BIG SAM TEAM.. TIKI-TAKA BOSS
Something’s gotta give at Palace as new manager De Boer faces identity crisis
FRANK DE BOER is already under mounting pressure as Crystal Palace struggle with an identity crisis.
Eagles supporters are a loyal bunch, but a second straight disappointing home Premier League defeat triggered boos at the end.
And the Dutch manager, forced to change formation at half-time after a dismal first 45 minutes, must quickly solve his style versus results problem.
Imposing a less direct approach will take time – but chairman Steve Parish, urgently seeking reinforcements, will not want to see too many more displays like this.
On a gloomy afternoon for Palace, pointless and goalless this season, Andros Townsend (above) was their brightest spark – but he is now a target for Leicester. The former England winger maintained there had been time to adapt including pre-season, but admitted: “Obviously it is a disappointing start. We know we are better, both individually and collectively.
“So we need to have a look at ourselves, work hard in training and come back a lot better.
“I am not used to playing off Christian Benteke, but we created chances. Last season we were effective playing a different way.
“You can talk about formations but we need to start putting the ball away, then things are completely different.”
Other players shed light on the style conundrum with after a first Premier League goal for teenager Tammy Abraham and another from Jordan Ayew gave Swansea the victory. Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic said: “Whether it is a better system you’ll have to ask the gaffer – but the system after halftime is one we have used since I came here.
“We were better after half-time but by then it was 2-0, when we changed the formation we started to play much better.” And James McArthur said: “It’s not a case of the crowd want to see it direct and the manager always wants to see it in a different style. It depends what the opposition do.
“The manager said if they press us, which they did, to try and get it forward faster.
“It’s not like we are sitting here saying the manager is trying to play tippy-tappy football, he’s not.
“He is trying to play the type of football that wins matches. We are trying to dominate the ball more, but you’ll have seen us hit it long today. If the manager wanted us to play this total football, we wouldn’t be doing that.”
The match was a personal disaster for substitute Martin Kelly, who came on after James Tomkins injured himself while shooting wildly over the bar.
Within four minutes either side of half-time Kelly had let Abraham go for the opening goal, and given the ball away leading to Ayew grabbing the second.