that James McArthur has extended his contract ensures the versatile Scot will remain a crucial part of Hodgson’s midfield along with Luka Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyaté, although solving the conundrum of how to improve a meagre goal return of 31 – the second-lowest in the league – may require one of them to make way at times against weaker opposition.

Unless something disastrous happens, Palace should be comfortably able to keep away from relegation trouble with the squad potentially at Hodgson’s disposal, especially if a new striker and the Scotland forward Ryan Fraser, who has been offered a deal after leaving Bournemouth, are added.

And if Zaha decides he is better off staying put, who knows what may happen? Persuading him to attempt to lead a new generation into European competition for the first time (unless you count the two-leg defeat by Samsunspor in the 1998 Intertoto Cup, of course) would be chairman Steve Parish’s biggest achievement yet.

Quick guide

Crystal Palace’s history in 100 words

Show

Hide

Crystal Palace’s history in 100 words

Palace’s recent claim they are the oldest Football League club given links with a club of the same name founded in 1862 has been disputed by some historians, with the modern incarnation officially formed in 1905. Founder members of the Third Division in 1920, they reached the top flight for the first time in 1969 and were back again with the short-lived ‘Team of the Eighties’ under Terry Venables. Steve Coppell’s side reached the FA Cup final and finished third in 1991 before years of being play-off winners then relegation specialists ended with stability at last as Palace get ready for an eighth successive Premier League campaign.

Photograph: Central Press/Hulton Archive
Thank you for your feedback.

The manager

On the touchline Hodgson remains an active presence despite turning 73 a few weeks ago, although he leaves most of the shouting to his assistant Ray Lewington. The former England manager has been criticised for his reluctance to make early substitutions, although he was slightly more proactive last season.

On Zoom As the league’s elder statesman, you might have expected Hodgson to have been slightly resistant to technology but not a bit of it. He has held regular press conferences via Zoom and was kept regularly updated with his players’ progress during lockdown from his apartment overlooking the Thames.

The key

Not for the first time, the future of Selhurst Park’s hero is in doubt. Zaha has made no secret of his desire to test himself at a higher level, although given the financial implications of potential relegation Palace are still likely to want at least £60m. If Zaha leaves, Hodgson’s squad will need all its experience and more recruits to avoid being dragged into danger.


Wilfried Zaha feels the force of a Charlton tackle in a pre-season friendly.

Wilfried Zaha feels the force of a Charlton tackle in a pre-season friendly. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images/Reuters

The owners

Parish must take much of the credit for the establishment of his boyhood team as a regular member of English football’s elite. Whispers that the American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer could be interested in selling up appear to have gone quiet, with Palace making progress with new academy facilities after being awarded category one status and plans for a new main stand in the pipeline.

Young blood

Academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell looked a real prospect when he filled in for the injured Patrick van Aanholt at left-back after the restart and will expect to be given more games. The England Under-17 World Cup winner Nya Kirby will hope for a similar opportunity.


The academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell in action against Tottenham last season.

The academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell in action against Tottenham last season. Photograph: Will Oliver/Reuters

New blood

No signing has generated quite as much excitement in SE25 for some time as Eze and he appears equipped to succeed at the highest level after starting at Arsenal’s academy. Ferguson, who rejected a new deal at boyhood club West Brom, should also thrive when ready to return after a long-term knee injury, having stepped up his recovery in pre-season.

Kit story

Palace’s colours were claret and blue until they switched to predominantly white after the second world war. The arrival of Malcolm Allison as manager in 1973 heralded a new red and blue striped home shirt, although that lasted three seasons before being abandoned for a diagonal sash design. Red and blue returned in the late 1980s and has stayed.

The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.

Notes from an empty stadium

Selhurst Park isn’t the same without the atmosphere generated by Palace’s passionate supporters and they picked up only one point from four games there after the restart.


Crystal Palace’s home results were poor in the absence of their passionate fans.

Crystal Palace’s home results were poor in the absence of their passionate fans. Photograph: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Euro vision

Cahill’s performances must have tempted Gareth Southgate into recalling the 61-cap veteran but he is unlikely to add to that tally given another year will have passed by the start of the tournament. But could Eze, also courted by Nigeria, force his way into the reckoning?

FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsAppBloggerShare
Tutorialspoint
el-admin
el-admin
EltasZone Sportswriters, Sports Analysts, Opinion columnists, editorials and op-eds. Analysis from The Zone Team
Similar Articles
Top