This season Crystal Palace are in the midst of great change. Much of that change is notably tactical following Patrick Vieira’s appointment as manager. Results have so far been mixed, with 4 wins, 7 draws and 5 defeats. But the idea behind what Palace are now trying to do; playing a more pressing and possession-oriented game, is proving a net positive.
An impressive 3-1 home win against Everton displayed Palace’s intent to build attacks from the back, and how in-form midfielder Conor Gallagher is involved all over the pitch, and complements both Palace’s system and their shape.
Both sides set up in a 4-3-3. But Palace had more command of the game through more command of the ball, whereas Everton were not as compact as sides managed by Rafa Benitez are stereotypically expected to be.
Gallagher would push ahead of Palace’s two other midfielders, Cheikhou Kouyate and Will Hughes, to form an overload on the right-side, doubling up and combining with Jordan Ayew as he drifted inside from a wide starting position. Either in build-up or on the counter-attack, Gallagher and Ayew would feed each other’s runs into spaces.
Playing as a more advanced no.8, it is paramount Gallagher provides support in the final-third. The midfielder does this via third-man and lateral runs to receive passes in the penalty-area. And it was this tactic that led to the first of Palace’s three goals. An attack led by Ayew down the right side oversaw a low ball into the box be cleared. But a Demarai Gray mistake led to Ayew having another chance to send in a delivery, this time a cut back to Gallagher, who had moved into the box. Gallagher converted first-time into the bottom corner to give Palace the lead.
The 4-3-3 is a good base shape for combinations, as player movements and rotations can help cover all areas in attack, and overloads can be formed in the wide areas. There is room to attack through the lines and out wide.
Amidst a new manager and subsequently new playing style and approach to recruitment, Palace are also averaging more possession per game than last season. Whereas last season, Roy Hodgson’s Palace averaged 42.9%, Vieira’s Palace average more than half with 51.6%.
At times Palace do face issues when taking too long to progress the ball into dangerous positions, but their newfound approach does allow for more sustained attacks. It is arguable that the passing range of centre-back Marc Guehi from deep and when pushing into midfield, and Gallagher’s ball-carrying and runs are avenues to this.
Going into the game against Everton, Gallagher had scored 4 goals. He added a further two, with the second a spectacular strike in the 94th minute. The games last breaths had seen some pressure on Palace’s lead, but after a poorly taken free-kick, Gallagher regained the ball on the edge of the box, before opening up and curling the ball into the top left corner, finding luck with the ball going in via the underside of the crossbar.
As of gameweek 16, Gallagher is Palace’s top scorer with 6 goals. He is keen to shoot from varying positions, both inside and outside of the box. He is not overtly wasteful when shooting from distance, offering technique with either foot when shooting. When on the edge of the box, the midfielder will take a necessary amount of touches to find the right angle from which to shoot.
But what must not be forgotten, is that Gallagher is only on loan at Palace. On Chelsea’s books, it is interesting to decipher whether Gallagher will have a part to play under Thomas Tuchel next season.
Tuchel has previously admitted that “It is too early to talk about that in public before we talk with Conor himself and what his goals are,” but it can be wondered as to what effect Gallagher would have whilst enjoying time with Palace. Could Gallagher play as one of two inside forwards in Chelsea’s 3-4-2-1? Could Gallagher play as one of two 6s, even with his tendency to break forward?
The more advanced role seems the likelier option, as it does seem that Gallagher benefits from the extra midfield player. Though that is not said without considering Gallagher’s defensive contributions, as he does track back and make tackles, including 4 against Everton.
Data: StatsZone, whoscored, understat
Image: Getty
Quote: The Guardian
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