Results:
GW1 – Fulham (a) – Won 2-0
GW2 – Liverpool (h) – Lost 2-0
GW3 – Watford (a) – Lost 2-1
Total Combined Points
Keepers – 13
Defence – 58
Midfield – 26
Forwards – 21
Total – 118
Currently, Palace are ranked 9th in the table for total combined FPL points (@fplkernow). There is a clear indication as to where the points are coming from when looking at the break down of the positions, with the defence contributing to nearly half of the points total for the squad.
Top Points Scorers
Jeffrey Schlupp – 14
Wayne Hennessey – 13
Patrick van Aanholt – 12
Wilfried Zaha – 12
Mamadou Sakho – 11
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 10
There are currently 6 players that are in double figures in terms of FPL points. Jeffrey Schlupp comes out on top thanks to an exceptional GW1 result, where a combination of clean sheet and a goal gave him 11 points. This can be said for pretty much every player, except for Wilfried Zaha, who is the only player to supply an attacking return in more than one gameweek. His goals away at both Fulham and Watford bodes well, as Palace go into a run of quite favourable fixtures.
Player of the Month
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Aaron, on the whole, has been Palace’s standout performer of the month. Yes ok, he got a red card and thus only played the better part of two games out of the three. However, in that time, he showed that he could become one of the best right-backs in the league in the coming years. He’s showcased both sides of his game in each of the matches, as they provided distinctly differing challenges. His attacking performance against Fulham on the opening weekend, showed how important a full-back, or wing-back, can be in the modern game. The way in which he burned past Ryan Sessegnon, on way to assisting Zaha for the second goal was a sight to behold. Ryan is a quick, talented youngster himself, but Aaron made him look like Lovren trying to chase someone whilst stuck in quicksand. Even in the Liverpool game, he was still displaying his attacking game, as the match turned into a battle amongst the fullbacks as to who would win. Now, although he ultimately saw the inside of the home showers twenty minutes early, his performance, especially in a defensive capacity, was still lauded by most of those who watched. I mean, he may have not got back a split-second too late to make the recovery tackle on Salah, and bringing him down in the process, but how often do we see them getting anywhere near him at that point, or even putting the effort in to get there rather than jogging back just to collect the ball out of the net. The kid is a star in the making, and at £4.1m in FPL, he should be the first name in your squads. The best £4.0m option ever in FPL.
Honourable Mention
Wilfried Zaha
Like I said earlier, Wilf is the only one of the Palace squad to have made attacking returns in more than one of the games. Both of his goals were as a result of him making runs into the box, one rounding the keeper, and the other firing hard underneath him. Zaha is Palace’s talisman, and they fought hard to keep him in the summer because his worth to the team as a threat to the opposition and a figurehead up the top end of the pitch, well exceeds any monetary value. After all the chatter around him during the summer, Wilf has done well to apply himself on the pitch, and looks set to flourish in a Palace shirt like he did last season.
Fixtures in September
GW4 – Southampton (h)
GW5 – Huddersfield (a)
GW6 – Newcastle (h)
GW7 – Bournemouth (a)
There were some mixed results amongst the respective games from last season. The 1-0 loss to Southampton was game four of a seven match spell to start last season where the Eagles couldn’t get a point, or goal. Palace avenged an opening day defeat to newly promoted Huddersfield by getting a 2-0 win in the game at the John Smith’s, thanks to goals from centre-back James Tomkins, and a customary penalty from captain Luka Milivojević. The Serbian was again on target from the spot against Newcastle, as Palace came from behind to draw the game 1-1. Finally, it was another draw, this time 2-2 at the home of the Cherries, where a last-minute goal from King, denied Palace all the points after goals from Zaha and Milivojević (a free-kick this time, not a pen).
Players to Watch Out for in September
Wilfried Zaha
Now I know I’ve already spoken about him a couple of times, but he is the talisman of South London. He has scored a combined 5 goals in his games against these teams, and grabbing 4 assists in the process. I can possibly see him replicating some of that form and maybe grabbing 3 goals and an assist out of the games.
Patrick van Aanholt
PVA is probably plying his trade in the wrong position, the man wants to live the life of a Premier League striker. He tends to spend more time in the opposition’s half, or at least it seems that way. Thankfully, coming up against the likes of Bournemouth, who are usually quite attacking in nature, there will be plenty of space in behind for him to go on lung-busting runs in to. With the games against Huddersfield, Newcastle, and Southampton, Palace could expect to have quite a lot of the ball, meaning plenty of opportunities for Patrick to cross dangerous balls into the box.
Mamadou Sakho
If there’s one thing that Mamadou excels at in FPL, its grabbing bonus points. The man is a bonus point magnet. He accumulates a lot of them from his tackles, interceptions, and clearances. Now, these teams have some main men up top, with the likes of Mounie, Wilson, Ings, and Austin, that will result in balls being thrown into the box ready for Sakho to meet with towering headers all day long.
Final Thoughts
Thankfully, Palace have started this season a lot better than the last. We actually looking good in games, scoring goals, and getting points on the board. Hopefully the boys can bounce back quickly from the two straight defeats to Liverpool and Watford, and push on to getting maximum points out of September, because the fixtures take a turn for the worse when Halloween rolls around.
C+ – Have been playing some good football, and some great standout performances, but still only 3 points out of 9.