Chelsea talking tactics: Crystal Palace always has another trick

Chelsea has a quick turnaround before they face Crystal Palace. The Eagles seemingly always have another trick up their sleeve so the Blues must be ready.

There are a few interesting things going on at Crystal Palace this season. The first is that they have completely avoided the relegation battle for the first time in what feels like years. The second is that Roy Hodgson is their longest serving manager since Neil Warnock in 2007 through 2010.

The former and the latter are somewhat intertwined. Palace has been successful before, but not like they have under Hodgson. Hodgson’s done it with an ever changing squad that he constantly adapts to the current situation. He is contracted through the end of next season and by all accounts, things are expected to continue on this trajectory.

Of course, this match is not about the future. Currently, Chelsea is fighting for fourth with Manchester United nipping at their heels. Palace is safe from relegation, but they will still want to make a point in London. The Blues must be ready for a tough encounter.

Hodgson usually opts for a 4-3-3 shape against teams that his side is expected to struggle against. This allows him to get more bodies back on the defensive side of things while still having the ability to counter quickly through the flanks. Wilfried Zaha’s position is the main catalyst between the 4-3-3 (and variants) and their occasional 4-4-2 (and variants).

In most seasons, Zaha has been the be all end all for the Palace attack. Not so much this season. He is still important of course, but Palace has adapted around Zaha’s dry spell and everyone is contributing almost in equal measure now. If anything, Jordan Ayew has taken the spotlight.

Palace still has a bad habit of over relying on their wingers to push them through. That means they struggle to maintain possession for extended spells and often leave themselves open. If they can, they will shell up in a pretty compact way to allow for quick counters, but their best defense remains their weakest offense and vice versa. It works a lot of the time, but it is a very delicate balancing act.

In Chelsea’s favor is the fact that Palace is on a three game losing streak at the moment. Liverpool did their thing and simply ran them over and pounced on every mistake. Burnley sat off and let Palace expend their energy fruitlessly. And Leicester harassed and harried Palace along the flanks and pounced on the Eagles’ openings.

Palace is a clever team, but a beatable one. The Blues have already done so this season and they have much more to play for than Palace. So long as Chelsea stays calm and controlled, Palace will create openings to be exploited. They will constantly probe Chelsea’s back line at the same time, so the Blues must remain alert all over the pitch.

At the end of the day, this may just come down to Palace’s season already being decided and Chelsea needing it more. With the right rotations for fitness, the Blues should make easy work of this.