Crystal Palace Fan View: Five talking points from Manchester City embarrassment

Fortune didn’t favour the brave

I said that Sam Allardyce may spring a suprise and he certainly succeeded in doing just that. We started the game in a 3-5-2 formation with two right backs and a left back playing as central defenders, a left winger at right wing back and, somewhat amazingly, a left back at left back. In one fail swoop Allardyce employed a more maverick system than Crystal Palace under Pardew had ever managed.

The thinking was straightforward. Delaney did little to encourage confidence last weekend and against a Manchester City attack filled with speed it was a natural reaction from the manager to try and counter that. Conceding a goal within the opening 5 minutes meant that we can’t truly assess whether or not the system had any merit but the switch back to a more traditional system within the first 20 minutes suggests that it certainly didn’t yesterday. It was a brave move but one that ultimately didn’t pay off.

Read More: Sergio Aguero vs Martin Kelly: Tough challenge for Crystal Palace at Manchester City

Individual mistakes cost Crystal Palace

The result is far from unthinkable, on a good day Manchester City can do this to the best teams in the league, let alone an injury strewn Crystal Palace side. But for all the talk of formation and injuries that will inevitably dominate the media coverage of this game, I think our loss boiled down to one issue: individual errors.

The first goal came from Martin Kelly failing to put in a strong header in his own area, anywhere apart from the penalty spot would have done. For the second, two or three players just looked at Vincent Kompany as he peeled away, completely unmarked, to increase our arrears. As for the third, it was a lesson in poor decision making. First, we conceded possession from a throw-in in our own half, then we failed to close down Kevin De Bruyne and to top it all off Wayne Hennessey demonstrated why the only eventuality in which Hennessey will be our first choice keeper is if we are relegated.

Don’t get me wrong, they could have had a hatful but of the ones they did get we gifted them two or three through our own sloppiness.

Read More: Sakho loss bigger than dropping points against Tottenham

Things could have been so different…

We were fairly heavily battered in the first half but went in at the end of 45 minutes just a goal down and even that could have been different. In what was our first attempt on goal, Wilfried Zaha beat two or three players before sweeping the ball wide to Andros Townsend who delivered a peach of a ball into Benteke who forced a fantastic save our of Caballero.

It was a typical Benteke header, a looped ball that he attacked, rising above the centre half to power in. Only this time it didn’t go in. Had that moment turned out differently, we could have seen a very different outcome at the end of it, it would have changed our mindset away from the one we’d grown accustomed to in the game – being second best across the pitch. 1-1 at half time is a very different kettle of fish certainly, and if we’d held on I’d be congratulating our defensive fortitude and assured Premier League status.

Would it have been deserved? No. However if you’re a Crystal Palace fan, you wouldn’t have cared.

Read More: Three Things We Learned From Burnley

We need to look long and hard at the future of Jason Puncheon in the summer

When Jason Puncheon was appointed captain I said that being ‘one of our own’ wasn’t enough to merit the captaincy. I pointed towards the lack of impact he has, either defensively or offensively has been little or none for more or less the entirety of the season. Nothing has changed.

The effort is there, you can’t deny that and his feeling for the club is plain to see. It’s key to have that kind of influence at the club to impress the importance of pulling on a red and blue jersey but what isn’t there is any measurable contribution and we cannot afford to be carrying players. He is not the only guilty party, James McArthur in particular hasn’t looked the same in recent weeks, but Jason Puncheon is the captain of this football club and he doesn’t do enough to influence games.

Read More: Era defining game as Crystal Palace humble Arsenal

Swansea win places huge importance on Hull next weekend

As soon as the final whistle blew yesterday afternoon the attention of Crystal Palace fans turned to the impending Sunderland & Swansea fixtures. If both had lost it would have been the most absurd of days – we’d have lost 5-0 and secured safety beyond reasonable doubt in the same day.

Alas, Sunderland did their job and beat Hull but Swansea’s win at Everton places an importance on Hull next weekend that none of us wanted, but all of us feared. We will stay up, I am certain of that much, but it would have been nice to confirm that before facing a team chasing us and surely we must secure it before a trip to Old Trafford.