Heading into game week 25 of the Premier League campaign, Crystal Palace currently sit 12th in the table, just four points off of a top-half spot.
They have managed to drag themselves away from a relegation battle, now sitting 13 points ahead of 18th-place Leicester City.
The Eagles are averaging some of the worst attacking numbers in the league. But, on the flip side, their defensive shape and quality are their biggest asset right now under Oliver Glasner, conceding 30 goals in 24 games and averaging 13.1 shots against them per game (ranking 10th in the league for this metric).
Crystal Palace face Everton at Selhurst Park in their next Premier League fixture, who currently sit 15th in the league, but are coming off of a very strong string of results, beating Tottenham, Brighton and Leicester in the league and drawing 2-2 with Liverpool.
Crystal Palace team news
Glasner will remain without Joel Ward (calf injury), Chadi Riad (knee injury) and Cheick Doucoure (knee injury) heading into the Everton game this weekend. Doucoure will now need to undergo surgery on his knee, which means he will miss the entirety of this season.
The likes of Eberechi Eze, Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr are all being assessed ahead of the Toffees game, with the first two currently having knocks/slight injuries and the latter having missed the last match due to illness.
Luckily for the Eagles, Adam Wharton has made his return to action in recent weeks, just in time to take over in midfield from Doucoure, which will give Palace a strong boost.
But after making some new signings in January, and the few injuries they have picked up, Glasner could look to change things up against Everton, adding a new dynamic to his side.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Crystal Palace’s new dynamic against Everton
Crystal Palace could look to line up with both new signing Ben Chilwell and academy graduate, Tyrick Mitchell for the first time against Everton, finding a strong balance of attacking output and defensive stability on that left-hand side.
|
Ben Chilwell (21/22) vs Tyrick Mitchell (24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Chilwell |
Mitchell |
|
Goals + Assists |
0.43 |
0.11 |
|
Progressive Carries |
2.35 |
1.94 |
|
Progressive Passes |
2.59 |
2.07 |
|
Shots Total |
2.23 |
0.36 |
|
xG |
0.16 |
0.03 |
|
Key Passes |
1.73 |
1.29 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
2.84 |
2.28 |
|
Tackles |
1.85 |
2.67 |
|
Blocks |
1.11 |
2.20 |
|
Interceptions |
0.74 |
0.29 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
||
When you look at Chilwell’s underlying numbers from his last season under Thomas Tuchel in a back three system which allowed him to play as a wing-back, you can see the value he provides from that position, getting forward, getting shots off, attacking the box and being a threat on goal. In that sense, he could well be a better option for Glasner.
However, that doesn’t mean that Mitchell should miss out. Instead, it means the current incumbent of the left-back role could operate in a slightly unfamiliar left centre-back role in a back five/back three.
This would allow him to still defend in similar left-sided wide areas and add some protection behind the likes of Chilwell and Eze on that side, if/when their talisman is available.
Ex-Chelsea boss, Mauricio Pochettino praised Chilwell as “one of the best” left-backs in the world at his best, while Brendan Rodgers labelled him as “exceptional”, and if Glasner can get that level out of him, it would play a huge part in Palace’s bid for a second top-half finish in a row.
Related
Crystal Palace have hit gold on Eagles star who’s worth more than Chilwell
Crystal Palace now have two amazing options at left-back.
