Over the last few seasons, the kind of form and consistency shown by Crystal palace to stay in the Premier League is quite commendable and is also a testament of the great work that Roy Hodgson has done as a manager.
Yes, they may have had their ups and downs, but given the financial resources that they have, you really can’t blame them for it. It’s not like they can go toe to toe and spend the big bucks like Chelsea, Man City or even Aston Villa for that matter.
You can argue that they had a massive dip in form since the lockdown, but then there were teams in much better positions that couldn’t continue their good work once football resumed post lockdown.
One of the main criticism that Roy Hogdson has received at his tenure in Crystal palace is that they play a very defensive and boring brand of football that relies heavily on the ‘Park the bus’ strategy or good counter-attacking football coupled with the skills of few individuals like Wilfred Zaha and Jordan Ayew.
Whilst playing the smooth brand of football that is easy on the eyes feels like poetry in motion, one must also realize that it is not always practical for teams that come with constrained finances.
All being said and done it feels like Roy Hodgson has decided to add some young and energetic blood into his well-drilled side and that man is none other than Eberechi Eze.
Eberechi Eze scored 14 and assisted 8 times in his previous season with QPR. He had a successful pass percentage of 86.4% and 2.4 shots per game which shows you that he is not shying from attempting on goal. This level of initiative is something that is needed in this current Crystal Palace squad.
He has this incredible ability to take on players, give those fake dummies, cheeky nutmegs and some silky feet which can certainly feel like a breath of fresh air for the Crystal palace fans apart from Wilfred Zaha.
He is always on the lookout for the forward pass coupled by his pace and dribbling making him a potential talent and the stats indeed prove his attacking intent. The best thing about him is that at 22 years old, he still has a lot to learn and can grow immensely under the right tutelage.
The only question that remains is whether he will be able to continue his rich vein of form in the premier league and can he be that spark of creativity that Palace has searched for especially with the fact that the likes of Wilfred Zaha may not always be there to take the reigns.
