Alan Pardew’s side face Arsenal this weekend at Selhurst Park aiming to make it two wins out of two in the Premier League.
The win at Norwich City last weekend was not perfect by any stretch, but the lads got the job done and came back to SE25 with the three points.
Arsenal have yet to open their account this season, so it might not be the best time to play the Gunners after their defeat to Slaven Bilic’s West Ham United.
Not to scare you Palace fans out there, but our record against the Gunners is dreadful. We have not beaten them in twenty years. The last time we did beat them, the goals were scored by one of our current coaches, John Salako.
We have evolved due to our experiences in the Premier League, and I feel we are now best suited to deal with Arsenal’s array of special talents.
Speaking at the press conference on Friday, Pardew spoke about trying to wrestle control of the game away from Arsene Wenger’s side. Whether that can be done is another thing.
One thing that Arsenal are masters at is controlling a game of football. You do not see many teams minimise Arsenal’s threat and control the game. Personally, I have only seen that happen on a few occasions and that tends to be when they come up against superb European competition.
I know many will say ‘but they just lost 2-0 at home to a West Ham side’. That has nothing to do with controlling a game. I certainly would not say West Ham controlled the majority of the game last weekend, because they did not do so. They just managed certain situations better. Their defence was resilient, but they certainly did not have Arsenal chasing shadows. The Hammers are just not that type of team, and neither are we. It makes me feel a little uneasy if Pardew plans to play Arsenal at their own game.
Sure, we have greater composure in the middle of the park with Yohan Cabaye and Jason Puncheon but I certainly would not want us trying to pass our way out of every situation because we are not good at that. If we want to knock Arsenal off their stride like Bilic’s side did last week, personally I think our brute strength in midfield could work. You might have to sacrifice one of our more elegant midfielders, but we will make up for it in other areas.
For example, since Patrick Vieira moved from Arsenal they have lacked that physical presence, and in the past it has cost them dearly. So why not use that to our advantage? Instead of trying to ‘wrestle control’ of the game – use some of our weapons to gain an edge.
Mile Jedinak has been a fantastic captain over the last few years, but as we know his distribution is not the best, hence the acquisition of Cabaye. However, one of his great qualities is aerial prowess and also steely determination. I would go with him and Cabaye in centre midfield, purely to try and disrupt Arsenal’s play.
Whether Pardew will go with Jedinak is another matter, but I will certainly wait in anticipation.
In terms of arrivals, it has been another quiet week but we could see an departure which many fans will not like. Sky Sports reported that Bristol City have had a £6 million bid accepted by the club for none other than Dwight Gayle. A young striker who has really grown on us fans thanks to his vital goals last season.
As of Friday there has still been no news regarding Gayle and his impending departure. It looks as though he will go in this window, whether that will be to Ashton Gate remains to be seen. Pardew confirmed in his conference that Gayle wants first team football. It is disappointing to think Palace cannot accommodate such a gifted finisher.
Over the years we have seen some truly wonderful finishers. Ian Wright was right up there, Dougie Freedman scored plenty, as did Andrew Johnson. Gayle is certainly in the same bracket as them in relation to finishing chances. I have spoken to a few Palace fans regarding Gayle and whether he now fits into our system, the majority of them said he would not. I disagree.
In the time Pardew has been in charge we have not seen him stray from his favoured 4-3-3 formation which means we can only have one striker present in the team. Something I would like to see more of this season is being flexible tactically. We now have the players to do that, and that is including Gayle.
I know you do not see a 4-4-2 formation very often in the modern game, but with our striking options it would be a formation which could suit us very well away from home. Gayle would be right at home in that system but sadly it looks as though his time at the club will be coming to an end, which is totally gutting.
What do you think about the Gayle conundrum? Would you like to see him stay at Palace? Share your views with us here at TEB.
