Crystal Palace had only really started to rediscover the good form that they started the season with after coming back from the September international break a little scrappy.
After being unbeaten and sitting in second spot, they then suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Manchester City and Tottenham.
Ordinarily a team such as the Eagles would not be too bothered by a loss in those fixtures, however, it was the way that they played during those losses that would have annoyed boss Alan Pardew and their supporters. In the Tottenham game in particular, they struggled to keep possession and often forced passes that ended up going straight to opposition defenders or nowhere near any other Palace targets.
One of the most wasteful players was Wilfried Zaha, all of the talent that has been on show with his speed and passing went missing in those two games. He ended up being substituted at halftime in the match against Spurs because of these recent poor performances.
In the two games at the end of the month, however, Pardews’ men were able to rediscover the form they had before the first international break, albeit against lesser opposition in Watford and West Bromwich Albion. The team has been able to once more utilise the ability of Zaha and Yannick Bolasie down the wing, with speed which has caused issues to some of the better defenders in the league. Zaha especially has really returned to his best and gained confidence playing a major role in the two wins, earning two penalties by using his speed to beat his opposition fullback.
Crystal Palace have a difficult month ahead of them, coming back to face West Ham and Leicester City before taking on Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the League Cup. They return to Premier League action with games against Manchester United and a team they have a good recent record against in the last few seasons, Liverpool, before another international break.
They will be really hoping that the form they come back with is the same as what they had before the break, because if they are able to perform consistently that they have a realistic chance of winning at least two of those games given a good away record, winning three of their four games on the road and one of those being against Liverpool, who they defeated 3-1 last time they met at Anfield.
Another reason that the break has come at the wrong time for Palace is the form that Wayne Hennessey has been in. Before he replaced Alex McCarthy in goal, the Eagles had failed to keep any clean sheets in the six games to start the season. In the two games that Hennessey has started, they have recorded two clean sheets and will be looking to continue this good run.
Crystal Palace have now won 15 Premier League games in 2015, only Arsenal (17) and Man City (16) have won more. pic.twitter.com/inPVhXtxkH
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 3, 2015
The injuries that Pardew’s squad has picked up so far this season have put two some key players on the sidelines, but that does not appear to have had too much of an impact. With captain and key central-defender Damien Delaney going down, Brede Hangeland has really stepped-up and has become a key component of the team. This could potentially give Pardew some issues in terms of selection, with Delaney a possibility to make a return after the international break.
The Eagles will also have the potential to pick Joel Ward, Mile Jedinak and Connor Wickham, all of which should be over their respected injuries. The only person likely to return from that list though is Joel Ward, because at times Martin Kelly has looked a bit shaky and has not been able to take advantage of his starting opportunities. Jedinak and Wickham, however, will have to look to try and fight for a spot on the bench as their roles on the field have been capably looked after and with the Australian yet to make a Premier League start this season, unless Yohan Cabaye or James McArthur get injured it seems unlikely that that will change.
Having shown that they can punch above their weight and get results against some of the bigger teams, this is another month where Palace can prove their new top-half credentials as long as they keep playing with the skill and execution that they had in the two games leading into the international break.
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