MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Antonio Barragan of Middlesbrough hold off Martin Kelly of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough FC and Crystal Palace FC at Riverside Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
If Premier League campaign is a tale of two seasons then the second half of the book sure did stink for Crystal Palace in 2015-2016.
While Allan Pardew’s side certainly received praise for their excellent FA Cup run their league form was abject. In their final 20 matches The Eagles finished 2-12-6. Palace plummeted through the standings only staying afloat thanks to critical draws against Arsenal and Everton in April and besting Stoke City in the second to last week of the season.
For Palace this season finding an identity is perhaps their biggest task. Is this the side that took the Premier League by storm in the first half and pushed Manchester United to the limit in the FA Cup Final? Or is this the club that struggled for goals in the second half and very nearly got relegated?
With Palace bringing in several interesting new signing things seem to be picking up at Selhurst Park. The hope is that the club will have enough to make a top ten finish and hopefully get another chance at a trophy. But there are plenty of things to afraid of for Palace supporters and that the club simply does not have the resources to stay up.
So with that in mind let’s take a look at the three hopes and one fear of Crystal Palace FC!
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Christian Benteke of Crystal Palace (L) is subbed for Jonathan Benteke during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace at Riverside Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)
Hope #1: That the Benteke brothers can ignite the Palace attack.
Never since the Hanson brothers ran roughshod over Johnstown have two brothers come to a club under as much fanfare as the Benteke brothers. Christian and Jonathan both joined the London club during the summer transfer window and have immediately become fan favorites. But beyond the novelty of having two brothers on the same team there is one specific task that the two have been handed: score goals.
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Of the two Christian is obviously the more prominent player. After a strong tenure with Aston Villa Benteke moved to Liverpool last season with the hope of becoming one of the top strikers in the Premier League. But he never really took under Brendan Rodgers and got lost in the shuffle under Jurgen Klopp.
Part of the problem was that both Rodgers and Klopp had him playing wide where is he much more of a center-forward. Look for Pardew to use Benteke in a similar fashion to how he used Papiss Cisse while he was serving as the manager of Newcastle.
Although Jonathan has not had the same level of success as Christian he will certainly still play a role with the side. He is a bit stronger than his older brother and showed in limited time last season with Zulte-Waregem that he can help set up faster forwards making a break. It will be interesting to see if Pardew gives him time during the League Cup and if he can turn that into additional Premier League minutes.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 19 : Loic Remy of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on March 19, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Hope #2: That reuniting with Pardew will get Loic Remy’s career back on track.
It wasn’t that long ago that Loic Remy was the can’t miss player in the summer transfer window. Remy turned a tremendous loan spell with Newcastle in 2013-2014 into a major deal with Chelsea. But like the 37 other players that Chelsea loaned out at the close of this transfer window Remy has quickly fallen out of favor with the London side and seen his minutes dwindle in recent seasons.
After two consecutive seasons of mostly sitting on the bench Remy was loaned off to Crystal Palace with the hope of getting his career back on track and finding a buyer for his services.
The good news for Remy is that he will be reunited with Pardew, who coached him during that great year at Newcastle. What made Remy such a tremendous player during that year was that Pardew had him operating in a 4-4-2 formation up top with Cisse. Remy’s size and technical skills make him a very difficult attacker to break down.
Furthermore, he has shown that he can deliver diagonal passes into open space. The hope is that with Benteke, another player that is looking for a second chance, that Palace have a 1-2 combination that can put the biscuit in the basket.
One other player to keep an eye on in rebuilding Remy is Yohan Cabaye. Cabaye was also integral to Remy’s success during that season at Newcastle. The French international is especially adept at pushing the attack from the center-mid position. That in turn frees Remy up to start setting up attacking opportunities. If those two can rekindle their previous form then Palace may have a very dangerous attacking system.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 21: Yannick Bolasie of Crystal Palace challenges Michael Carrick of Manchester United during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on May 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Hope #3- That they can win the FA or League Cup.
No likes second place. Oh sure Crystal Palace supporters will be mighty proud of their club making the FA Cup final and taking Manchester United to the limit. But having that chance to win their first title since the English League Championship in 1993-1994 and falling juuust short has to hurt Palace supporters. So obviously the hope is that they can make it back to either the League or FA Cup final and finally win it all.
Of the two obviously the FA Cup is much more desirable. Although winning the League Cup certainly meant a lot to clubs like Birmingham and Swansea City the FA Cup is still the biggest of the two competitions. But make no mistake about it: Palace supporters would still go to the pubs and celebrate to the wee hours of the morning if they can win the EFL trophy.
So can Palace get into a position again where they can win a title? Thus far things look promising in the League Cup having beaten Blackpool 2-0. Although there are still many game to be played Palace are still in both tournaments so that means hope is still alive!
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace is tackled by George Friend of Middlesbrough during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough FC and Crystal Palace FC at Riverside Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
The Big Fear- That they still have not solved their attacking problems
After picking up Benteke, Remy, and Andros Townsend much was made about how Palace had really addressed their attacking needs. Well after three games The Eagles have scored just one goal and find themselves once again in a relegation fight. Over 50 million pounds spent and nothing to show for it.
Now the season is still very young and things could turn around in an instant. The Premier League is littered with sides that are works in progress and very often it takes until November for some sides to find their form. Looking at the top of the table in the very least it would be difficult to say that any side are truly looking like a world-class side.
But the difference between being at the top and the bottom of the table is that the sides at the top are still getting results. Thus far Palace have underperformed and have put themselves in the position that they are going to be fighting relegation for the rest of the season.
If Pardew and Palace cannot turn things around quickly they may be looking for goals in the old Second Division.
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