Alan Pardew has been criticised for his naivety throughout his managerial career, and this has never been more apparent than the last few months at Selhurst Park.
Palace endured a torrid run through the opening months of 2016. The Eagles were winless in fourteen consecutive Premier League matches from late December to early April and while Pardew correctly lies blame on the seemingly never-ending injury list, he must own up to his own downfalls and admit that his mistakes have cost his side valuable points.
Warning signs occurred when Palace lost four consecutive league games towards the end of the 2014/15 season, particularly when Jason Puncheon was deployed as a deep-lying playmaker against West Bromwich Albion in a defeat at Selhurst. The plan was to get Puncheon to receive the ball from the central defenders and to dictate play from a deep position. However, Baggies boss Tony Pulis knew his former club too well and pinned our wide players further back which meant Puncheon’s passes failed to create meaningful attacks and the midfielder was unable to have an effect on the game.
This was originally overlooked due to the positive impact Pardew had on the club in his first half season at the club and particularly because top flight survival was secure. Although, ten months later, it is very difficult to justify some of his decisions.
Pardew has often opted to play a 4-4-2 formation this season with Yannick Bolasie playing just off the main striker. This has repeatedly failed and, more often than not, he is forced to revert back to the more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation. When we were first introduced to the 4-4-2, it seemed as though it was used to shock the opposition who assumed they would be playing against the more obvious 4-2-3-1, but the more it has been used, it has become apparent that it is adopted against teams who are more likely to dominate possession and break us down.
The game against Arsenal on Sunday was a perfect example of why we simply do not function properly while playing 4-4-2. The two banks of four in front of goal were torn apart on several occasions by Arsenal’s clever movement and quick passing, while the Gunners could have been three goals ahead by half time had they been more clinical. The attacking end of the pitch was hardly much better. Bolasie and strike partner Connor Wickham were isolated and lacked the support they would usually get from an extra midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. Even on the rare occasion that Palace did win possession, it was squandered.
The largely improved performance in the second half coincided with the change to a 4-2-3-1. Suddenly the Eagles advanced forward with much more success due to the extra player in midfield offering support, and Bolasie moved out wide following an uninspiring first half as a striker and eventually scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw. In fairness to Pardew, he saw a weakness in our side in the first half and resorted to ‘Plan B’, but this has happened too many times this season and ‘Plan B’ will eventually be as ineffective as ‘Plan A’.
Pardew has tried to play Bolasie as a striker on several occasions this season and it has failed to work each time. The Congolese international is Palace’s best winger and it is surely common sense to play your best players in their correct positions. Bolasie has never had an appealing goal record and his hold up play is questionable, hence why he has never successfully fulfilled the role of a centre forward. To get the best from Bolasie, he must play out wide where the opposition usually double up on him due to his ability to cause uncertainty, which creates space in other areas of the pitch for the likes of Puncheon and Yohan Cabaye to dictate play.
Pardew has also been correct with his approach to plenty of games over the last fifteen months and the FA Cup semi final on Sunday against Watford needs to be one of those occasions.
Palace have played the Hornets twice this season, and the away fixture at Vicarage Road in October was an example of Pardew getting his tactics absolutely spot on. The Eagles started with a midfield diamond and produced one of the best performances of the campaign in the victory.
Starting with with the same shape at Wembley would be a huge risk. Both sides have gone in different directions since the Cabaye penalty sealed the win in October, and it would make much more sense to play a more familiar formation in one of the biggest games in the club’s 111-year history.
To achieve a positive result on Sunday, Pardew must start with the more familiar 4-2-3-1 which brought us much more success at the beginning of the season due to the key part the wingers play in the system.
Pardew has the chance to redeem his recent errors and cement his name in Palace folklore as a manager, twenty-six years after his famous match winning goal in the same round of the competition.
