According to Football.London, Crystal Palace assistant manager Ray Lewington has revealed something very telling about his team.
Speaking to the Crystal Palace Supporters Trust, the 62-year-old revealed where summer signing Max Meyer prefers to play.
Lewington said: “Everyone says Meyer says he should be there [number ten]. If you talk to Max, he doesn’t actually like playing number ten, he likes playing in midfield.”
This perfectly encapsulates what is wrong with Crystal Palace this season. No team has scored fewer goals than The Eagles in the Premier League this season, and with some of the attacking players that they have at their disposal, that is criminal. They are crying out for a creative influence to tuck in behind the forwards and link with their more defensive midfielders.
Admittedly, the likes of Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew have not been in the greatest form this season, but that could well be down to an absence of a number ten in the squad. This could well be the cause of all their troubles.
When looking at the Crystal Palace squad, Roy Hodgson can feel pleased in a lot of departments. His central midfielders are solid and dependable in Cheikhou Kouyaté and Luka Milivojević. Not only does the latter chip in with a goal from time to time, but both are consistent performers for The Eagles. Likewise, in Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend, Hodgson has some highly accomplished wide men at his disposal.
It is just this attacking midfielder role that the club need someone with real quality and the very fact that Meyer does not want to play should be a major concern for Hodgson and fans. He may not feel as comfortable there, but for the sake of the team, it is something that could save them.
