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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Roy Hodgson’s tactics at Crystal Palace don’t always go down too well with some sections of the club’s fanbase.
His decision to substitute Max Meyer for Jeffrey Schlupp was met with criticism, whilst some fans have also expressed annoyance at the 72-year-old’s satisfaction at a somewhat negative approach.
Hodgson is a vastly experienced manager and he must have his reasons for adopting a defend-first-attack-second style, although his improper use of two players is particularly bugging and also ignores the DNA of the football club.
The Eagles have always prided themselves on having fast, dangerous wingers who take the game to the opposition.
The likes of Yannick Bolasie, Sean Scannell, Victor Moses, Wilfried Zaha, Wayne Routledge, John Salako and Vince Hilaire spring to mind when you think of the flamboyant wide men who have donned the red and blue over the years – there always seems to be at least one tricky customer out on the flanks for Palace.
In Hodgson’s team however, there is not.
That isn’t for the lack of such a character being present – Zaha was included in that aforementioned bunch and he is one of the best in the Premier League at taking people on.
Hodgson is messing with the Palace DNA by using the Ivorian in the wrong position, whilst his use of Meyer is also damaging the club’s traditional impetus on threatening via the flanks.
Firstly, let’s look at Zaha.
The 26-year-old is semi-regularly to regularly used as a centre-forward alongside Christian Benteke under Hodgson, as opposed to starting every game out on the left flank – we have already detailed just how much more effective Zaha is when out wide in terms of scoring goals.
Against Sheffield United last time out, the former Manchester United man was starved of the ball and really failed to make an impact – he completed just two dribbles, had no shots on target and was dispossessed twice.
He should be playing on the left wing, an area in which Hodgson continues to deploy Meyer.
It only takes one watch of a Crystal Palace game to see that the Germany international is categorically not a winger.
He is small, fairly weak, and doesn’t possess the natural burst of pace required to beat a man out wide.
As a result, Meyer tends to naturally drift inside and try to get on the ball in more of a left centre-midfield position, which leaves a gaping hole on the wing.
It wouldn’t take a genius for someone to just tell the pair to be flexible with Zaha moving into the left-wing area when Meyer does drift inside, but Hodgson seems a man too stubborn to allow his players such freedom on the pitch.
The Athletic reveals that Hodgson doesn’t really trust Zaha on the left of his 4-4-2 system as he doesn’t feel he offers enough defensive protection, but that is where his best attacking output comes from.
It’s simply up to the former England manager to decide if he wants to sacrifice a bit of defensive solidarity and have his best player firing on all cylinders, or if he wants to ensure a greater chance of a goal not being conceded.
The problem with this is that, once a goal has been conceded, it is incredibly difficult to get out of this system and be more expansive.
Hodgson’s attacking tactics need a major rethink, and for all the time he is failing to utilise Meyer and Zaha, he is ignoring the DNA which the Eagles have prided themselves on for many years.
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