If Glenn Murray equalised in injury time on Saturday Selhurst Park would have descended into absolute carnage but the width of the post spared Arsenal’s blushes.
The overall performance was pleasing. You can see that we are evolving under Alan Pardew. He wants us to play more, Saturday showed we are evolving but it will take time till the finish article arrives.
The important part is to now pick up some vital wins, and push up the table once again.
Jason Puncheon
Predominantly a winger, Jason Puncheon has caused many a team problems marauding down the flanks at Selhurst but it looks as though Pardew has found another position for the local lad.
The middle of the park is where we have a lot of options. Mile Jedinak will be returning soon, as will James McArthur and along with Joe Ledley they have formed the impressive partnership that is known as the McJedley. I would like to think Puncheon as an addition to that trio.
After his display against Arsenal he can definitely mix it in there. His range of passing was impressive. He is a feisty character anyway so getting stuck in is not a problem. Most of all he adds that quality, the end product as we say but we lacked that too often on Saturday.
We have seen it too many times at Selhurst this season, struggling to break down teams. Looking back, the games against Aston Villa, Sunderland and Newcastle United. Moving Puncheon into the middle might have added that quality we were desperately lacking on those occasions.
If all the above was the good news, you could say the bad news is coming next. I still feel the McJedley should be our preferred midfield partnership. Puncheon can still cause devastation higher up the pitch, and ultimately as it is coming to crunch time we need him scoring goals.
I do feel if we want that flexibility, Puncheon is a viable option to slot into midfield, just like he did against the Gunners. It then allows us to get more firepower on the pitch.
We will just have to see how Puncheon and his newly found midfield role progresses.
Pape Souare
The Senegal international has played two games against two sides that are challenging for the Champions League spots. I think he has done well considering Ligue 1 is nothing like the Premier League.
He was at fault for the penalty, he did not have to wait around, Gayle was there waiting for a pass. The mistake will hopefully be a rude awakening to what life will be like in the Premier League. It is harsh and unforgiving at times as us Palace fans know all too well.
A little note on the penalty, replays afterwards did show the initial contact was outside the box which is unlucky for us. People will say the linesman should have seen it but when players are going at that speed it is so hard for the linesman and referee to pick up on it.
It raises a question once again, is it time for video technology?
Nonetheless, Souare played well in general. You can see he has the attributes to succeed in English football. He gets forward well but we have not really seen him tested in a defensive situation. Danny Welbeck did not get the opportunity to test Souare’s defensive capabilities other than for the spot kick award. It will be interesting to see how he gets on against other opposition in more high pressured scenarios.
Relegation dogfight far from over
We cannot forget that we are still in a relegation fight, something some Palace fans might have taken their eye off of.
Our next four games though are favourable and we have to make sure we pick up some vital points in our quest to be a Premier League club next year. They see us travel to West Ham and Southampton before returning to Selhurst to play Queens Park Rangers before another away trip to Stoke City. At this stage of the season they are all massive but I am quietly confident that we can push on.
I hope Palace fans are under no illusions that a couple more defeats will drag us back into the mess that is the bottom three. Pardew’s homecoming bought about an upturn in results but recently we have not got the results our performances have merited.
Another issue is our home form. Under Tony Pulis we prided ourselves on being resolute at home. Last year we proved it by winning vital games at the dubbed ‘Fortress Selhurst’. The word ‘Fortress’ cannot really be justified this time around. We have only won three times at Selhurst which over the course of the season is just not good enough. Quite frankly that is relegation form.
This is the breakdown of our form over the course of the season is as follows;
- Home – Played 13 – Win 23%, Draw 23%, Loss 54%
- Away – Played 13 – Win 23%, Draw 46%, Loss 31%
You can see that our away form has been slightly better so it is our home form that has to improve. Theses statistics are courtesy of www.statto.com.
We have to look at the bigger picture. We are playing well but just not getting the results. If we were playing poorly and looking unimaginative and boring then I would be worried.
Over the past week I have heard players lauding the current crop of players saying that it is the strongest squad we have had in some time and I agree. We have options now. Options that can swing a game in our favour.
After saying all of this, the future is bright, although at the moment I am a tad worried about survival. We certainly have characters and more importantly quality to fire us away from the drop-zone.
Now let us move on to the West Ham United game with confidence.
