News

Premier League Mid-Season Report – Crystal Palace: Vieira’s Eagles Excite?

Crystal Palace have been one of the most exciting teams to watch, and with a young manager and young squad, the sky’s the limit for the Eagles.

The Season So Far

It has been a good season so far for Crystal Palace, with the Eagles starting the campaign with just two losses in their first twelve games, or be it with a lot of draws. Highlights of the season will be wins over Tottenham at home and a well-deserved away win against Manchester City.

After a total re-haul in the playing squad over the summer, Palace have been given a platform to play expansive, entertaining football, something that was not seen so much under the previous regime. If the club continue to go for that mould of player, then Eagles fans should get excited at the possibilities.

The Manager

After the successful tenure of Roy Hodgson, people had their doubts that Patrick Vieira could come in and change the philosophy of the club. However, the Frenchman has done a excellent job, given the predicament the club found themselves at the start of the season.

A whole squad refresh has brought a new lease of life to the Eagles and they are thriving under Vieira. His fluent style of play, and no-nonsense approach has allowed Palace to rise up the table after a slow start to the season. A top half finish is definitely a possibility under the Frenchman this season.

Player of the season so far

Conor Gallagher has been arguably one of the best players in the Premier League this season. After a mixed loan spell at West Brom last season, Gallagher has excelled under Vieira in his fourth loan spell away from Parent club Chelsea.

Seven goals and three assists for the midfielder, including a senior England debut, has cemented Gallagher’s place as one of the most exciting midfield talents in the Premier League. While his loan spell ends at the end of the season, Palace fans will not forget Gallagher for a long time.

Signing of the season

Whilst Gallagher has been picking up the plaudits for his excellent start to the season, Marc Guehi has been a vital piece of the Crystal Palace jigsaw. Signed for big money from Chelsea in the summer, Guehi has come in and replaced the experienced Gary Cahill and Mamadou Sakho with ease.

The 21-year-old is superb in the tackle and coupled with his defensive intelligence and athletic capabilities, he will be a mainstay in the Palace defence for years to come. An England call-up is not far away for the defender, who will have big ambitions in the future.

Most disappointing player

Joachim Andersen arrived from Lyon in the summer transfer window with many plaudits. Despite being relegated with fellow London club Fulham the previous season, Andersen was seen as the shinning light from that team. Palace snapped him up for £15 million and he has struggled at times this season.

Outshone by younger team-mate Guehi, Andersen has improved in recent weeks, but with the reputation he arrived at the club with, he should have been better than has been. There’s still a lot of time left for the Dane to improve, but it has been a disappointing second season in the Premier League for the defender.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Latest

To Top