Hopefully, Oliver Glasner and Crystal Palace will be rested and refreshed after the international break. Cliche or not, the real work now begins.
Saturday’s opponent, Leicester, is a familiar foe but a newly promoted one all the same, and they also have a single point from their first three games.
Even during periods when the team struggled last season, Palace were clinical against the promoted/soon-to-be-relegated sides. Thirteen points from those matches counted for 26.5% of their final point tally, underlining the importance of these fixtures.
While not ideal, the opening pair of losses likely spurred the club ownership into more transfer business than they may otherwise have avoided if results had swung the other way. Yet, neither of those opening games was a disaster from a coaching perspective, and the Chelsea draw did much to allay growing fears.
However, one theme from the opening games stood out: defensive frailty against counter attacks.
Even this tiny sample size of statistics matches the eye test. Having conceded the second-most fast break shots and two goals – joint worst with Everton – Palace turned strong periods in possession into defensive scrambles that undid their hard work.
On the flipside, in a stable defensive set-up, the team has managed to restrict their opponents to the third-fewest touches in their area compared to the rest of the division. This should reassure fans about the team’s overall defensive capability.
The club will hope a further injection of pace into their backline will help improve this perceived weakness, and will enable the team to correct their course this season with a crucial home victory.
Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast
