10 Early Predictions For Premier League 2020-21 Season
5. Crystal Palace Will Be Relegated
By no means did Crystal Palace have a bad 2019-20 season. They finished 14th, stayed well clear of a relegation battle, and had it not been for a struggle to rediscover their form after the lockdown, would have pushed for a top half finish.
However, going into next season, the Eagles will struggle to stay in the division, let alone challenge the top ten. Roy Hodgson has done an admirable job with the squad he has at his disposal, but with an ageing team, Palace will find it much harder to compete with the rest of the league.
A large majority of the squad are either over 30 or very close to 30, and next season will all be another year further past their primes. Added to the likely departure of Wilfried Zaha, the man they have leaned on for so many years, Palace will be fighting an uphill battle from the start.
The biggest problem will be scoring goals. Only Norwich scored fewer goals than Palace last season, and not one of Hodgson's men managed to reach a tally of double digits. Without Zaha, the team will be relying on Benteke and Wickham for a big chunk of their goals, which is simply a recipe for relegation.