As Crystal Palace prepare for the start of the Premier League season, they will finish off their pre-season with a match against French opposition Montpellier at Selhurst Park.
Patrick Vieira endured a good first season in charge of the club, in which he was able to lay the foundations of his squad and get a feel for managing in the top flight. There does seem to be ambition to better their finish of last year with the incomings brought in as far, but will it be enough to break into the top half of the Premier League?
Story of Last Season
Palace finished last season in a respectable 12th place, gaining 48 points and a positive goal difference of four. Vieira, who was nominated for manager of the season, admitted to the Crystal Palace website “it was a really good season” but made it clear the importance of continuing to improve in the upcoming campaign.
Starman Wilfried Zaha unsurprisingly finished as the top scorer with 14 goals in the league, but it was Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher who won the club’s player of the season award.
Gallagher impressed throughout the season, in his box-to-box role which saw him gain 8 goals and 5 assists. He added great balance to their midfield, and he will undoubtedly be a big miss for Palace next year.
Vieira was able to shore things up at the back with the additions of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen which saw Palace concede just 46 goals. The pair formed a formidable partnership at the back and will look to bring their form into the new season. Tyrick Mitchell also impressed throughout the campaign which saw him earn a call-up to the England squad.
A big takeaway from last season was Palace’s record against the ‘big six'. They earned victories against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, the most impressive coming at the Etihad which saw them come away with a 2-0 win.
Changing squad
Palace have not seen many leave Selhurst Park yet, with the main outgoings being Cheikhou Kouyate and Martin Kelly leaving the club through contract expiry. However, there continues to be a lot of speculation about Zaha leaving the club.
In terms of incomings, Vieira has certainly added quality to his current squad. The most exciting of the new signings is defensive midfielder Cheick Doucoure, signed from RC Lens for around £20 million.
Doucoure, still only 22, has gained many plaudits during his time in France and was part of the RC Lens squad that won promotion back to Ligue 1. Since then, he helped his old side achieve back-to-back seventh-place finishes, which has gained the midfielder wider appreciation, eventually earning his move to the Premier League.
The Mali international is mostly appreciated for his defensive abilities but has also added to his game with progressive actions when linking defensive to attack. As per Fbref, 6.26 progressive passes per 90 which are better than the 93 percentile in his position and 6.87 progressive passes per 90 which again is better than the top 93 percentile.
After the loss of Gallagher heading back to his parent club, Vieira would have noted a midfielder as a top priority coming into the summer transfer window. He has certainly done this with the addition of Doucoure.
Palace have also moved for highly-rated American defender Chris Richards from Bayern Munich. Arriving for around £10 million, this looks like a solid signing for Palace and will surely add competition for Guehi and Anderson.
Other additions include goalkeeper Sam Johnstone who joins on a free from West Brom and 18-year-old winger Malcolm Ebiowei from Derby County who looks to be an exciting prospect for the future.
Strongest Starting XI
Palace are slowly adding depth and quality to their squad but there is still room for improvement in some areas, with the below lineup arguably their strongest XI going into the season, subject to any new additions.
Vicente Guaita should start in net, but new signing Johnstone will look to add competition to the Spaniard. The centre-backs look settled after a good season together but with healthy competition from Richards, this could change as the season progresses.
Mitchell is a shoo-in for the left-back spot but on the other side, there are still question marks with only ageing Nathaniel Clyne to cover the right back position.
New signing Doucoure will surely be put straight into the starting XI with Luka Milivojevic arguably beside him, creating solid defensive protection for the backline.
Up top, it is expected to see Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise playing behind Jean-Phillipe Mateta who will surely lead the line after a successful debut season in the premier league. However, players such as Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard and Malcolm Ebiowei will want to push to start
Talking Points
One of the main talking points for Crystal Palace is the question marks over the right back position. Nathaniel Clyne is the current option in that position, but it is fair to say there needs to be movement on this front in terms of recruitment.
As per BBC Sport, Palace have recently been reported to be considering moving for the former player Aaron Wan-Bissaka which could arise as a good option for the aluminous right back position.
Palace will also be concerned with Zaha’s ongoing contract situation with one more year left on his contract. Vieira will undoubtedly want the Ivorian international in his squad for the upcoming season but if Zaha decides he wants to move on, the club will have to decide on whether they want to sell or let the player run his contract down.
Expected finish – 10th
Although fans would be somewhat happy with yet another mid-table finish, with the additions meaning that it is felt that relegation will surely not be an issue, they will now be looking up the table. If certain key players remain at the club, Palace can certainly do this and push further towards the top half.
Fans will be optimistic about what is to come in this upcoming season as they start their season against tricky opposition in Arsenal at Selhurst Park.