Match Preview: Crystal Palace v Arsenal, August 13th, 2021

Friday, August 5th, 2022 Selhurst Park Kick-Off (UK): 8PM – Live on Sky Sports

Match Officials: Referee: Anthony Taylor. VAR: Darren England.

Arsenal once again have the duty of raising the curtain on the latest Premier League campaign, with a visit to Selhurst Park kicking off the 2022/23 season on Friday night. Hosts Crystal Palace will be entering their tenth consecutive season in the top flight, and as Premier League regulars, they will know exactly how to deal with the occasion. The Gunners will be looking for an opening day victory in the Premier League, after this alluded Mikel Arteta’s side last year at the hands of Thomas Frank’s Brentford. This is the fifth time that Arsenal will be involved in the first game of a new Premier League season, with a strong record of three wins and one loss in this scenario.

The prospect of a London derby to begin the season is exciting for the neutral, however Arteta’s side will certainly have to be cautious, as Selhurst Park in particular has proved to be a tricky ground to visit in recent memory for Arsenal, winning just two of their last six visits to South East London, with the latest loss being a heavy 3-0 defeat back in April, which inflicted major damage on Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in a top four spot last season. Combining this with the brilliant form of Patrick Vieira’s Palace last season, that saw the Eagles visit Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final, and finish in style with a run of six consecutive home games unbeaten, in which they kept five clean sheets, and Arsenal will have to be careful not to fall at the first hurdle on Friday.

How Arsenal can avoid opening day upset…

With Arteta yet to defeat Vieira in his two managerial meetings with the Arsenal invincible, a new plan will be needed to overcome the failures of old. The main issue with our performances against Palace last season came from a lack of maturity and intensity at times in both games, and despite a great show of resilience to claw a point back at the Emirates in the 95th minute back in October, leaving it late will be the last thing on any Arsenal fans mind for the first game of the season.

In the aforementioned home fixture, Arsenal did not struggle to control the game per se, dominating the attacking statistics, but showed a real naïvety when the ball was lost, particularly in the final third. Whilst it is true that these were the early days of a move away from a 4-2-3-1 shape for the Gunners, meaning certain dynamics such as Emile Smith Rowe as a #8 and the lack of proper spacing between players were teething problems that had not yet been resolved, the performance allowed an easy counter-attack which Vieira’s team, spearheaded by Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke, Odsonne Édouard and later Michael Olise, took full advantage of.

Once the sides met again in April, Arteta’s switch to a fluid 4-3-3 was no longer in its infancy, and the confidence amongst the fanbase and team reflected this, with the system bearing fruit for Arteta’s men. Simultaneously though, Palace had improved themselves, with Wilfried Zaha returning to be a key player, as well as Jean-Philippe Mateta and Olise announcing themselves as mercurial talents, and key bows to the Crystal Palace arrow. On this night, Arsenal’s downfall was no longer about a misunderstanding of tactical instruction, but more a capitulation under the lights on a Monday night, where Palace outfought, and out-thought us. The intensity on the pitch was low from kick-off, and the game had an end of Arséne Wenger era feel to it, with players struggling to win first or second balls, getting passed around and dribbled past with ease, and showing a lack of an organised press – which contributed to CB Joachim Andersen’s second assist of the game, so it was no surprise that within 30 minutes we were 2-0 down. A second half penalty sealed our fate, and the difference from October was the dominance in the Palace performance, rather than the weakness in ours. Another toothless performance come Friday and we may as well forget about a positive result, as Palace will have their fans right behind them, and early in the season one off ‘surprise’ results are far from infrequent.

Fast forward to August from the dismal night in April and Arsenal’s system has kept refining itself since, and with our new players, new combinations, and ever-improving confidence, the game has a fresh dynamic. Since we have had the full compliment of players that we will take into the game on Friday, in Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and returning loanee William Saliba, Arsenal have scored ten goals and conceded none in two games to first Chelsea, and then Sevilla, and whilst this may be pre-season, which I do not bother drawing too many conclusions from, the team has played with a noticeably better freedom and fluidity. Players are interchanging all over the pitch, everybody has a brilliant understanding, and the rotations and patterns of play are gorgeous, as well as proving to be very difficult to stop.

