Exhausted Mile Jedinak Is In Desperate Need Of A Rest

Having made 110 appearances for the club since joining on a free transfer in July 2011, Mile Jedinak has built himself quite a reputation amongst the Palace faithful, imposing himself on a multitude of opponents both in the Championship and the Premier League. Lately however, some have noticed a drop in the Australian’s usual impeccably high standards.

Where before the central midfielder had been grabbing each and every game by the figurative scruff of the neck, we’ve watched on as more and more seemingly simple passes have gone astray, straightforward interceptions have been missed and needless fouls have been conceded. Whilst most have begun to get frustrated by the recent dip in form, it is highly likely that the small yet frequent errors are the byproduct of fatigue rather than poor technique.

As it stands, Jedinak has played every minute of our current league campaign, whilst also taking on the responsibility of being the team’s captain, a role he has taken to with genuine pride throughout, but with the big fixtures continuing to come thick and fast, you do have to wonder how well Jedinak’s body will continue to cope during what is bound to be a brutal and hectic run-in.

To date, Jedinak has won 71 of the 135 tackles he has gone in for, whilst coming out on top in 122 aerial duels from 171, statistics that are truly impressive when you consider the fact that Palace have almost always allowed their opponents to dominate possession this season. That being said, his performance against Sunderland left a lot to be desired.

Winning just one of the three tackles he attempted, committing seven fouls and successfully completing only 25 of 37 passes, he was far from captain fantastic, but when you consider the pressure placed upon him at both club and international level, a slight drop in performance can be easily understood.

As the on-field leader of the side, Tony Pulis will be hoping that fatigue doesn’t continue to chip away at Jedinak from week to week, with an improvement needed throughout the team if we are to secure the points needed to survive. With another trip to the North East this weekend, we will be relying on the Aussie to return to his all-conquering best, but there is a chance that he could struggle once more.

He’s unlikely to be given a rest in the next few weeks, the risk of doing so will be seen as far too big to gamble on, but it could well prove to be the boost he needs for the final few weeks. He may have led from the front for the majority of the last three years, but we must accept that anyone would struggle keep up the performances we’ve become accustomed to seeing with the regularity that is now being demanded.

Put simply, Jedinak has made a rod for his own back.

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The Daily Round-Up: The Benefits Of Width

One of the ever-present characteristics of our play during the current unbeaten run, has been the presence of pace and skill on both wings.

In Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie we have two of the best wide men in the division and thanks to the formation we have adopted as our own, they are both given a huge amount of freedom whenever we attack, but it’s not something we can say we’ve honestly had as a squad for at least four years.

The last time I can remember two out-and-out wingers running at full-backs with regularity was the play-off season under Neil Warnock, when Victor Moses and Scott Sinclair were given free rein to terrorise defences with Clinton Morrison occupying the same role as Glenn Murray does now. A game that tends to stick in my mind vividly, was the final league fixture of that season, when we needed to beat Burnley at home to secure a play-off place. We won 5-0, with the aforementioned trio causing havoc from start to finish. It was the perfect advert for the use of width in our division, implemented correctly, it can prove devastating.

Obviously, our teams both then and now, require a great deal more than just talented wingers for the style to produce regular results, but it does seem to pay off in a big way when a manager gets it right. As touched on yesterday, the two defensive midfielders add the steel to the spine of the team which is necessary for Zaha and Bolasie to flourish whilst the attacking central midfielder offers himself up as a third viable creative option but should one of the wingers sustain a long-term injury, the entire shape of the side could alter.

In any counter-attack, it is pace which frightens the opposition, and outside of Zaha and Bolasie, we are a little short of speed. Of course, in an ideal world, they will both stay fit throughout the season, but if there is any budget for it in January, I could see definite benefits in signing another winger for the occasions when one of the above is unavailable. It would allow us to maintain our style without much disruption and hopefully, continue to win games when the pressure is really on in the final weeks of the campaign.

Few teams have the width we do, I’m just glad to see us using it so well.

Here’s today’s round-up, enjoy.

All the news from SE25 in the last 24 hours

Geoff Thomas is adamant that Zaha should choose to represent England, having already done so at Under 19 and Under 21 level, although admits he should only do what he feels is right.

“I’ve seen him play a couple of times this season against Cardiff City at home and Wolverhampton Wanderers away,” Thomas said.

