Guarding The Palace: Why Patrick Vieira's Appointment Has Been A Success

This image is a derivative of Soccerex European Forum in Manchester by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (CC BY-SA 2.0)

When Crystal Palace announced that they would not renew Roy Hodgson’s contract upon its expiration, it didn’t come as too much of a shock.

It’s no question however that the former England coach stabilised the ship during his tenure at the London club, primarily helping them to maintain their EPL presence. 

When Hodgson first took over at Palace he came in at a particularly tumultuous period in the club's recent history with Sam Allardyce leaving unexpectedly at the end of the 2016/17 season, only to be replaced by Frank de Boer. The latter was subsequently sacked after losing each of his first four games. 

Hodgson led the team to 11th place in his first season and followed that campaign with a 12th and two 14th place finishes over the following three seasons.

By the end of his tenure, fans were increasingly frustrated with his pragmatic style of play which had little in the way of attacking flair and was creating minimal chances to say nothing of a press which was virtually non-existent. 

To make matters worse, the boring football was too often translating into uninspiring results with their -25 goal difference last season the 4th worst return in the EPL. 

It’s no wonder the fans were getting restless. 

So when Patrick Vieira came on this past summer there was both excitement mixed in with the realisation of how significant the job ahead of him was. 

As of match-day 14 Vieira has his team in 12th place on 16 points which is two less than what they had at this time last season while they're just a 10.1% chance of relegation according to the Stats Insider futures model. 

While they haven't set the world on fire, Palace has already registered a win against Manchester City and breezed through the growing pains which usually accompany the arrival of a new manager. 

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One of the first things that the club did before Vieria was appointed was release a group of ageing players that the club had relied on for far too long. Players like Gary Cahill, James McCarthy, Patrick van Aanholt, Andros Townsend, and Scott Dann were all made way for new, fresh signings. 

Crystal Palace had the oldest squad in the Premier League last season, with an average age of 28.8 years. Now they’re 15th in the league with an average age of 27.2 years old.

Their highest average age in a starting XI last season was 30.5 years old (against Newcastle at home), while this season, it was 28.4 years old (against Liverpool away). 

The decrease in age within the squad is definitely evident in their performances. Players like Joachim Andersen (25 years old), Odsonne Édouard (23 years old), Marc Guéhi (21 years old), Conor Gallagher (21 years old), and Michael Olise (19 years old) have all played an imperative role in Vieria’s new style. 

Along with changing up the composition of the squad Vieira has also ushered in a vastly different style than what was employed under Hodgson. 

Their primary alteration under the former legendary French midfielder is that they’ve become more of a possession-based team rather than a counter-attacking team. 

They are averaging 52% possession, whereas they were averaging 40.2% last season. The 12% increase is due to the change in how Vieria has set up Palace to transition from defence to attack. 

Gone are the long-ball days of Hodgson, where one of the centre-backs would look to bypass the midfield and hoof the ball to one of the forward players, usually Wilfried Zaha, in an attempt to commence a counter-attack. 

Playing long can be effective. It works for teams that may not have the personnel to play a complex attacking system but it often leads to fewer chances created because the team sees less of the ball. 

Now, with the partnership of Guehi and Anderson (who is currently being replaced by James Tomkins as he recovers from a hamstring injury), Palace has centre-backs who are much more comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Their first touch is much more controlled than Palace’s previous centre-backs, making them much more press resistant. Both players also have a better eye for a pass and are thus not forced to play long balls constantly. 

Both Andersen and Guehi are still relatively young and will naturally have some blunders defensively now and again. But their improvement under Vieria has allowed Crystal Palace to play out from the back and become a more dangerous team whilst in possession. 

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Vieria has changed Palace’s game-style out of possession as well, with the team showing a significant increase in pressing right up to the final third from the moment the opposition’s defenders touch the ball. Gone are the days of Hodgson’s passive 4-4-2, and instead, Palace fans can look forward to Vieria’s pressing style in a dynamic 4-3-3. 

Only Leeds United are ahead of Crystal Palace in terms of the number of times the team has applied pressure to an opposing player who is receiving, carrying, or releasing the ball with 2,265. 

Now this statistic can sometimes be skewed. Manchester City was the Premier League team with the least amount of pressures last season despite them being a pressing team simply because they see so much of the ball.

However, in Palace’s case, the fact that there has been an increase in their pressures even though they average a higher possession percentage shows that they are pressing more than they ever did under Hodgson. There has also been an increase in Crystal Palace's turnovers and PPDA (Passes Per Defensive Action), which further indicates that their press has dramatically improved. 

Vieria was tasked with the seemingly impossible of rebuilding and revamping an ageing squad whilst simultaneously changing his team’s style. 

And while there is still work to be done, Crystal Palace’s proactive football that has been on display this season is exactly what fans at Selhurst Park have been craving for a very long time.

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