Given Chelsea’s kind, their journey to Stamford Bridge on Sunday is perhaps Crystal Palace’s least daunting process between now and the March worldwide break, because the Eagles embark upon a devilishly powerful sequence of fixtures.Having simply come off a form 10-game run that featured video games towards all the present backside eight, the following 10 embody six towards big-six outfits, in addition to high-flying Newcastle and Brighton.It isn’t supreme, then, that Palace have handicapped themselves with one thing of a standing begin, momentum drained by an affordable FA Cup exit and three League defeats in 4 both facet of the World Cup.On the face of it, their predicament doesn’t appear one in every of peril: sat twelfth, Patrick Vieira’s facet are in the identical place, and with two extra factors, than they have been at this stage of final season. However dig just a little deeper, and there’s trigger for concern.Selhurst Park, one of many division’s most partisan away venues, has been surprisingly penetrable, Palace already having misplaced as many dwelling video games this season as they did in the entire of final.Learn MoreGoals have been the primary failing, with only one per recreation on common, seven fewer than after 17 matches final yr and solely two — towards Bournemouth — of their final 4 video games. The shortage of a scientific striker has been blamed (Odsonne Edouard has three League objectives, Jordan Ayew and Jean-Philippe Mateta just one apiece), however anticipated objectives metrics counsel Palace are getting kind of what they deserve for his or her inventive endeavours.The issue, like nearly all of these on-field for the south Londoners at current, stems from a midfield notably weaker than that of a yr in the past, with Conor Gallagher and Cheikhou Kouyate gone and James McArthur injured.Eberechi Eze is shouldering the inventive burden alone, however his attacking output has not but lived as much as Gallagher’s, nor does he carry the steadiness of the all-action Chelsea man going the opposite approach. Cheick Doucoure’s arrival has been the one enchancment, however any damage to the summer time signing would flip an issue space right into a disaster zone.Having didn’t again Vieira sufficiently within the switch window following the progress of his debut marketing campaign, Palace threat reversing trajectory until they will spring a number of upsets within the coming weeks.Final season, perception was boosted by assertion wins over Arsenal, Tottenham and each Manchester golf equipment, however the Frenchman is but to see his crew beat a top-half opponent this time period. That development should be bucked quickly.
Crystal Palace should buck worrying development to keep away from reversing Vieira progress
![Crystal Palace should buck worrying development to keep away from reversing Vieira progress 6 Vieira sends Crystal Palace message as Butland closes in on Man United](https://i0.wp.com/fifanews.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Vieira-sends-Crystal-Palace-message-as-Butland-closes-in-on.jpg?resize=860%2C574&ssl=1)