Its been a while since Roy Hodgson has been able to smile after a game in which Crystal Palace have won; but with their 2-0 victory over a troubled Burnley side, he can now afford himself one. Hodgson’s Palace were on top for most of the game at Selhurst Park and peppered the Burnley goal with nearly thirty shots. Goals from James McArthur and Andros Townsend earned the Eagles their first win since mid-September which as a result sees them move away from the drop zone, whilst condemning their visitors to their fifth defeat in the last six Premier League games.
Result reflecting performance
Palace have had some positive performances of late but results have not reflected their efforts. In the previous four matches in which they faced stern tests from Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United; Hodgson’s men have only picked up two points. Despite this, they held their own in all of these fixtures, with only a single goal from Spurs and a late Eden Hazard spectacular being their only downfall. They felt unfortunate to come away from Old Trafford last time out with only a 0-0 draw, a game which where they could have, and probably should have, come away with all three points.
Although poor form can dent confidence, this was not the case when Sean Dyche’s Burnley came to town. Even with Joe Hart having a superb game, making seven crucial saves, his efforts alone were not going to deny the Eagles their first win in nine matches. Most pleasing for Hodgson will be the partnership of Zaha and Townsend who linked up well throughout with the latter picking up an assist and a goal. This partnership will likely be used by Hodgson going forward, especially considering the fitness of Benteke and the lacklustre performances off Sørloth and Ayew.
Shopping trip in the January sales
Palace fans could easily fall into a trap of thinking that the goal problem has been solved, but seasoned supporters will know that a game like today will not happen every week. The two goals from McArthur and Townsend were the first goals scored by Palace in open play at home this season which is an issue that does not go away after one game. Now you’d be hard pressed to find a Palace fan that wouldn’t be happy with two goals scored in a game, but in games where they only get the one or two chances to score, they need a clinical striker who will finish one of those chances, not a winger that will score in one in every ten chances.
The visitors on Saturday are in a similar situation and having only managed four shots on the Palace goal, they did not look too threatening during 90 minutes. You would think that with the likes of Ashley Barnes, Chris Wood, Sam Vokes, and Matej Vydra, you have a higher goal tally than seven between them, but unfortunately for the Clarets, this is not the case. As for Palace, they have no league goals anywhere in their strike force of Christian Benteke, Alexander Sørloth, and Jordan Ayew.
Burnley defensive issues
Everyone has been talking about the downturn Burnley have taken this season, especially at the back. Last campaign, their superb season was built upon their outstanding defensive record, grittiness, and dogged defending which most teams struggled to break down. They only conceded 39 goals and kept 12 clean sheets in the process – vital in their 7th place finish and Europa League qualification. Many say that it is this prize though which has ultimately ruined their start to this season; having not been able to cope with the riggers of Europa League qualification rounds in midweek with their, smaller than most, squad.
Despite the fact that they did not lose any of those defenders during the summer, and actually improved it with the signing of Ben Gibson, they have only kept three clean sheets and conceded 29 goals in 14 league games. There may not be any room for any more defenders in January though, so the current crop will have to up their game if Burnley are to stave away the threat of relegation.
Dyche under pressure?
Sean Dyche is one of those managers who never seem to have their job questioned. He has done a fantastic job with Burnley, bringing them up from the Championship, establishing them as a Premier League side, and even taking them into Europe and it looks like it would take a real drastic drop in form and results for the ground underneath him to start to fall away. Yet with only two wins so far this season, and a fixture list that features games away to Tottenham and Arsenal as well as a home tie against Liverpool in the next four games, it does not look like times will improve any time soon.
Important holiday period
Both sides go in to the holiday period with a real need to pick up important points. Boxing Day onwards, with the games against the ‘top six’ sides behind them, Burnley have a run of games that will appeal to them as very much winnable. Home games against Everton, West Ham and Fulham, along with trips to Huddersfield and Watford, all before the end of January could see Burnley move up the congested table.
Palace have a more difficult looking holiday fixture list with games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool slotted in between tough home games with Cardiff, Leicester and Watford, and a tricky away trip to Wolves. If Palace can take a performance like today’s and carry the confidence that such a performance can create, they could accumulate enough points to keep the above water in terms of relegation.
