After Joachim Andersen's injury against London rivals Chelsea, Richards was called upon by Patrick Vieira to fill the gap.
The 22-year-old has since put in two stellar performances against Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.
But how will Vieira will try and work him into the team when Andersen returns from injury?
Option 1: 3 Defenders at the Back
This is a formation that Vieira has used frequently, particularly during his time at OGC Nice.
The Frenchman also notably opted for this formation in our 2-0 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final last season.
3 at the back requires calm and composed ball-playing defenders, which all 3 of Guéhi, Andersen and Richards are.
Despite Vieira stating that the "animation" of his side is more important than a rigid formation (The Athletic), 3 at the back allows him to deploy his favoured possession-based style of football.
However, to effectively play this system, the wing-backs need to offer tenacity and attacking play consistently.
These are weaknesses of current full-backs Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne.
Ward in particular struggles going forward, completing only 34 progressive passes so far this season.
So to use this formation, Palace would have to look to bring in a more attacking full-back in the last stretch of the January transfer window.
Djed Spence, the 22-year-old right-back has struggled for game time since joining Tottenham Hotspur in the summer; playing only 4 games.
Multiple Premier League clubs have been monitoring the possibility of brining Spence in on loan for the remainder of the season, and I hope Palace are amongst them, as this would be a shrewd addition to the squad.
Option 2: Playing Richards at full-back
In Richards' last 50 appearances in his career, 24 have been at centre-half, 17 at left-back and 9 at right-back.
He is therefore clearly comfortable on both feet and happy to play on both sides on the pitch.
Vieira has alternated between Ward and Clyne on the right side of defence this season, with neither player managing to nail down the starting spot.
Tyrick Mitchell has also had a noticeable dip in form this season, mainly due to the fact he has no competition for his place.
If Vieira opted to start Richards instead of one of Clyne, Ward or Mitchell, it would ideally make them up their performances when called upon.
Option 3: Stick with Richards and Guéhi?
This option I am not too keen on, purely because I think dropping Andersen would be extremely harsh, as he has consistently been a stand-out performer this season.
Having said that, if Richards continues his impressive form, Vieira may decide that he deserves to keep his place in the squad.
Guéhi and Richards have gelled extremely well and look like they have played a season as a pairing, instead of just two games.
Vieira therefore may not want to disrupt this partnership, keeping them as the two centre-halves.
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