Alex Pewter watched today's friendly win over Walsall and here are his five talking points from the game.
It has only been two weeks since Crystal Palace formally announced Patrick Vieira as Roy Hodgson's successor. With only that fortnight of training and his coaching staff still being assembled, this run-out against League Two Walsall was the fan's first glimpse at the new era. The long-term strategy was unlikely to be deployed quite this quickly, and many young players would be deputising in place of signings yet to be finalised or senior players yet to return to full training. With all that context in place, here are some takeaways from Palace's opening 1-0 win against The Saddlers.
Overall Shape
Palace's first-team players played during the first half lined up in Vieira's 4-3-3 formation, similar to the one used often at Nice. Riedewald took up the central, slightly deeper role of the three-person midfield behind Schlupp and McArthur, but all three interchanged as they looked to get open for the shorter passing game. The passing was sketchy in places, but as a first outing, the intent was clear.
The team had the majority of possession early, which would be expected given the relative standings of each club, displaying a patient build-up between the defence and midfield. In the first half, a wrinkle in the set-up saw James McArthur frequently dropping into the left-back spot allowing Tyrick Mitchell to drive down the left-flank, far higher than he has been accustomed to playing.
In terms of pressing, the midfield looked to win possession as Walsall neared the halfway line. Either by cutting off passing lanes or smothering the ball-carrier. But it will be easier to see how this strategy will translate in the Premier League against a team happy to pass under pressure.
Playing it Short?
Over the last three seasons at Palace, Guaita has sent his goal kicks 62 yards downfield on average. Last season only Adam Ramsdale and Nick Pope averaged further. Similarly, while not as high up the list, his average passes were around 45 yards in length as he was asked to launch the ball into the opposition's half as the first option. At Nice, goalkeeper Walter Benítez was frequently asked to pass short in open play and from goal kicks, so it would be interesting to see if Vieira immediately implemented this into Palace's game.
Against Walsall, Palace had few goal kicks due to the team's dominance, but the centre backs were happy to play the ball back to the goalkeeper as the team looked to work possession out to the full-backs. The first option was to roll out to Tomkins or Kelly early rather than release the wingers with a long kick from collected crosses.
As Butland took over the gloves for the second half, Walsall began to press on the edge of Palace's box to prevent the short-passing game. Despite this, Butland still opted to play to a defender as the first option.
Zaha's Performance
Given the annual speculation about Wilfried Zaha's future at Palace, his competitive nature was on display, despite the lower-pressure environment at the start of pre-season. Back in his favoured left-wing role, the plan appeared to be for him to act as an inside forward, driving the ball into the centre of the pitch when in possession, leaving space for Mitchell in particular. Ayew mirrored this on the right flank.
Zaha capped off his 45-minute workout as he gave Palace the lead near the end of the half. Turning his marker out wide, he found Rob Street for a clever one-two before finishing low past the keeper from the penalty spot. If Zaha is unsettled at the club, he still looked to make an impression this afternoon as the most prominent player on show.
Youth on Display
Rob Street was the lone youth starter today, covering the absence of Christian Benteke post-Euros and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who didn't enter the fray until the last 20 minutes of the game.
The second half brought eleven subs for Palace, a mix of U23 & U18 squad players from last season, Jack Butland in goal and Jach in defence. Walsall declined to make wholesale changes, giving the young Eagles minutes against Football League competition.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi looked lively, cutting in from the right-wing position and would have been disappointed not to have doubled the score, striking the ball directly at the keeper after breaking into the area. Nya Kirby played well in central midfield, looking comfortable passing the ball in the style of the senior players during the first half. In defence, Jake O'Brien leads the line well as he builds his reputation following his move from Cork City.
Palace's only mistake of the second half led to Walsall striking the bar on the counter following a loose pass in midfield. Otherwise, the team played out for a comfortable 1-0 win.
New Season, New Hope
As far as pre-season friendlies go, Palace met expectations for an early run-out. Players got some minutes under their belts, some looking sharper than others in a new style. It will be interesting to see how the team builds on this first-half against higher division opposition and senior players playing a higher percentage of the minutes.
Patrick Vieira will have more senior players to add back into future games and some new signings on the horizon, but he will be pleased with today's action.