Roy Hodgson was a dark horse contender for the manager of the year award last season after he led Crystal Palace to safety.
With Pep Guardiola masterminding an unprecedented achievement, which saw Manchester City romp to 100-points in the Premier League, there was little chance of anybody stealing the individual awards from the Spaniard, but Hodgson was one of the outside contenders who frequently cropped up in discussion.
The managerial veteran put his disastrous England reign to one side and proved that his failure to succeed on the international stage was an anomaly within an otherwise sparkling career when he led Palace to safety.
But the achievement of the collective was completed with a significant contribution from an outstanding individual, Wilfried Zaha, while the once clinical Christian Benteke huffed and puffed to almost no avail.
On his debut season for the club Benteke (valued at £19.8 million by Transfermarkt) managed to score 15 Premier League goals, including an emphatic brace on his return to Anfield, but his goal scoring prowess has been non-existent since the beginning of the 2017/18 season.
The freedom and confidence which Hodgson has installed into Zaha was not mirrored in Benteke’s performances last season, and his apparent refusal to shoot beyond the keepers reach into the corner of the net was problem which has served to deter Palace’s progress.
Supporters may well be inclined to write off Benteke and label him as an overpriced flop, and with good reason, but a brief glimpse into his past provides more than enough reason to suggest that he can thrive at this level once again.
It’s down to Hodgson to work his magic on the training ground, discover a method to boost his confidence and tweak his tactical approach to accommodate his strengths in the final-third, without resorting to a predictable long-ball game.
That task is easier said than done, but considering Hodgson’s wealth of experience in the game and the lack of alternatives he has at centre-forward, it’s one which he simply has to succeed in to give Palace the best possible chance to staying up this season.
Crystal Palace fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
