Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace side are still winless in the Premier League this campaign, having played seven times, drawing three and losing four.
Palace really struggled against Liverpool, despite only losing 1-0. They could barely lay a glove on the Reds, having 32% possession, taking nine shots with only 0.64 xG generated.
The Eagles sit 18th in the league table on three points, having conceded ten times and only scored five times, the second-worst record in the league.
Perhaps that could be attributed partly to their midfield struggles.
Wharton's poor form and Kamada's deep role frustrations
One man who has suffered at the start of this season is 20-year-old midfielder Adam Wharton.
Since joining in January for a fee of around £18m with the potential to rise to £22m, Wharton impressed, playing 16 times in the Premier League for the Eagles, providing three assists, and earning himself an England call-up for Euro 2024.
However, he has found life difficult in the opening seven games of the new season, playing with four different midfield partners already, and not being able to find his rhythm in the side, completing 82% of his passes and winning just 42% of his duels.
For context, that duel success rate has plummeted by 10% from his displays during the opening six months of his time at Selhurst Park.
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One of his midfield partners this term has been new signing Daichi Kamada, who is more commonly known as an attacking midfielder.
However, Glasner has persisted in trying him in a deeper role alongside Wharton at times, which clearly leaves them light in the middle for duel winners, and has left many Palace fans frustrated.
Crystal Palace's Wharton & Kamada solution
Hailed as “incredible” by Scott Parker back in 2021, Jefferson Lerma brings a more defensive profile into the midfield, one that can cover ground well, win his duels, and protect the backline in transition better than Wharton and Kamada.
Lerma has only started in the pivot twice this season in the Premier League, both times alongside Wharton, and once in the EFL Cup – a 2-1 victory against QPR – alongside Kamada.
Despite losing both league games he started, the Eagles look more defensively resolute with Lerma on the pitch, and as they hunt their first victory, they must not revert to a Wharton & Kamada duo again.
Goals
0.00
0.00
0.17
Assists
0.00
0.16
0.34
Progressive Carries
0.59
1.02
2.44
Progressive Passes
5.88
8.81
5.85
Passes Attempted
53.5
56.4
47.3
Pass Completion %
79.1%
80.2%
76.8%
Passes into Final Third
5.00
6.10
3.41
Tackles
0.88
2.37
2.93
Interceptions
1.52
1.13
0.52
Aerials Won
1.76
0.68
0.00
The metrics tell you everything about the profiles of each midfielder, Lerma makes the most interceptions and wins the most aerial duels while Wharton makes the most progressive passes, and passes into the final third. As for Kamada, he provides the most attacking output being more well known for his exploits in the final third.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
To balance the midfield, you could easily go to a back four and play Lerma and Wharton deep alongside each other – at least until Chiekh Doucoure fully returns – with Kamada and Eberechi Eze playing as the number tens.
Glasner would need to change to his 4-2-2-2 system for that to work, but it could provide the Eagles with better midfield balancing, whilst also getting their most creative players – Eze and Kamada – into more “free” roles, to affect the game in all phases.
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