Three key ways Crystal Palace have improved under Roy Hodgson

Palace were only three points off the relegation zone with 11 games to play.

But three games and one Roy Hodgson appointment later, and Palace have won three in a row, and are now nine points clear of the bottom three. So how did Roy Hodgson do it?

Here are the three main reasons behind Palace’s upturn in form. 

More Shots

Five days before Vieira was sacked, Palace had the longest run without a win in the league. At the time, they were ten games without a victory.

But the more concerning stat was that they had gone over 280 minutes without recording a shot on target.

But fast forward to the present day, and Crystal Palace have had 19 shots on target in Roy Hodgson’s first three games.

That is more shots on target than Palace managed in Vieira’s previous nine games in charge put together.

But to be able to have more shots on target, Palace needed to be taking more shots in general.

In Vieira’s last five games, Palace had totalled 34 shots at their opponent’s goal, while in Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge they amassed a total of 31, so shooting on site was one clear path that Hodgson saw for Palace to improve.

Eberechi Eze

Palace’s exciting youngster seemed to have fallen out of favour with Patrick Vieira, with only one start recorded in Palace’s previous six games played prior to Vieira’s sacking.

But since Roy Hodgson has taken charge, Eze has been one of the outstanding players in the Premier League, recording three goals in as many games.

Eze also recorded key key passes in his last three games and has completed 15 out of his 18 dribbles this month, which is the most completed dribbles since the start of April in the Premier League.

Before Eze was returned to the starting line-up in Hodgson’s first game in charge, Palace hadn’t scored more than two goals in a game for 27 consecutive games.

But since then they’ve scored a minimum of two goals in every game they’ve played, which also includes the 5-1 victory against Leeds, Palace’s biggest margin of victory all season.

Confidence and Intensity  

Since Hodgson’s reappointment, key players such as Eze, Michael Olise and Tyrick Mitchell have all found form again, which has been vital to Palace’s good run.

But it is the fundamentals that Palace have really improved on since Hodgson took over.

On the defensive end, Palace have won possession back from their opponents a total of 38 times across Hodgson’s three games in charge, compared to just 16 times in Vieira’s last three games in charge.

Hodgson’s Palace side have made 56 tackles in their last three, opposed to 34 tackles made in Vieira’s last three.

But Palace have also improved on the offensive end as well. Hodgson has been utilising the individual quality of his players, as they’ve completed 55 dribbles in their last three games, with 33 completed dribbles coming against Leeds United alone.

That is is more dribbles than the entire Palace team completed in Vieira’s last three games in charge put together.

And that staggering figure against Leeds was achieved without one of the league’s best dribblers, Wilfred Zaha. But with the way The Eagles are playing at the moment, he might struggle to get back into the side.