Crystal Palace’s shambolic start to the season continued to go from bad to worse on Saturday, as a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United made it seven games without a goal, let alone a win. Injuries have deprived them of some of their best players in Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha and the line-up had a rough-and-ready feel to it.
Much of the focus was on the selection of Bakary Sako as a makeshift striker in the absence of any fit alternatives, but Roy Hodgson’s central defensive pairing revealed more. With Scott Dann the latest player to succumb to injury, the veteran Damien Delaney was asked to deputise against arguably the league’s most fluid and mobile attacking unit. Dogged as he undoubtedly is, it was a complete mismatch which United thrived on.
Sat on the substitutes’ bench watching the one-sided encounter unfold was Jairo Riedewald. Considered to be one of the most astute and best value signings made in the Premier League this summer, the £7million centre-back who joined from Ajax was going to help usher in a new style of play. Leaving behind the pragmatism that went before, the Dutch international’s presence would ease the transition to Frank de Boer's possession-heavy approach.
It was a statement from the new manager, keen to place his faith in young, adaptable players who are comfortable on the ball. Riedewald had been given his first-team debut by de Boer four years ago, helping Ajax to the title and going on to become an integral member of the side. Also able to play at left-back or as a holding midfielder, his versatility was a bonus.
Having missed much of the last 18 months through injury and the emergence of other defenders, it was expected that Riedewald would take time to find his feet. Still, hopes were high that he would bring more composure and a better passing range to a Crystal Palace backline that was often hurried and reactive under de Boer’s predecessors. The club’s official announcement of his arrival focused on the fact that Riedewald had the best pass completion rate (92.4%) in the Eredivisie last year.
He started the first game of the season, a shock 3-0 defeat at home to Huddersfield, but has looked like a misfit and leftover part since his mentor's sacking. Riedewald signed a five-year deal and was intended to be an integral component of the long-term project aimed at transforming Crystal Palace’s culture. Almost immediately he has been cast aside as the club reverts to firefighting mode once more.
In his coaching and management, Roy Hodson is nothing if not practical. He prefers playing things safe to taking unnecessary risks and it’s difficult to see a place for Riedewald in the new regime. Perhaps he will be asked to provide more dynamism to Palace’s midfield, as was the case when he finally made an appearance during the second half on Saturday, replacing Jason Puncheon for his first Premier League minutes under Hodgson.
Positioning and decision-making improve over time, which means defenders often come through later than their attack-minded peers as their game continues to develop. Mistakes are punished more heavily at the back than anywhere else on the pitch and choosing experience over youth is a reliable way of sparing yourself some costly and avoidable errors.
Maybe Riedewald isn’t yet ready for the Premier League but there’s only one way to find out, and playing him is surely preferable to persisting with the 36-year-old Delaney, someone who won’t improve and wasn’t really good enough to begin with. If the intention was to limit the damage, it didn’t work.
