Since earning promotion to the Premier League in the 2012/13 season, Crystal Palace are now in their 12th successive season in the English top flight.
In the 11 successive seasons the Eagles have played in the Premier League, their worst finish was 15th back in 2015/16 where they finished on 42 points, and their best finish was last term, securing tenth place with 49 points after Oliver Glasner joined in February 2024.
2013/14
45
11th
2014/15
48
10th
2015/16
42
15th
2016/17
41
14th
2017/18
44
11th
2018/19
49
12th
2019/20
43
14th
2020/21
44
14th
2021/22
48
12th
2022/23
45
11th
2023/24
49
10th
Palace now sit 18th in the league after the first eight games of the season, earning just three points, drawing three games, and losing their other five. If Glasner isn’t able to fix things fast, his job could be in trouble, with the club obviously wanting to avoid any relegation battle, something they haven’t really had to endure in their time in the top flight.
Glasner's time at Palace
The Austrian manager took charge of Crystal Palace in February 2024, taking over from Roy Hodgson after he stepped down with the Eagles sat 15th in the Premier League. Since that point, Glasner has taken charge of 23 games, having a points per match ratio of 1.43.
The 50-year-old is known for his 3-4-2-1 formation, looking to be solid defensively and attack with a narrow front three, supported by the wing-backs to provide width going forward for the side.
Whilst this more defensive approach has only seen Palace concede 11 goals so far this campaign, averaging just 13.5 shots against them – the tenth fewest in the division – their attacking play has suffered, only scoring five goals, and averaging 14 shots per match.
Their attacking numbers aren’t helped after losing one of their best players this summer, as Michael Olise joined Bayern Munich for £50.8m, the 22-year-old who provided ten goals and assists for the Eagles last season in just 19 games. Eberechi Eze has also struggled to start the new campaign without his partner in crime, scoring three goals and providing one assist in ten outings.
But a change in the dugout could revitalise some of the Palace attackers, changing to a four at the back coach, allowing an extra forward on the pitch, and bringing more creativity and goal threat to the side.
Names are already starting to circulate, as Glasner’s future is at risk after his poor start to this new season.
Former Premier League boss open to Palace move
According to reports from Football Insider, David Moyes would be open to a return to management with Crystal Palace, and the report states he would “certainly” listen to offers from the South London club.
Fellow Premier League manager, Eddie Howe, has described Moyes as an “outstanding manager” in the past, and he could be a welcome change for Palace in order to steady the ship.
The Scottish coach predominantly sets up in a 4-2-3-1, which was seen from his time at West Ham, in which he took charge of 261 games in total for the Hammers, having a 1.19 points per match value in his first stint at the club between 2017/18 (31 games), and a 1.53 points per match in his second stint at the club, between 2019-2024 (230 games).
Moyes has also managed Everton (518 games in charge) and Manchester United (51 games in charge) in the past, before his West Ham stints, and his biggest achievement was winning the UEFA Conference League with West Ham in the 2022/23 season.
Having such a high level of experience in the Premier League already, Moyes could be the perfect man to steady the Palace ship, help them find their feet, and avoid being dragged into a relegation fight. The changes he would make could also benefit a few of their attack-minded players, which in turn would help their dry spell in front of goal, and allow them to start finding the net again.
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Players Moyes could unlock
The first player Moyes could really unlock for Palace, would be new summer signing, Ismaila Sarr. The 26-year-old joined from Marseille for a fee of around £12.5m, and has only managed to play 279 minutes under Glasner so far, with his only start coming against Liverpool.
Moyes could see Sarr as his new Mohammed Kudus-type dynamic winger, who can travel with the ball at speed, beat defenders 1v1, get shots off and threaten in and around the box. In Kudus’s first season at West Ham under the Scottish boss, he managed to net 14 goals and provide six assists, something Palace fans would love from their new right-winger.
Goals
0.24
0.37
Assists
0.19
0.17
xG
0.27
0.25
xAG
0.14
0.15
Progressive Carries
3.01
4.07
Progressive Passes
2.39
2.94
Shots Total
1.77
2.52
Shots on Target
0.81
0.76
Key Passes
1.20
1.18
Shot-Creating Actions
2.87
3.62
Whilst both wingers aren’t identical in play style, Moyes could certainly use Sarr similarly as a direct threat in transition and therefore add more spark and creativity into this Palace side, with an attacker that can create for himself and others.
One other player this could benefit is Eze, who, as we previously mentioned, hasn’t looked as comfortable without Olise in the side. By adding a player like Sarr, the England international would have more forward runners to pick out, giving him more passing options in attack, and also creating more space for him to operate in.
Moyes isn’t seen as the most attacking coach, but his ability to simplify the game, get players in their best positions, and provide the players with a platform to get some results on the board and gain confidence, could be exactly what Palace need.
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