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Before the start of the season, not many Crystal Palace fans would’ve expected their team to be above Arsenal in the Premier League table after 15 games.
The Eagles are sitting in 14th place, seven points above Fulham who occupy the final relegation place. They’ve beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford and taken points off José Mourinho’s Spurs at Selhurst Park so far this campaign. Roy Hodgson’s side have also shown that they’re capable of dishing out a drubbing, having put five goals past West Brom and four past Leeds United.
Recently, they’ve found themselves on the wrong end of some shocking results. Fans were horrified as Premier League champions Liverpool ran riot in South London, winning 7-0. A Boxing Day clash away at Aston Villa presented a chance to make amends, but Dean Smith’s side strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win, despite being down to ten men for the entire second half.
Hodgson has now faced intense criticism for his side’s performances, and many Palace supporters have called for the club to consider his future as manager. The former England boss has called on his players to react to their recent humiliation, but the fixture list doesn’t get any easier for the Eagles as they look to bounce back.
Leicester City, underdogs in the Premier League title race, are the next visitors to Selhurst Park, just 48 hours after both teams last played. Brendan Rodgers’ side come into the clash on the back of a thrilling 2-2 home draw against Manchester United and now find themselves in third, just one point off second place Everton.
The Foxes attack is one of the sharpest in the division, perhaps best highlighted by their 5-2 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium back in September.
James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have stepped up a gear from what we saw of them last season, but the attention will always fall to Jamie Vardy. The 33-year-old has scored 11 goals in 14 games so far this season, and Palace’s defence won’t be looking forward to coming up against him – if he plays, that is.
The Telegraph are reporting that the striker may be rested to avoid rekindling a groin injury, which could see him ruled out for two months if overplayed. This could see Kelechi Iheanacho being drafted into the starting lineup for Monday’s clash, in what would be just his second Premier League start of the season.
No matter who lines up for the visitors in South London, Palace will have to improve massively at both ends of the pitch if they’re to have a hope of getting a result. The Eagles’ defence have been run ragged recently, so they’ll need to be much tighter and sharper to manage the pace and precision of the Foxes’ front-line.
Despite scoring just two goals in their last four games, Roy Hodgson’s attacking options are far from bad. Eberechi Eze has regularly been Palace’s standout player since his move from QPR over the summer. He’s been at the heart of the Eagles’ creativity this season, especially with his superb performance against Spurs last month.
Wilfried Zaha is another player that Palace heavily rely on. The 28-year-old struggled with consistency after his transfer request in the summer of 2019, going on to score just four league goals last season.
However, he’s flourished since changing position from a winger to a centre-forward in Roy Hodgson’s 4-4-2 formation. The Ivorian international has scored seven times already this campaign, including braces against Manchester United and West Brom.
Both of them will be under the spotlight, but Palace will have to improve collectively as a team rather than just focussing one or two individuals.
Their recent collapses have shown that they can’t just rely on the likes of Eze and Zaha and hope that everything else will work out. Anything less than a huge improvement will surely see Leicester put them to the sword and drag them nearer to the relegation zone.
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