“At Wolves, I sat next to an England coach and it was obvious they had been tracking him for a while.

“He was the standout player that game and capped it off with two great goals out of nothing – that’s the beauty of people like him – he’s got potential to win a game by himself.

“I’d be surprised if he went down the Ivory Coast route because he’s played at U19 and U21 levels with England.

“It’s difficult to say at the moment because I’m sure the Ivory Coast are jumping up and down saying they want him as well.

“It’s obviously his country of birth but he’s been here since he was four years old, so I think what he’s got to do is experience what’s going on with the England camp and take what he feels in his heart.

“He can’t have any regrets on the decision but to have a cap for any international country is special, so he’s got to make sure he’s doing everything for the right reasons.”

The development squad drew 1 – 1 with Wolves at Selhurst Park last night, Jermaine Easter had put us in front, before the visitors equalised during the 2nd half, here’s the full match-report.

Palace’s development side shared the points with Wolves at Selhurst with Jermaine Easter netting against his former club in a 1-1 draw.

The game began slowly and the only action of the opening 15 minutes saw Kandell Daniel fire a free-kick over the bar and Liam McAllinden shoot wide from 25 yards as both sides struggled to find their rhythm.

However the Eagles took the lead in the 20th minute when a defensive mix-up between Zeli Ismail and Michael Ikiekwe was pounced upon by Easter who calmly passed the ball past the helpless Dorus De Vries to net against his former club.

The Bleacher Report has an opinion piece stating that Wilfried Zaha would “shine” if he were to join Manchester United. The link between the two comes after the Daily Mail reported that United were prepared to offer whatever it takes to secure his services in January, I make it rumour number 4,569 about Zaha this season, it’s never-ending.

It’s no surprise Zaha has started to generate interest from some of the Premier League’s top clubs. His potential is through the roof and he’s been developing at a steady rate for the Eagles. His stock should only continue to rise in the coming years. 

His combination of speed and natural technical skill, as he’s illustrated so often en route to four goals in Championship play this season, makes him one of the most intriguing prospects in England’s second division. He’s certainly fun to watch.

Sporting Preview have an article claiming that both Middlesbrough and us are great bets for promotion at the current price being offered by the bookies, how perceptions change…

A far better alternative in the promotion shake up is the 13/8 that says Crystal Palace will be plying their trade a station higher next term.

The Eagles are two points clear at the Championship’s summit and have not tasted defeat since the end of August.

Ian Holloway’s appointment seems to have spurred them on even more as they completed a hat-trick of wins under his guidance at Derby’s expense last time out.

Their price, however, suggests that the bookies expect them to wilt as the season progresses.

They surely won’t remain unbeaten in a division as tight as the Championship, but they are showing all the qualities required of promotion contenders of late and their price does not justify this.

If you subscribe to Palace Player, you can now watch the entire 90 minutes of our 3 – 0 win against Derby County on their official site, thanks to the interchangeable subscriptions in the Football League, enjoy.

Rams Player subscribers can watch Derby County’s 3-0 defeat away to Crystal Palace at the weekend in full.

Nigel Clough’s men had no answer to the Championship leaders as striker Glenn Murray hit a brace, while midfielder Andrew Moritz also found the net to inflict back-to-back defeats on Derby for the first time this season.

Wilfried Zaha has been given the award of Championship Player of the Month for October. It’s hardly a surprise given the month he’s had, I wonder why Will Buckley didn’t win it?

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has been named PFA Championship Player of the Month for October.

The 20-year-old, whose brilliant form earned him his first England cap in last week’s friendly against Sweden, was influential for Palace as they continued their unbeaten run throughout October.

His personal highlights were his back-to-back braces in victories against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, but he has proved a menace against every defence he has faced.

Daniel Smith has written a piece for London 24, discussing the possible mind games from Gus Poyet and Ian Evatt by mentioning the club in the press in recent weeks.

There will be people, mainly from those individual clubs, who believe and support both comments but this is of no concern to Palace.

It is a natural part of being the team everyone wants to beat. In advance of our upcoming fixtures, opponents now seem to feel it is necessary to try and plant seeds of doubt in the minds of our players and manager, just to allow them to linger.

However, confidence is sky-high and this is a team playing with an enormous amount of self belief, so hearing these words actually justifies the work and effort they are putting in.

“Zaha better than Buckley?! Next you’ll be telling me Murray is better than Mackail-Smith…”