Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson is not blameless as club face battle for survival

Wing and a prayer: Wilfried Zaha is playing as a centre-forward but he is much more effective as a winger
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Giuseppe Muro7 December 2018

With less than three weeks until Christmas, there is little festive cheer around Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace gear up for their annual fight to avoid relegation.

Palace had hoped they would not spend another season scrapping for survival but after Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat against 10-man Brighton the situation looks worrying.

The Eagles are just three points above the bottom three and the problems are beginning to mount for Roy Hodgson.

Ahead of their trip to West Ham on Saturday, Standard Sport looks at what is going wrong and their chances of getting out of trouble.

Lack of goals

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The absence of a genuine marksman is a major issue for Palace. They struggle to score — only Huddersfield have fewer than their 11 goals in the League this season — and Hodgson is being forced to use Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend as centre-forwards, with Christian Benteke injured.

Zaha has still been their best performer and Townsend has done well in the role but Palace are blunt without a focal point to their attack. The return of Benteke, who could be back from his knee problem later this month, will help but it will not make their problems disappear.

They are also devoid of creativity. With James McArthur and Max Meyer starting on the flanks there is no width and Palace never looked like breaking down Brighton in open play despite having a man advantage, which highlighted how they struggle if they go behind. Palace will look to buy a striker in January but Hodgson has warned it is difficult to unearth a gem in mid-season.

Zaha’s position

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Palace rely so heavily on Zaha to shoulder the attacking burden but by playing him as a centre-forward they are losing one of the best wingers in the Premier League.

Zaha is at his most dangerous when he is tearing at full-backs and creating from wide positions. He is effective through the middle, though you cannot help but feel Palace would be better off with their best player in his natural position.

Zaha has now failed to score in his past nine games. He will be key to Palace’s chances of staying up but he cannot be expected to win games on his own. When Benteke returns, playing Zaha wide on the right could give Palace more of a threat.

No depth in the squad

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There is a real lack of depth in the Palace squad and the paucity of options available to Hodgson spells trouble.

The Palace manager has been short of players to make an impact from the bench if they are chasing the game.

Jordan Ayew has failed to impress since he joined on loan in the summer, £9million signing Alexander Sorloth continues to struggle and Connor Wickham has been dogged by injuries.

Hodgson, who has stuck with a core of 13 or 14 players this season, does hope to strengthen the squad in January and bolster his options.

Inflexible Hodgson

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A section of Palace supporters feel Hodgson must take some of the blame for their form. There are questions about how much Palace have progressed since last season and Hodgson has been unwilling to change the way they play despite their poor run. Palace have looked good in the most part when they are level or score first in games but when they fall behind they struggle and Hodgson has not switched from his 4-4-2 or changed to different approach.

The way they capitulated against Brighton is a real concern. And for a team who rely so heavily on being defensively solid, the number of errors they made was worrying. Dissenting voices among fans are growing.

January may not solve problems

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The January transfer window could be crucial but there is unlikely to be a flurry of signings to sort out the problems.

There is limited money to spend on new players, with major additions likely to have to be funded by sales. Palace are also prohibited by their hefty wage bill.

A new forward is likely to be the priority and Palace are still interested in bringing Ruben Loftus-Cheek back on loan if Chelsea let him leave.

Hodgson has warned there is no “magical solution” in January and Palace look set for another battle against the drop in the second half to the season.

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