Crystal Palace entertain Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City at Selhurst Park this weekend where Palace arguably produced their best performance of last season by beating the then champions.
With both sides flying high at the minute, the encounter could be another fascinating match-up.
Last season Manchester City were dreary, and dare I say it predictable as they failed to defend their Premier League title. This season they have found fresh impetus, partly due to the performances of their defence, but also their attacking talents.
There is no doubt the £49 million man Raheem Sterling has added something to their attacking play and with the deadline day arrival of Kevin de Bruyne, the striker force has taken a complete reshape.
With Palace in good spirits as well at the moment after beating the champions Chelsea in their own backyard, there is a real feeling that we can certainly be a match for ‘moneybags’.
It will be good to get back to the Premier League after the international break. For England it was a successful few days securing a place at Euro 2016 and in the process, Wayne Rooney beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s longstanding goal-scoring record.
Well, let us dive into today’s article and discuss primarily two things. Firstly, how we can keep our current momentum going and secondly, our summer transfer business has shown we can trouble the big boys of the Premier League.
As we all know, the hype for Crystal Palace this season was to continue where we left off at the end of last season.
We have certainly fulfilled that objective thus far, we are currently sitting pretty second in the table. A win would see us level on points with title chasing City after just five games played. Something when the fixtures came out fans probably would not have imagined.
It has been a tough start, the result against Chelsea typified what this club is about at the moment. Hard graft and a never say die attitude. From a supporters perspective it is a joy to watch.
After City we still have some difficult games but if we can manage to pull off a victory this Saturday, our belief and momentum will be sky high which in the Premier League is a crucial factor.
Over the last couple of weeks I read that some people are tipping us for a surprise Europa League spot this season, because of our start. Personally, I think that is a tad off the mark but I get where they are coming from.
We saw it when Alan Pardew was in charge of Newcastle United and he guided them to a fifth place finish. They had momentum that season and played a brand of football that is similar to Palace at the moment.
Who knows where we could end up this season. One thing I am not doing is putting limits on this side. We are in a special place at the moment, the whole club is buzzing along with the supporters. If people are tipping us for a Europa league spot, then let them. As we know, little old Palace has a habit of making the impossible, possible.
My second point is on our transfer business and how we can be a threat to the big teams of this league. We all know who we bought this summer so I do not need to go over that again, but the display against Chelsea certainly showed me that we now have a different dimension, and that we can play in all manner of ways.
If teams want to get physical with us, we can do that. Just ask Diego Costa. If teams want to try and pin us back and allow us to play on the counter, boy we can do that too. The Norwich City game and the first goal for Bakary Sako at Chelsea were both examples of our fluid counter-attacking capabilities.
Finally, if teams allow us to play, we now have that in our ammunition thanks to our French wonder Yohan Cabaye. There was a passage of play in the first half against Chelsea where we dissected Jose Mourinho’s side. It ended with Cabaye firing straight at the keeper when he really should have scored. It was an indication that we can mix it in various ways.
I would say a year ago we would not have seen that type of play from Palace. We were probably too nervous to ping the ball around like that. Now under Pardew, we have found that belief that we can play football against anyone.
The game this weekend will be another huge test for the side, but it will also give the supporters another indication of how far we have come over the past year.
I must admit, I am feeling another famous victory. Come on you Palace!
