Palace suffered yet another defeat on Sunday, courtesy of a Kai Havertz header in the 67th minute. This is now the fourth of the last five games Palace have failed to score in, and the eighth in the last 18 games.
Edouard - the missing piece?
Odsonne Édouard has struggled to regain his starting place in the side in recent games, with Vieira favouring 31-year-old Ghanaian forward, Jordan Ayew. In Edouard’s last run of starting in the side, he scored 3 goals in seven games with one assist. Ayew on the other hand has just 1 goal so far in this campaign.
After Édouard was brought into the game in the 69th minute, his impact was noticeable. He linked play very well and gave Zaha and Olise in the flanks some targets in the box; alongside Jean-Phillipe Mateta. The Frenchman did have a chance late in the game however Chelsea defender Nathan Chalobah saw the ball out for a goal kick.
Doucouré struggling to play three different roles (unsurprisingly)
After a booking in the 26th minute, the Mali international was treading thin ice for the rest of the game. Doucouré still put in another impressive midfield performance, with a thunderous volley denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga. The holes in the midfield were particularly visible yesterday, with Jeffery Schlupp and Ebere Eze failing to have much impact in driving the play forward. This has been the case for most of the season.
Will Hughes was brought on and delivered another strong performance, injecting some intensity and purpose into the midfield. If the Crystal Palace board is not looking to invest in a midfielder this January, Hughes certainly seems to be the next best thing, with his performances consistent. He also offers Doucouré defensive help, which Schlupp frankly has not delivered this season.
Guéhi shows fighting passion still exists amongst the squad
The former Chelsea player was not sentimental when facing his former club, putting in a stellar defensive performance yet again. The 22-year-old came up against many former teammates, one of which was former Palace loanee, Conor Gallagher. Gallagher and Guéhi came through the Chelsea academy together and won the U17 World Cup together.
However, during Sunday’s game, he demonstrated his commitment to Palace and the game at hand. Gallagher had repeatedly gone down for soft fouls during the game and remained down for an unnecessarily long amount of time. Guéhi alongside some of his teammates hurried Gallagher along, picking him up to his feet. The English defender then became visibly annoyed at Gallagher’s behaviour and pushed him on the back. Guéhi demonstrated that apathy amongst the squad may sneak in from time to time, but not for the captain. This is the kind of leadership and attitude Palace need more of to climb up the table.
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