Day 7: Crystal Palace

Everyday, from now until Christmas Eve, we will take a look at a Premier League club and rate their season so far. Today, it is Crystal Palace’s turn to be put under the microscope as we continue our Premier League Christmas Countdown.

Of all of the teams fighting at the bottom of the table at the moment, Crystal Palace are the most likely to be able to escape it. We saw last season that they are capable of going on a bit of a run under Oliver Glazner, and some results this season suggest that their league position at the moment isn’t accurate of their performances. They are currently in 17th on 13 points, having won just two games so far and drawn seven.

An Uncertain Start

Crystal Palace started the season with two losses, both of which were probably games that Glazner had been targeting to pick up three points in. It started with a 2-1 loss to Brentford in which Palace just about edged it in terms of possession and chances but couldn’t capitalise. Following this was a similar defeat at home to West Ham. These results were substantial as Palace’s next month included matches against Chelsea and Manchester United.

Shared points at Selhurst Park 🟰 pic.twitter.com/53NhLCw06f

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 21, 2024

As it happens, Crystal Palace actually picked up their first point of the season against Chelsea as they managed to grind out a 1-1 draw. Following this, they disappointingly drew against Leicester at home before securing another surprise point against Manchester United. September ended with perhaps the most disappointing result of the season, a 2-1 loss to Everton.

1-0ctober

Crystal Palace had three Premier League games in October, and they all ended 1-0. First up was a visit from Liverpool and given the two sides’ starts to the season, many expected this to be a very one sided game. Liverpool walked away with the three points, but there were times that it looked like they were hanging onto their slim lead. After the international break, an error by Dean Henderson gave Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over the Eagles.

Crystal Palace claim their first PL win of the season after Mateta's first-half goal and a huge win for West Ham! ✅ pic.twitter.com/nquCBrzsLM

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 27, 2024

Their final league match of the month was at home to Tottenham, and once again, people were expecting a one sided match. While most of the possession went Spurs’ way, the chances and, most importantly, the only goal didn’t. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the goal in the first half and Glazner’s men were able to finish the match with their first three points of the season.

Back to Drawing Ways

Surely, having managed to win their first game this season, Crystal Palace would now go on to winning more matches, especially as their November looked rather favourable. First up was an important game against Wolves who were still looking for their first win of the season. Had it not been for Marc Guehi’s 77th minute equaliser, they would have done it, but the match ended 2-2 and both teams left disappointed.

After another disappointing match which ended 2-0 to Fulham, Palace managed to earn two solid draws against Aston Villa and Newcastle. These draws weren’t too worrying for Palace fans as both Villa and Newcastle are good sides. It was the draws against sides in and around them that were worrying.

December has, so far, been a positive month for Glazner’s side. They started with a 1-0 away win over Ipswich in a game that was rather uneventful other than the controversy surrounding the LGBTQ+ captain armband. Sam Morsey, Ipswich’s captain, refused to wear the armband citing religious reasons, while Marc Guehi did wear it, but wrote a religious message on it.

Marc Guehi says the 'Jesus loves you' message he wrote on his rainbow armband was one of "truth and love and inclusivity".#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/T1pC1YIRpZ

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 4, 2024

After their second win of the season, Crystal Palace hosted Manchester City at the weekend. The reigning champions had returned to winning ways the week before, having beaten high-flying Nottingham Forest, so Palace fans were expecting the worst. The worst didn’t come however, as the game ended in another draw.

Palace still have four league games and a cup match this month, and two of them are against Arsenal. Their fans will be hoping that they can continue the month the way it has started by beating the likes of Southampton and Bournemouth and earning points against the Gunners and Brighton.

Player of the Season

Marc Guehi is always talked about as one of the best players at Crystal Palace because of his solidity at the back and the way he can progress the ball forwards with his passing. This season, he added to that by scoring and assisting goals. He has two goals this season, equalling his most prolific Premier League campaign. The Eagles have conceded 20 goals this season, fewer than the likes of Manchester City, Brighton and Aston Villa, and a lot of this is down to Guehi’s leadership at the back.

Season Rank: D

End of Season Prediction: 14th

Check out our Christmas Countdown article from yesterday.