Data Analysis: Is Vieira’s move towards a possession-based model at Palace working or not?

Crystal Palace started this season with a new manager Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman replaced veteran manager Roy Hodgson with a mission to build a strong young team. Palace were poor in possession last year and Vieira wants to change that. This season his team has managed to keep more possession in 2 out of 3 matches. But is this approach really helping the club and are they creating enough chances? Let us look at some of the stats to give us a better understanding of Palace’s displays in the first 3 games.

The team is ranked 10^th in the number of passes attempted with 1,196 passes. Their passing has been very accurate and is the 4^th best team in the division with 86.7% accuracy. In the first three matches, Palace has managed to keep 38%, 53% & 54% possession. But even with this much possession, the team has struggled to create enough chances in the matches they have played.

Palace players have found it difficult to trouble the opposition goalkeeper. The players have managed to find the back of the net only 2 times. The XG rate of the team is the lowest in the league with 1.77. Taking shots at goal has also been a concern for the Eagles. The team averages 6 shots per game and this is the lowest in the league. Out of these 18 shots only 5 have been on target. Other than that, they haven’t troubled the opposition keeper much.

Attacking the opposition is a major concern for the team. The possession is not productive and only 132 attacking actions have been performed which is again 19^th in the standings. Palace is not focusing on crossing the ball. Players like Benteke haven’t received a lot of aerial balls into the box. Palace have only attempted 22 crosses and this is again the lowest in the division. The team is not making use of the height of their strikers in the match.

The Eagles have not troubled a lot with their passing. Passes attempted into the opposition final third are 2^nd lowest and the touches inside the opposition penalty area are on the same rank. Palace players have only taken 27 touches in the opposition box. Through balls has not been a part of the play and the team has only played 10 through balls.

Crystal Palace’s new approach has not been productive for the team, yet. The opposition is not facing a lot of trouble and the team is missing some creative edge. Their star players like Zaha like to dribble a lot and are more direct in passing. The Eagles have created fewer chances and their strikers have not been influential. Looking at these 3 matches we can say that this approach is not working for the team as of now.