5 Tactical Changes Crystal Palace Fans Can Expect This Season

5. Less Emphasis On Defending

The key to Palace's successes over the last two years has been their resolute defence. Under Ian Holloway, Palace conceded 17 goals in their first 8 games and found themselves bottom of the table. Not forgetting Keith Millen's contribution as caretaker manager, it was only when Tony Pulis came in and shored up the defence that Palace managed to climb up the table - conceding only 26 goals from his 21 games  in charge - with 5 of those coming from the last two games of the season when safety was assured . This trend continued last season. Under Warnock, Palace conceded 25 goals in his 16 league games in charge yet only conceded 21 in the 20 games they played after his departure. 

The defensive solidity did come at a cost during the 2013/2014 season, with Palace scoring the third fewest goals over the whole of the season - a meagre 33. This lack of intent brought teams on to Palace who had to endure long periods without the ball, defending for their lives. Due to a combination of resolute defending and a bit of luck, Palace managed to grind out results. During the 2014/2015 campaign, Palace were much more ambitious and ended the season the tenth highest scorers with 47 goals.

With the outfield signings Pardew has made to date, I think it's fair to say that the emphasis, in his mind, has been on scoring more goals. Under Pulis, Palace often went with the 'McJedley' midfield three of captain Mile Jedinak, James McArthur and bearded hipster Joe Ledley who provided a solid base on which to protect the defence, whereas Pardew preferred playing a more attacking midfield three, bringing Jason Puncheon in from the wing last season to play in the 'false 10' position that I've just made up.

We don't know exactly how Pardew will accommodate all his attacking players but I think it's a fair bet that he would prefer to sacrifice some of our defensive solidity to fit them in. Whether this has a detrimental effect on our defensive record remains to be seen, but a front six that contains Puncheon, Yohan Cabaye, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie is sure to cause some defensive headaches for opposition players and managers.