Crystal Palace Looked Rejuvenated Against Chelsea, But More Needs To Be Done To Avoid Relegation

Crystal Palace's performance against Chelsea was an impressive one for sure.

They looked like a much bigger attacking threat against a Blues side who appeared shocked by the confidence of Roy Hodgson's Palace. And to be honest, after seven games, seven defeats and no goals scored, who could've blamed Antonio Conte's side for going into the game without thinking they'd already won it. 

Throughout their opening seven games, Palace had not only been beaten heavily on a number of occasions, but they simply looked like a Championship side.

There was no attacking threat, multiple defensive errors and a real lack of leadership. And after two thumping defeats to both Manchester clubs prior to this fixture, a lot of people would've put their house on Chelsea emerging as winners. 

But when Palace's backs were against the wall, they performed. Well, Wilfried Zaha performed.

The winger returned to the side after picking up an injury on the opening day of the season. In the absence of Christian Benteke, Zaha has to bear most of the attacking weight of the side, and he managed to perform strongly against the Blues. His goal, a calmly placed finished past Thibaut Courtois, sealed victory for the Eagles and sent them on the way to their first three points of the season. 

However, the problems previously mentioned don't go away after just one game.

Yes, the confidence of the squad will be boosted after beating last year's champions, but they need to remain at that level for a number of weeks to get back out of relegation zone and back into mid-table, where they arguably belong.

If Zaha has an off-day, it's hard to see where the goals will come from with Christian Benteke out injured. Andros Townsend performed well against Chelsea, but he has been all too inconsistent throughout his career to have much faith entrusted in him to be the man to score the goals for Hodgson's side. 

This weekend, Palace come up against Newcastle United, a side who some would argue have a similar squad to the Eagles in terms of quality in the same areas. Both sides are struggling for an out-and-out centre forward; both have key men in the middle of the park that will tend to operate most of the play; and both have one solid centre-half (Lascelles -Newcastle, Sakho - Palace) but other defensive issues are apparent.

So how have Newcastle performed so well thus far? 

One way to put it is by simply writing their manager's name. Rafa Benitez - there you go. I did it. It's as simple as that.

Benitez has instilled a work ethic into his players that helps them to perform when the game might not be going in their favour. They have the ability to grind out results thanks to their steely defensive displays and often clinical nature in front of goal. Their players are encouraged to shoot whenever the opportunity presents itself, and it seems to be paying off.

Yes, they have the second lowest amount of goals in the top half, and they have recorded 42 shots on target this season, more than Chelsea and Leicester, but they aren't supposed to be in the top half. At least on paper, that is. 

Palace can take a leaf out of the book of their opponents this weekend.

By digging in and grinding out performances; by going "anti-Frank de Boer", they can frustrate teams and use the pace they possess up front to snatch goals in a 'smash and grab' style. There's a lot of work to be done at Palace to help them avoid relegation, but by modelling Newcastle, playing to their strengths, they can give themselves a better chance of survival. 

Words by Daniel Youde - @Danyoude5

Topics: Premier League, Crystal Palace

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