After three wins on the trot which comprises of victories against Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Watford, Crystal Palace have carved a breathing space for themselves above the dropout zone. Sam Allardyce has finally found his tactical nous hammering the right areas and the results which have blossomed of late in their favour are the testaments of the same.
What the most intriguing aspect is the fact that the Eagles have started to construct themselves in a shrewd manner and have added some steel in the backline. The London-based side have managed to collect three clean sheets in their last three games and could it be traced back to the personnel change which Allardyce made after the defeat at the Bet365 Stadium against Stoke City?
Damien Delaney was dropped to the bench against the Smoggies and a brave decision was taken by the former England national side’s manager by introducing January transfer window signing, Mamadou Sakho, to the starting line-up. Having been brought on loan from Liverpool after seeing his career getting blighted by off-field antics, discoloured form and under appreciation from Jurgen Klopp, Sakho’s loan move is indeed a career-defining one, and it has been going in a befitting manner at the moment.
Being slotted straight into his predominant role at the heart of Crystal Palace’s defence, Sakho had started all 3 games where he has registered, per game, 0.3 tackles, 1 interception, 8 clearances and 0.3 blocks with a healthy pass accuracy of 82.1%. He has started to make his presence felt and let’s not refrain from highlighting that the Eagles’ defence has looked far more solid, assured and compact after the introduction of Sakho.
Under the tutelage of Allardyce and considering the late dash Crystal Palace have started to make, they might cling on to the top tier of English football by staying aloof of the relegation zone at the end of the ongoing season. He wasn’t used at all under Klopp at Liverpool but with the recent outings that have been handed to him, he has proved that his quality hasn’t tarnished even in the slightest.
It would be a big summer for Sakho to consider his future because the contract confining him to Anfield goes until the summer of 2020. But Klopp has been adamant in not using him and in quest of first-team football, the French centre-back will certainly look for an exit. With a notable season with Crystal Palace, he can force the Eagles to make a move for him on a permanent basis and without any shadow of a doubt, the Eagles will strike gold if the deal materialises.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored.
