2017/18 Premier League Preview Crystal Palace
The 2016/17 campaign at Selhurst Park was a rollercoaster ride and no one could settle at Selhurst Park for much of the season.
The first half of the season was very disappointing for the Eagles. The poor run of results brought an end to Alan Pardew’s reign at the club and he will probably be best remembered for dancing on the touch line in the 2015/16 FA Cup final.
Pardew was replaced by Sam Allardyce just before Christmas but results did not improve. Relegation was beginning to look a real possibility but results slowly started to pick up under Allardyce and Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool before securing survival with a 4-0 thumping of Hull City.
Allardyce surprisingly left the club in the summer and has been replaced by Frank de Boer.
Having ended the season in 14th place, what does the 201718 Premier League season hold for Crystal Palace?
It’s difficult to know what would be considered a good season for Crystal Palace. The initial goal must be to stay clear of the relegation zone. If the club are sucked into the bottom places of the Premier League by Christmas, it would be a huge psychological blow to the players and de Boer would have his work cut out in his first season in charge.
Crystal Palace have purchased Jairo Riedewald and added Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan. However, the big loss is defender Mamadou Sakho and it appears the Frenchman will play his football elsewhere next season. The Eagles are out at 11/2 to be relegated and the bookmakers think they will be safe.
With Christian Benteke, Yohan Cabaye, Andros Townsend, Wilfried Zaha and Luka Milivojevic, Crystal Palace have some talented players will feel as though they should be playing for a place in the top half of the table.
With four out of their five opening fixtures looking very winnable, Crystal Palace should start well and this could see them place around midtable come the end of the season. Crystal Palace are 7/2 to finish the 2017/18 Premier League season in the top half of the table.
Wilfried Zaha enjoyed a good 2016/17 season and if the players around him perform on a similar level, Crystal Palace should be safe. The winger has attracted plenty of attention in the transfer columns but seems set to stay at Selhurst Park for at least one more season. Zaha is a massive 100/1 to be crowned player of the year, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek at 50/1 to be named young player of the year.
In terms of goals, Crystal Palace will be looking at Christian Benteke to deliver the goods. The striker scored 15 Premier League goals last season in a struggling team and could add another 5 to that total if the Belgian receives the service. Benteke is 1/5 to Crystal Palace’s top scorer and 50/1 to finish the 2017/18 season as top scorer in the Premier League.
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