Oliver Glasner managed to get his third point of the season, having drawn three games in a row now. However, their most recent 0-0 draw against Manchester United still came with its negatives.
Crystal Palace were only able to hold 33% possession, with the away side generating 1.70 xG in the game. The Red Devils should have scored if not for Dean Henderson making seven saves.
If the plan is to continue with a back five, looking to hurt teams by attacking through the wingbacks, working it inside to Eberechi Eze, Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Philippe Mateta, the Eagles could do with some extra pace in those wide areas, which could see Glasner try something new.
Daniel Munoz, the unfortunate one to be dropped
Daniel Munoz has started all seven of Palace’s games this season, playing 610 minutes for Glasner’s side so far. The 28-year-old has played in a right-wing back role, tasked with providing width in attack, but also tracking back to form a back five out of possession.
From his heatmap against Leicester (Sofascore), you can see how high up Munoz is asked to play, looking to provide an attacking threat down that right-hand side, getting into good crossing positions, and making runs in behind to stretch the field of play for Palace, often freeing up space for the likes of Eze and Daichi Kamada.
Glasner could perhaps make a slight tactical tweak in this game, sticking with the same system, but removing Munoz (a natural fullback) with a more natural winger, who can create dangerous opportunities from this position on the pitch.
Palace’s new wing-back option
Palace signed Ismaila Sarr from Marseille this summer, for a fee of around £12.5m. The 26-year-old winger has been praised for having “raw pace” by Troy Deeney, and this could be exactly what Glasner needs to insert into the side to give the Eagles a bit more bit going forward.
Since joining Palace, Sarr has only appeared off the bench, coming on in all seven games so far, playing 145 minutes in total. But could this be the week to start him, making a slight tactical adjustment to the side, and looking to grab their first victory of the season.
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Sarr vs Munoz comparison |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Sarr |
Munoz |
|
Progressive Carries |
1.67 |
1.43 |
|
Progressive Passes |
1.67 |
2.65 |
|
Shots Total |
3.53 |
0.44 |
|
xG |
0.42 |
0.04 |
|
Key Passes |
4.17 |
1.02 |
|
Passes into Pen Area |
2.50 |
0.41 |
|
Successful Take-Ons |
0.83 |
0.41 |
|
Tackles |
0.00 |
3.67 |
|
Interceptions |
0.59 |
1.02 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
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This tactical change would see Sarr playing in a new role, as a right-wing back, having to do his bit defensively, but then being able to provide the width for Palace, stretch play with runs in behind, and cause the opposition problems with that electric pace.
You can see from the metrics, Sarr would offer much more going forwards, adding extra creativity with his pass selection from wide areas (2.50 passes into the penalty area, and 4.17 key passes per 90), and threat running in behind, to generate chances for himself and his teammates.
On the other hand, by replacing Munoz with Sarr, you do lose defensive output, with Munoz averaging 3.67 tackles per 90, and 1.02 interceptions per 90. Comparatively, Sarr – who former Watford teammate Ben Foster called a “freak talent” – hasn’t made a tackle yet, and has only made 0.59 interceptions per 90.
Glasner will have a difficult decision to make, either go for the safer option in Munoz, or start Sarr to get on the front foot, open things up for the likes of Eze and Kamada, and go for their first Premier League win of the season.
