Since Mitchell burst onto the scene at the end of the 2019/20 season - coming off the bench against Leicester in a 3-0 defeat to make his debut, the 23-year-old has battled to establish himself as Palace's starting left-back.
A product of Brentford's youth academy, Mitchell was swayed to move to Crystal Palace, turning down the opportunity to play for the Brentford B team. The English defender quickly impressed the likes of Paddy McCarthy and Richard Shaw, leading to Roy Hodgson bringing him on the Palace 2019 pre-season tour to Switzerland.
Mitchell has since played in a FA Semi-final against Chelsea and received an England call-up from Gareth Southgate in March 2022 - alongside fellow Palace teammates Marc Guéhi and Conor Gallagher.
Mitchell had a solid foundation when joining the team- a player strong in the tackle, quick, and with good positional awareness. His attacking ability was the questionable part of his game, and while there is still room for improvement, he has vastly improved this since making his debut.
However, this season the defender has struggled to continue his form, somewhat halting his development. His solid defensive performances have become less common, with errors leading to goalscoring opportunities creeping into his game.
Mitchell was also notably sent off during our Boxing Day fixture against Fulham, for a straight red card on Kenny Tete.
The lack of competition for Mitchell may be a factor in his dip in form this season, with no other registered left-backs at the club. Chris Richards and Jaïro Riedewald are players that can play this position, however, Vieira favours Richards in the centre or on the right side. Reidewald has struggled for game time this season, playing a total of 44 minutes this season.
This, therefore, shows Mitchell is under no immediate threat of being replaced, especially with no defenders being brought in during the January transfer window.
There is nothing in his stats to suggest there's a particular part of his game he is struggling with, but they make for very average viewing.
Mitchell notably has the second-worst pass accuracy in the side, with an average of 70.5 completed passes this season. The only player below him is Jean-Phillipe Mateta with an average of 70.2.
This would suggest that Mitchell is struggling to play in Patrick Vieira's possession-based style team. Guéhi and Andersen are two players that were brought in as they are comfortable on the ball, with the idea of playing out from the back.
Going from playing in a Roy Hodgson side - where the emphasis is put on defensive work and absorbing pressure, a player like Mitchell will thrive. But Vieira's football is much more expansive, with the manager demanding players play with fluidity to their shape and look to move the ball into attacking areas where they can.
This has been a problem for Palace on both flanks this season, with Ward, Clyne, and Mitchell all struggling to make forward passes into dangerous areas. Mitchell has only managed to complete 6 accurate crosses this season, with Ward and Clyne managing 4 between them.
A conundrum is emerging here for Vieira. He needs fullbacks that can attack the flanks effectively. Ward and Clyne are less of a problem as they are, most likely, on their way out of the club.
However, Vieira needs to find a way to steer Mitchell's career back on track, as he's proven he can deliver the Frenchman's desired style of play last season.
His attacking ability is there, it just needs to be shown more consistently. In his defence, I think the constant changing of the line-up this season has meant that Mitchell has been unable to create any chemistry between the player in front of him, leading to confusion and mixed signals when going forward. The defensive errors this season are less of a concern, as Mitchell has proven he can do these duties well in previous seasons.
Vieira just needs to find a way to help Mitchell regain his confidence and get him back on his upward trajectory. Some competition for his place would help, however, I think ultimately he is just in a bad run of form and will come out the other side having learnt some valuable lessons.
He is a fantastic asset to the club, and I hope to see him full of confidence, and playing out of his skin again soon.
Sources: The Athletic, One-Versus-One.
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