I have talked in more depth in my season preview about our new signings and players that I believe will particularly impress this season, but in a few words, Jesus has opened endless possibilities in comparison to last season, as his link up, dribbling, pace, finishing and shot creation is worlds above that of Alexandre Lacazette. Saliba’s return and new recruit Zinchenko both bring a lot of the same improvements to the team, with both hugely lifting the composure and technical security of our defence whilst being astute defenders. Saliba allows for cover across the backline in the form of Ben White shifting to RB, whilst we wait for the injured Takehiro Tomiyasu to make his return – however this is far less urgent now. Zinchenko also provides cover for the injured Kieran Tierney, with the Ukrainian providing calmness in possession, and the ability to both overlap and invert effectively – making him much harder to pick up.

These improvements in defence and attack alone make it less likely that the same mistakes from our last visit will reoccur, as we notably failed to have any high quality attempts on goal, with Palace defenders Andersen and Marc Guéhi marshalling Lacazette expertly, with his lack of physical qualities making it an easy day at the office for the pair. As well as this, Cedric and Nuno Tavares serving as the two fullbacks on the night were incredibly erratic on the ball, often hoofing it long which only served to rebuild pressure from Palace and their fans. Both also struggled to deal with their respective wingers, and with the quality of Vieira’s wide-men, this caused dangerous situations frequently. In midfield, unfortunately new recruit Fábio Vieira will miss out as he has a slight injury, however Arsenal still boast an incredibly strong trio of midfielders for the trip, who have only grown in their understanding of the roles they are tasked with.

With that, as long as Arsenal play their game, and avoid the mistake of letting Palace set the tone with the crowd behind them, I believe from a footballing point of view we have got what it takes to be dangerous enough going forward, whilst frustrating the Palace attack enough to prevent a similar scoreline as last season. Arsenal will have to be cautious on set pieces, as Palace are a real threat in these situations, having the players to win plenty of fouls, and despite our strong record on corners in particular last season, giving any team dead ball situations can help to build confidence, at the very least. This game will be the biggest test for Arteta’s side until the trip to Old Trafford in early September in my view, meaning a positive result here would be massive for the confidence of this ever developing side. A negative result would not be followed up by tough consecutive games as it was last season, but ultimately if Arsenal want to achieve their goals, a win is all that will do.

How Vieira can get Palace purring against his former side again…

Discussing how Arsenal have improved and will provide a new set of challenges for the Eagles on Friday in isolation can skew reality, and it must not be lost that Palace have had a positive few months since the sides last met too. Palace certainly make use of the feeling they get from a game when playing against Arsenal, and this stretches back to the 3-0 embarrassment of 2017, where Sam Allardyce’s team rampantly bullied Wenger’s collapsing Arsenal, as if the crowd were telling the players what to do telepathically. The energy generated by the faithful “ultras” of the ground will be no different on Friday, and the electric atmosphere the fans help to build will be a major factor in not just this game, but all games at Selhurst Park this season. The side boast the strong home record mentioned prior for a reason, and if Arsenal are not at their very best, I am certain that Vieira will utilise this and incorporate it into the way his team approaches the night.

Palace under Vieira have deployed a fairly traditional 4-3-3, however there are plenty of tactical nuances to this system, and each player has a well defined role, particularly from an attacking sense. Going from front to back, the South London outfit have not been scared to utilise three traditional CF’s across the frontline, with Ayew the clubs official #9 often finding himself on the touchline of the right flank, Benteke still rotating as a useful starting CF, and Edouard playing from the left. This is because when Palace attack, the LW often tucks in, almost forming a two man strike partnership of yesteryear with the defined CF. Ayew can hold his width and is often supported by what was the busy RCM of the midfield three last season in Conor Gallagher – who has since returned to Chelsea after his loan spell – which may cause some tactical tweaks to the system. Where the LW in this system often tucks in, young English LB Tyrick Mitchell is tasked with stretching the pitch, staying as high and wide as possible. The fullback got his first senior England call up last season, and has a notably strong ability to keep possession and deliver the ball from wide, whilst acting as a ‘stopper’ style traditional fullback.

