Matheus Franca finally made his Crystal Palace debut and his performance on the weekend emphasised that he could be a very useful addition for manager Roy Hodgson.
He made his debut in the 4-0 loss to Newcastle.
So, how did Matheus Franca impress in his Crystal Palace debut? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
The Brazilian winger did not start the game on Saturday, in which we saw Palace pick up their worst defeat of the season.
The tactical setup from Roy Hodgson was not the best, with Odsonne Edouard on the left. Meanwhile, the more creative players at the Eagles, like Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, were injured for the match.
Palace were boosted by the return of Jefferson Lerma and Cheick Doucoure, but it looks like they were rushed back from injury. It was the first time Franca made the match day squad following a long-term injury and Hodgson brought him on in the 70th minute, with the score already 4-0 to Newcastle.
He massively impressed, with the stats on the night showing that he could be a top summer signing and that he has a very bright future.
Matheus Franca debut should get Crystal Palace fans excited
In the 20 minutes he played, Franca was given a rating of 6.9 out of 10, via SofaScore. Despite only being on the pitch for such a short period, this actually gave him the second best rating in the Palace squad.
The 19 year-old, who was hailed as ‘fantastic‘ ahead of arriving at the club, managed 14 touches, completed six of his nine passes and also completed two of his four crosses. It was his creativity which massively impressed as he managed three key passes in the game. This was the joint-most on the day.
It wasn’t the dream debut for the Brazilian, but there was some definite positives and his performance should get fans of the Eagles very excited.
Newcastle is a tough place to go to, but Franca showed that he could battle in the division and that he wasn’t worried about the opposition.
With attackers currently injured and Jean-Philippe Mateta having no influence in the last few Premier League matches that he has started, Hogdson needs to change things up.
Palace have only scored seven goals in the Premier League this season and whilst we have relied on our defence this season, the loss to Newcastle showed that this is not always possible.
