Roy Hodgson rescued Crystal Palace last season as they finished 11th. With some new purchases, the Eagles try to have consistency all season.
Crystal Palace escaped relegation last season once again. In fact, they ended the season so well, they finished 11th overall. Roy Hodgson returns to Selhurst Park and the Eagles manager and will need to have his team perform consistently over the course of an entire season. If Palace can’t, this might be the year they might not have enough.
Max Meyer and Cheikhou Kouyate
The Eagles left their business late but they have done some business this transfer window. Crystal Palace welcomed West Ham and Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate on a four-year deal. He will add extra physicality in the middle of the park for Hodgson.
Just a few hours later, Palace took an extra step and signed German youngster Max Meyer from Schalke. The 22-year old was an Arsenal target and another example of smaller EPL teams punching above their weight in the transfer market. Meyer and Kouyate are two exciting new signings going to Selhurst Park.
Hodgson’s decisions
Roy Hodgson’s managerial career has gone across the globe since 1976. The 70-year old Englishman will enter the season as an EPL manager for the first time since 2010 when he was at West Brom. The escape led by Hodgson last season came as a surprise, considering his terrible managing of England from 2012 to 2016.
Hodgson’s tactical decisions have been borderline inconsistent and can cause players to be wary of their roles. He was able to fix that last season to give Palace direction and a great late season run. But how long can that last? Hodgson has had 22 different managerial jobs and his longest-tenured jobs lasted four years.
The battle to survive
It is going to be a vicious battle at the bottom once again. Palace will be in the thick of it for a majority of the season unless Max Meyer becomes a superstar and they keep Wilfried Zaha. Those two players are the focus of the team in the attack, but Luka Milivojevic, the top scorer for the team last season, will play a role scoring and defending.
The worst thing that can happen to Crystal Palace is to be in the bottom three by Christmas. Zaha will certainly look for a transfer out if he is still wearing blue and red after the window closes next week.
A sale of Zaha will mean a big transfer budget, the biggest in Palace’s history. With smart purchases, survival is possible without Zaha. Palace just can’t afford to be in 18th, 19th or 20th position at the halfway point.