Crystal Palace currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, eight points off relegation, as the halfway point in the season approaches. Most would have had the Eagles in amongst the thick of relegation, but so far Roy Hodgson has managed to keep them above the skirmish at the foot of the table. Yet one player who has not been contributing as often as he should be is Andros Townsend.
The England international has just a single goal and assist to his name from 14 Premier League appearances this term. If he continues in that vein, then there is a strong chance he may lose his regular place in the starting eleven. He is currently on course to register his lowest number of goals and assists combined since the 2014/15, having previously improved his tally every season since arriving at Selhurst Park.
It is not even that the winger is just low on confidence and missing his chances, as he has overperformed his expected goals, which would not have expected him to score yet this season. Part of the problem is that the winger is taking on just 0.4 shots per game on average, down from an average of over 1.6 for the past three seasons. Furthermore, Townsend’s key passes per 90 minutes have dropped stratospherically, over the previous three campaigns he has averaged 1.6 per match, but currently, he is making just 0.6.
To compel Townsend’s poor output he is making under half the number of crosses he averaged last season, which may be another part of the reason he has struggled to provide for others. Along with the fact the Englishman is making on average almost ten fewer passes per game.
While Townsend may be seeing less of the ball as Hodgson has made the Eagles more of a counter-attacking outfit, the winger has also become less of a focal point. At times last season the former England manager had Wilfred Zaha and Townsend as an attacking partnership, which was akin to deploying two strikers. Though with Jordan Ayew stepping up to become the Eagles top scorer Townsend has been pushed back out wide. But if he fails to improve his output, then the next position the winger could be selected for is the bench.
