A Premier League campaign that started with a bang for Crystal Palace is now ending in what can only be described as a meek whimper.
The campaign saw early promise after six wins from the first nine games, including an upset win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. At the time, the Eagles were only the second team to record such a result against a Jose Mourinho-led Chelsea side.
A dry spell followed in October with the Eagles only picking up half the points on offer. However, Palace sat comfortably in fourth heading into the Christmas period after going undefeated in six games and only losing one in eight fixtures. This was to be the season’s cruscendo for Alan Pardew’s side.
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From there, the team struggled for fluency, particular in attack after star winger Yannick Bolasie went down with a thigh injury after the Stoke game, missing two months before returning in late February.
Palace’s hopes to push up the table were dealt a huge blow after going 11 matches without a win. A season that had initially promised so much would end with the South-East London club battling with the likes of Newcastle, Norwich and Sunderland to avoid the dreaded drop.
It was not only the injury to Bolasie that caused this – some key players also seemed to go missing when the team needed them most. Club record signing French midfielder Yohan Cabaye endured a very disappointing spell which negatively impacted his side hugely. The usually reliable Cabaye saw his form drop well below standard, while the defensive side of his game left a lot to be desired.
Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey also went through a disappointing time between the posts. Like Cabaye, his reputation in the Premier League was built steadily, but struggled to reclaim the quality shown throughout his career. Most notably, back-to-back mistake-ridden performances against Manchester City and Aston Villa in January, where Palace succumed to 4-0 and 1-0 losses respectively.
The lack of a prolific scorer has hurt Palace’s chances. Bolasie, Cabaye, Connor Wickham and Scott Dann are level on five goals each, followed by Dwight Gayle with three, two of which came against Stoke last weekend.
Nice to finish the last game at home with a win…well done @dwightgayle 👏…fans great again 🔴🔵🔴🔵
— Jason Puncheon (@jason_punch42) May 7, 2016
Pardew tried to rectify this with the purchase of Emmanuel Adabayor by the Togolese striker is yet to trouble to scorers and has been rarely used in the last few games.
The last month in the league has been a good turnaround for the club having only lost twice in eight fixtures. A win on the final day could see move to 12th position ahead of Everton and finish mid-table despite winning two of the last 20 league matches.
There is the potential for a shining light to come out of the season. An FA Cup final on May 21st at Wembley against Manchester United represents a chance at redemption, and would be the Eagles’ first cup win in its history. The fixture is also a recreation of the last time Palace reached the final in 1990. Two of the current Eagles coaching staff were involved as players in the 1-0 loss, Pardew and first team coach John Salako.
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