Dan Cook has been speaking on the HLTCO podcast about the changes he wants to see made to Crystal Palace’s midfield.
The Eagles played a second game without James McArthur and were also without Joachim Andersen for the match at the weekend, and those absences appeared to take their toll on the squad as they fell to their first home defeat of the season.
McArthur had previously started 11 games in the Premier League before picking up a hamstring injury, and that meant Patrick Vieira had to tinker with his midfield, bringing in Cheikhou Kouyate and Luka Milivojevic – which has yet to yield positive results.
Will Palace finish in the top half?
Yes!
No!
Cook would like to see Vieira change things up in the midfield ahead of their clash against Leeds United.
“I worry about that midfield battle [against Leeds] because Conor Gallagher can’t do it all himself, he was trying with every single bit of strength and effort that he had against Aston Villa, but it just sort of paled into insignificance, really, when you looked at what Luka and Cheikhou were able to offer next to him.
“I would be frustrated, I have to say, if we see the starting 11 come out at Elland Road, and it’s the Milivojevic and Kouyate show alongside Conor Gallagher, because I think something needs to change.”
TIF Thoughts on Palace’s midfield…
It will be quite a concern from Palace fans if Vieira’s system and philosophy falls apart when one or two players are out injured, and may signal to the board that reinforcements are required in January to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Vieira may well have opted for the duo of Kouyate and Milivojevic because of their Premier League experience, but judging by Cook’s comments, that experiment did not go down entirely well and may need someone younger and with fresher legs to accommodate and play the same way Conor Gallagher does.
In other news: ‘He’s quite limited’ – Dan Cook not excited about ‘midfield destroyer’ starting for CPFC