Crystal Palace Fan View: Crunch time! Everton first up in pivotal run for the Eagles

First game in pivotal period for Crystal Palace

I mentioned it during the international break, but Saturday’s game against Everton is the first of an 8 game run before Christmas against largely bottom half sides. No Manchester clubs, no Liverpool, no Arsenal – just West Brom, Brighton and others in that ilk. Crystal Palace will not have a better chance this season to drag ourselves clear of the bottom three than the one that lays ahead of us now.

Taking this opportunity is of the utmost importance if we are going to stay in the Premier League. When Tony Pulis led us to the most unlikely of escapes a few short seasons ago, he made the squad exceptionally good at winning the games against those around us. It was this very trait that made the escape possible, and it is something we must replicate again.

If we can’t win more than 3 of these next 8 games we don’t deserve to stay up. With players returning the tools are there for success, we must now prove we can remember how to use them.

Read more: Eagles’ season-defining run between now and Christmas

Read more: Crystal Palace fight back for a point against West Ham: three things we learned

Benteke to return?
Wilfried Zaha has done a sterling job substituting for Christian Benteke, chipping in with two important goals, but it will be good to have Benteke back. He was well below-par prior to his injury, but then so were most of the team, so perhaps it’s unfair to pin too much blame on him alone.

Excitingly, Benteke’s return will allow our best attacking quartet to start together for the first time this season (although perhaps not this weekend). Wilfried Zaha will be restored out wide with Townsend the other side, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek could play in behind Christian Benteke. I said it last season, but that is one of the best attacking units in the Premier League both with and without my red & blue tinted specs on.

We have been slightly unfortunate with injuries in attacking areas, where the depth isn’t very strong. The inclusion of Bakary Sako in the Premier League demonstrates that point, and while he does get a tough rap from supporters he has put in a shift when introduced. Being perpetually offside doesn’t do much to endear him to the fanbase though, I will admit. If we’re to fight our way out of this mess we find ourselves in, we need to keep this quartet fit until January, and bring in reinforcements then to cover any injuries.

Read more: Wasted chance to ruin Tottenham’s charge

Read more: Ruben Loftus-Cheek cream of the crop for England – now he must help Eagles!

Everton uncertainty could work to our advantage

I think everyone expected Everton to have appointed a replacement for Ronald Koeman by now, but still the process is rumbling on. This uncertainty could very well work in Crystal Palace’s favour. Part of the reason for optimism is that it has become clear that Unsworth couldn’t inspire some sort of miraculous reversal of Everton’s fortunes and would appear to be out of the running for the full-time job, although remains in charge for the time being.

In the last few weeks they’ve been dumped out of Europe, knocked out of the league cup and lost convincingly to a Leicester side who have struggled to the point that their manager has also found himself out of a job. We all know that their position in the league isn’t representative of the ability of their squad, but this is an Everton side without an abundance of confidence and we know better than most what effect that can have.

Perhaps then, there’s no better time to play Everton. I could come to regret a comment like that, but would we rather face them in a week’s time with a new man in charge and a fresh impetus? Or in a month, when the new manager has had a chance to get his ideas across? Here’s hoping…