Anchoring the midfield has been a mixture of Cheikhou Kouyaté – who has now left the club, Will Hughes, and Luka Milivojević, with these players ordered in how many Premier League minutes they played last season. To the left of this deeper midfielder is often a ‘busier’ box to box style player, as despite Gallagher’s tenacity, his focus was more offensive. This player comes in the form of Palace veteran James McArthur, as well as Jeffrey Schlupp, who are both willing runners, providing the squeeze on opponents, harassing them into making quick, rushed passes. The side then form something of a back three to accommodate captain Joel Ward’s strengths, with the excellent Guéhi and Andersen partnership joining him.

Another note to make about that pair is the brilliance of their passing – particularly over long distances. This combined with a physically capable set of tall attackers in a front three is perfect for getting from back to front quickly, as not many defences can deal with this bombardment. Palace do not boast an amazing pass accuracy percentage, neither do they play what would be traditionally ‘beautiful’ football, however the pace at which they act with the ball is frightening, whether it be a long ball to a forward, quick give and goes through midfield, or the sight of Zaha and Olise dribbling in full flow, they have plenty of ways to flex their attacking might. The combination of pace in attacking movement, as well as the high press and squeeze which can shrink the old school pitch of Selhurst Park will be a danger for Arteta to consider, and whilst Arsenal will certainly not want to surrender possession via long balls, they will need to be accurate, composed, and communicate well when building up to avoid any mishaps.

Vieira’s Palace tactics are hardly reinventing the wheel, however they have strong principals, rooted in the era where Vieira graced the Premier League as a player, with a modern twist. As well as these principals on the pitch, Vieira has created something far deeper and long term at the club. Palace had been stagnant ever since the 2018/19 season, with star players often departing, leaving an ageing squad in their place. Despite the ownership at the club taking an active interest and chairman Steve Parish being a boyhood fan it was simply too risky to get rid of Roy Hodgson and these players, as whilst stagnant the formula was ensuring Palace’s Premier League survival season after season. Following Hodgson’s retirement from management though, Palace were forced to switch their system around, and following nine senior players leaving the club in the summer of 2021, Vieira took charge, and has become a part of the family, with the Frenchman taking an interest from top to bottom, even watching academy games regularly. Vieira is becoming a figurehead at the club, and with such a strong crop of talented players, both past and present, beginning their careers at The Academy – which received a £20M rebuild in 2021, there are exciting times ahead.

However, there may be a slightly bitter taste in the mouths of Palace fans following Gallagher’s move back to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell. The 22 year old had an outstanding campaign for Palace last season, with the all action midfielder epitomising the style that Vieira wishes to imprint upon his side. The Palace faithful fell in love with the young English midfielder, and will be nervously awaiting to see if any of the solutions to his vacancy can replace his impact.

Of these solutions are two more under-25 midfield talents, in the form of Ebere Eze (24), who spent the entirety of last season out with a bad injury, yet has seen plenty of action under Vieira in pre-season so far, and new signing Cheick Doucouré (22), who arrived from Lens in Ligue 1 for £22M in July. Whilst the profiles of both of these players does not replicate Gallagher’s directly, we could see a shift to a double-pivot from Vieira’s side, with Eze lacking the defensive work rate to be a box to box in the Gallagher mould. The upside though, is that Eze is as silky on the ball as they come, and I believe he will help Palace retain the ball better, pass with a vastly improved accuracy and create more chances from open play. Doucouré would also suit my proposed formation change, as he is suited to a deeper position, however the sky is the limit under Vieira, who told him “I’m going to make you better. I know your game, I’ve known it for a while, so I know what you need”.

Another area of concern for the Palace faithful, will be the messy pre-season the club undertook this summer, with the squad essentially being split in two, with just eight senior outfield players having travelled to Singapore and Australia for a tour that was due to commence ahead of the 2020/21 season, but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the foreign tour has been revealed as a big money maker, and positive for brand exposure too, it is far from ideal for squad cohesion of new signings, amongst other purely footballing queries. Zaha, Eze, Guéhi, and Olise all remained on English soil and whilst the 26 man squad was filled with young, hungry players for Vieira to keep his eye on ahead of the new term, as well as the pre-season both on UK soil and abroad yielding positive results, you would think the idea may have just added unneeded confusion and stress to preparation for Vieira.

