Symmetry is a funny thing. The last time I started to get really excited about the Vieira revolution was after a two nil defeat of Wolves. Now we are on 33 points, safety from relegation practically assured, one win away from a FA Cup trip to Wembley, excitement building and what is the cause? A two nil defeat of Wolves!
This time, however, I have learned not to get carried away with it all. For now. I am sticking with my mid-table finish prediction. Even though we are 10th in the table we are only that high on goal difference and all of the clubs just beneath us all have games in hand. Although we had an excellent performance against Wolves; first half from an attacking perspective and second half defensively, our performances overall have been a little patchy – scraping past Stoke in the cup and drawing a fairly dour match with relegation threatened Burnley.
What I am getting excited about, however, is how the squad and Vieira have developed and improved over the course this season and what that bodes for next season assuming the squad stays more or less intact.
The starting point for me is the defence. Although everyone recognised very quickly that we had recruited two gems in Andersen and Guehi they have both improved as the season has gone on. Both are more confident and the tendency to make mistakes with headers and defending corners and set plays has been reduced (I will not tempt fate and say eliminated!)
Marc Guehi has seamlessly stepped into the role of captain which for a twenty one year old in his first season of Premier League football with us is remarkable. Leaving aside his ability as a footballer, his attitude, intelligence and humility mark him out as one class act. Although Andersen’s long distance passes have gone awry a little more frequently recently he still is our key outlet for the long distance pass and my feeling is his defending of long aerial balls and positioning generally has improved as the season has gone on.
Tyrick Mitchell is another defender who has improved as the season has gone on. From being perceived as the potential weak link in Vieira’s formation he has become one of the first players on the team sheet and is playing himself into England contention.
The midfield has been more troubled under Vieira. Having relatively quickly settled on a midfield of Gallagher, McArthur and Kouyate, injuries and AFCON absences have disrupted the flow here. There were signs in the Wolves match that Jeff Schlupp may be a good fit when Jimmy Mac is unavailable but there is still room for improvement here and MacArthur’s age, the loss of Gallagher and potentially Kouyate means that this must be a focus for the summer.
Finally, after months of chopping and changing Vieira seems to have settled on his front three of Zaha, Olise and Mateta. The fact that two out of those three were not starting many or any matches during the first third of the season is testament to the hard work and improvement those players have shown but also Vieira’s willingness to constantly review and reassess the status and quality of the players available to him. Even Wilf has improved; his willingness to track back and win the ball back when we lose possession has added another facet to his game.
The revival of Mateta’s Palace career has been a testament to Vieira’s managerial ability. I am afraid that from the first time I saw the highlights reel from Mateta’s pre Palace career the first thing that came into my mind was Yaya Sanogo. The Alan Pardew era loanee from Arsenal who failed to score a league goal with us and seemed to be unable to control his arms and legs. It has taken some time but what Vieira has seemed to have worked out is that JP, despite his somewhat lumbering and uncoordinated playing style has an eye for goal and has the knack of being in the right place at the right time to win the ball and then bring his fellow attackers into the play. Although Mateta has the mobility of a tanker, once he gets up a head of steam he can be a real nuisance and he is not afraid to shoot which is quality our strikers have been missing.
What this all shows to me is that both the squad and the manager have developed and improved as the season has gone on. Yes there are still things that are not perfect. Vieira’s substitutions can sometimes feel a bit random and risky (typical Palace that this comes after four years of perceived stubborn non substitutions from Roy).
The players are not consistently executing Vieira’s preferred playing style of playing out from the back and pressing from the front and the profligacy in front of goal remains a consistent thorn in the side which started under Roy. Overall however, I am increasingly believing that Vieira does indeed know what we need (to quote the newish Palace chant) and as matches and experience clocks up that will only get better.
