The new season of the "Premier" league will start on August 13, and that means there are only 15 days left until the start of the English championship. As the competitions approach inexorably, Eurofootball.com will provide you with an overview of all twenty "Premier" league teams.
This time, we will review the team that had a great first round in the last season, but eventually dropped to the 15th position in the "Premier" league - the team of "Crystal Palace".
"Crystal Palace"
History:
The team was founded in 1905 and last season, they played in the "Premier" league for the eighth time. Their best finish in this league was the 10th place.
Last season:
In the 2015-2016 season, the start of the "Premier" league was great for the "Crystal Palace" club - after the first round, they were in fifth place. However, a series of thirteen games without a win later dropped them to the 16th position, and by the end of the season, the team had climbed back to the 15th position.
Changes after the last season:
After the season, "Crystal Palace" decided to get rid of players who did not meet expectations - defenders Brede Hangeland and Adrian Mariappa, as well as forwards Marouane Chamakh and Emmanuel Adebayor left the team. They were also able to sell the forward Dwight Gayle to "Newcastle United" for 12 million euros, despite him scoring only three times throughout the last season.
This summer, the club has already added three new players. The most famous of them joined the club without any transfer fee. French national team goalkeeper Steve Mandanda moved from "Marseille" to the "Premier" league after his contract with the former team expired. The other two newcomers cost the club significant amounts - the club bought the center-back James Tomkins from "West Ham United" for 11.7 million euros, and the right-back Andros Townsend for 15.6 million euros. After this transfer, Townsend became the most expensive player ever bought by "Crystal Palace".
Players worth paying attention to:
Yohan Cabaye stood out last season after being the most expensive purchase of the team in the last transfer window. His performance during the previous season showed that he deserved this title. Cabaye was among the top ten players in the league in terms of interceptions and successful passes, and his contribution to the team's game was also visible in the attack. The defender was one of the four most productive players in the team, and in terms of created chances for teammates, he was third. The "Crystal Palace" defense line has remained unchanged this summer, so the club hopes for a similar French contribution to the team's game this season.
Andros Townsend finally left "Tottenham Hotspur" in January, joining "Newcastle United". Playing in just thirteen matches, the full-back stood out for his successful game - he scored four goals, provided two assists, and created the most chances for his teammates during those matches. Despite such English performances, "Newcastle" dropped from the highest league, and Townsend once again changed teams in the off-season. The player hopes to turn his last half-year flashes into stable performances with "Crystal Palace". The title of the most expensive purchase in the history of the club obliges him to become one of the main players of this team.
Steve Mandanda, who spent his entire career in his homeland, decided to leave "Marseille" and move to "Crystal Palace". As the goalkeeper passes the age of 30, his age should increasingly reflect the advantage of being considered the best goalkeeper with acrobatics and physical abilities, so it will be interesting to see if the Frenchman can adapt and remain as effective in goalkeeping. The "Crystal Palace" team, already having Welsh national team goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey without Mandanda, should certainly not face any problems in this department.
Team's strengths:
Set-piece execution. Last season, "Crystal Palace" scored as many goals from set pieces and penalties from eleven meters as they did from positional attacks. It is not surprising that they were the only ones to achieve this in the league. The 15 goals from set-piece positions ranked fifth in the league, helping the club to secure victories when the team's positional attack was struggling. If the team continues to struggle to create positional attacks next season, set pieces should once again become their main weapon.
High balls battles. The team was one of the best in the last season in fighting for high balls, ranking among the top five "Premier" league clubs in this indicator. However, this did not bring them many goals with head shots last season - the team scored only seven times in total. With an advantage in the second tier, "Crystal Palace" should try to hang high balls next season, hoping for success and goals.
Aggressive gameplay. Last year, "Crystal Palace" stood out for the fact that the team aggressively stopped dangerous opponent attacks, which often ended in fouls. The team that made the most fouls last season in the league seemed to know when to foul in time, and during the season, only two players at the club received red cards against themselves. Even though in the 2015-2016 "Premier" league season, thirteen teams earned more dismissals from the pitch, it seems that "Crystal Palace" knows how to properly use their aggressiveness.
Interesting facts about "Crystal Palace":
The best season in the highest league for "Crystal Palace" was in 1990-1991 when they finished third in the league. This achievement was recorded two years before the newly formed highest English league was named the "Premier" league;
Last season, this team was very close to their most important victory in the club's history. "Crystal Palace" reached the FA Cup final and scored in the 78th minute to take the lead. However, after three minutes, "Manchester United" equalized the score, and during extra time, even with one player less, they failed to achieve victory;
The most important titles that "Crystal Palace" can boast of are two second-tier English division championship trophies;
The "Crystal Palace" team can also boast of an unpleasant record - they are the team that has dropped from the "Premier" league the most times. They bid farewell to this league four times;
The player who played the most matches in the club - Jim Cannon, represented this team on the field 571 times. The player who scored the most goals was Peter Simpson, who scored 153 times.
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