Predicted Lineups:

Arsenal:

Injuries: Emile Smith Rowe (Groin), Fábio Vieira (Ankle), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Thigh), Kieran Tierney (Knee).

Suspensions: N/A

As previously discussed, Arsenal will retain their 4-3-3 on Friday. The team practically picks itself, through a combination of reliable quality, and some positions that are injury hit. After Bernd Leno’s departure to Fulham on Tuesday, there is no doubt that Aaron Ramsdale will start – that is if there was any doubt cast in your mind anyway. The back four sees new boy Zinchenko in, as Nuno Tavares left the club for a year long loan move to Marseille on the weekend, and Tierney is still nursing an injury which kept him out at the back end of last season. Ben White starts at RB, following his spell here in pre-season, where he played with excellent authority over the position. Tomiyasu has a chance of playing, as he looks likely to return soon, but I don’t see it myself on Friday. It would be throwing him in at the deep end facing up to Zaha when he would just about pass as available for the game.

Thomas Partey starts at the base of the midfield three, despite the Ghanaian being in the midst of a legal battle which turned incredibly public via Twitter last week. The club seem to have a clear stance which will not be unchanged, which is to support Partey, meaning unless in the eyes of the law his situation changes, he will continue to be picked, however that is received by fans. Xhaka has featured heavily in pre-season, and his typical reliability will be useful in this game. As for Ødegaard, the new official club captain is a guaranteed starter without question, and it will be interesting to see if the Norwegian can forget his woes from this fixture last season. The front three has two of our finest players in Jesus and Saka undoubtedly starting, supported by new #11 Martinelli, who due to Smith Rowe’s injury, has an opportunity to make that LW spot his own.

Crystal Palace:

Injuries: Sam Johnstone (Quadricep), Jack Butland (Hand), James McArthur (Hip), Michael Olise (Ankle).

Suspensions: N/A

As for Crystal Palace, I have opted for a 4-3-3, as this was Vieira’s preferred lineup last season, however with the new midfield profiles I would not be shocked by a 4-2-3-1 shape, which could see a re-shuffle in midfield, with Schlupp coming out of the side for Hughes to partner Doucouré. Regardless though, Eze will certainly be gifted with a free role, with his main challenge to create chances and keep Palace ticking over against an Arsenal side who love to have the ball. The back four and goalkeeper are easy choices for me, with Guaita actually being the only senior keeper available, as both other keepers including new recruit Johnstone, finding themselves on the injury list.

From the midfield to the attack I will reiterate that there are numerous choices and combinations available to Vieira. The missing McArthur will prove to be a big blow for Palace, after Kouyate’s experience has been lost this window. This leaves the Eagles thin in central midfield, and possibly needing another midfielder before the transfer window closes, especially if the club wish to improve their control on games this term. As for the front three, Zaha and Ayew seem certain to start, with both players being trusted on big occasions. The CF option at Palace is never one I am confident of predicting, with Vieira happy to roll the dice and rotate between his three options, although on this occasion I believe Mateta will play, especially after his excellent performance against the Gunners back in April. One last plausible suggestion is that new and promising youngster, Malcolm Ebiowei could feature on the wing from the start, although I believe on Friday he may only see minutes from the bench – the young Englishman will certainly make the first XI very soon, though.

Final thoughts…

I believe Friday will be a high quality, captivating contest to kick the newest instalment of the Premier League off, with two teams of contrasting styles trading blows – the question is which system will falter first? The key battles will come from midfield, and Arteta must ensure that Arsenal survive the fast paced football Palace will serve his team. There will be top individuals in both attacks, and if either of Jesus or Zaha decide to switch the fireworks on, not many defenders will have a say in what follows. If Palace bombard Arsenal aerially they may get some joy, but in the same tone Arsenal will be too strong if they are able to keep hold of possession and bring wave after wave of attack, which will suffocate the space Palace want to spring a counter.

But of course, that is just the football, and once the ground is full, the fans are up for it, and all eyes are on the London based outfits, you never really know what may happen. Expect the unexpected, the Premier League is back!