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| Selhurst Park |
Having gone unusually early (Thursday afternoon) with his pre-match press conference, especially for a Monday night kick off; our manager couldn’t give updates on recently injured and illness-hit players ahead of this one, which makes it even more difficult to forecast.
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).
Fluid 4-1-5-0 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:
______________________________________________
Grealish_________________________________Mahrez
____________________De Bruyne_________________
__________Foden_________________Silva__________
______________________Rodri____________________
Zinchenko________________________________Walker
___________Laporte_____________Stones__________
_____________________Ederson__________________
Subs: Carson, Slicker, Wilson-Esbrand, Mbete, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Sterling, McAtee, Jesus.
Ederson is net.
Unless Joao Cancelo recovers enough to be considered for a start, I think we’ll see Oleksandr start in the left-wing back position and will be joined by Aymeric, John & Kyle in the back 4.
Rodders just in front of those and ahead of the Spanish defensive midfield is a likely fluid, interchangeable, ‘attacking’ 5 of Jack, Phil, Kevin, Bernardo & Riyad.
Once again, unless Zack Steffen is deemed to have got over whatever it is that’s been keeping him out recently, then I can see our manager fielding 2 reserve stoppers on the bench in the form of Scott & Cieran. Josh & Luke are the only 2, young defenders on the side; Fernandinho, Ilkay, Raheem, James & Gabriel are the midfield / wing / attacking options in ‘the 9’.
Notable absences:
- Zack Steffen – No update, so I’ve assumed that the American keeper has not recovered from his (back? shoulder?) niggle. He wasn’t seen in training on Thursday, at least…
- Benjamin Mendy – Suspended by the club until further notice.
- Joao Cancelo – No update on whether he has recovered from a recent illness / sickness. He too wasn’t seen in training on Thursday, at least…
- Nathan Ake – Once again, no update about whether the Dutch international defender has recovered from his bad landing the other week. I suspect that he might, at least, make the bench but like both Zack & Joao; he wasn’t seen in training on Thursday…
- Ruben Dias – Out for 3 to 5 weeks with a hamstring injury.
- Cole Palmer – No update at all on the young, attacking midfielder since we were last told about a week ago that he was close to returning to training, which he didn’t on Thursday…unless it was behind closed doors and away from the rest of the squad.
UPDATE - 13.03.2022, 9:45am: Reports from yesterday state that Zack Steffen, Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake & Cole Palmer all trained on Saturday. Whether that means they are deemed ready to step into the match-day squad for tomrrow night remains to be seen but that is very possitive news indeed.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Result? Just one defeat in their last eight in all competitions should tell you a little bit about where are hosts are at the moment and what task lies ahead of us; the fact that The Eagles have either held us to a draw or deservedly taken all-3 points off us in recent seasons should tell you also that we have a game on our hands on Monday night (8:00pm KO GMT) and we most-certainly have to be ‘on it’ in South London.
Quick Palace fact: Since 8th January 2022, only Liverpool & Chelsea have inflicted defeat on the side from Croydon in 11 games played in all competitions.
They don’t score too many in the league, with “just” 39 from 28 played, but only 4 sides outside of the ‘top 7’ have a better defensive record – when they want to ‘dig in’, they’re a terribly difficult outfit to break down. Blues fans will most likely have to hold their nerve and show some patience; whilst at the same time our players have to maintain belief that if we keep ‘doing our thing’, we will breach their defences eventually.
However, whilst we’re constantly trying to pick our way through the forest of red & blue shirts, we will have to be sharp at the back too; as they will, no doubt, try to ‘hit us on the counter’ and at pace. What has concerned me a little in recent weeks in particular is that our wing-backs are pushing themselves SO far up in support of our attacking midfielders & wingers that we’re exposing ourselves a little too much, for my liking at least.
Before Manyoo got their equaliser last Sunday, I’d already spotted 3 occasions where we looked vulnerable on both defensive flanks and, sure enough, former Blue, Jadon Sancho, ran into clear space where our right-wing back should have been to give the reds some hope. I think it’s incredible how our flanking defenders give additional attacking assistance to our more-forward players but I do, sometimes, think that they - and perhaps our manager - forget that they are wing-backs…and perhaps Rodri needs to drop back more to ‘fill out’ our defence whenever Walker & Cancelo, or whoever, go marauding forward.
All that being said, I think we have ‘our swagger’ back and there’s never doubting the endeavour that Pep instils in his players.
That work rate – along with craft – will be needed aplenty and I think we’ll see that on Monday. It’s a much-needed away win for me.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
(Pre-match blog posting from that game)
Prediction: Win
Result: Won
Expected weather conditions during the game: A fine, nothing-much-doin’ evening. No rain, little in the way of a breeze and some broken cloud, which will see the temperature during the game registering at 8C. Perfect for the players; warm coats and perhaps hat & gloves for the watching fans, I would suggest.
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| Solidarity |
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