It has not been the best start to the season for Crystal Palace as they sit 13th in the table, but there are signs of encouragement.
Palace have had some poor results, but have recorded three wins and three draws whilst also suffering an injury crisis.
Roy Hodgson’s side have struggled in attack, scoring just eight times in 10 league matches, but the defence is solid enough to provide a strong enough foundation to avoid relegation.
Crystal Palace’s stubborn defence
Crystal Palace are currently tied second in the Premier League for clean sheets, with four shutouts from 10 matches. They are only behind Arsenal, who have five, in this regard, and are level with Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur.
Given the injuries to some of Palace’s star players in Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze amongst others, this is an encouraging sign. If the defence can remain stable throughout the season, the attack may be able to fix itself once the main creative players return.
Crystal Palace’s main strength
It is clear that Palace’s main strengths lie in the defence, with Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen the two standout players in the side right now.
Although recent results have not reflected solidity, Palace have a less difficult run of fixtures coming up, where the defence will be crucial in keeping clean sheets against teams closer to the bottom.
The company Palace are keeping with their clean sheet record right now is encouragement that they will be able to maintain this strength throughout the season, but should one of Guehi or Andersen depart, with both players recently linked with moves away, then Palace could find themselves in trouble.
Hodgson’s side will face Burnley, Everton and Luton Town in their next three games, and will hope that they can pick up more clean sheets and points in this time, and increase the gap between them and the bottom three.
