Getting game time in the Premier League is certainly helping some Palace players receive recognition from their countries, as the latest round of international squads are being announced this week.
Danny Gabbidon, Damien Delaney and Barry Bannan, and Lewis Price as a reserve, are just some of the players that have received call-ups. International weeks are often the bane of football clubs in the top two divisions in England, as they would rather not risk injury to their players whilst away on duty.
The next international break, which arrives after the Liverpool game on Saturday, could have some positives for the Eagles no matter what the result on Saturday. Apart from those players away, it gives the rest of the squad that remains an extra opportunity to get to know each other without having a high pressure Premier League match to do it in.
Mistakes are punished in the league so having the chance to not have that pressure must surely help the team.
Now those not so good points of the playing squad. Marouane Chamakh has received a lot of criticism for his booking for diving when through on goal with the score at 0-0 on Saturday. What it highlighted more than anything was a lack of confidence, an unwillingness to shoot when the opportunity was there, for fear of missing.
Chamakh has stuck to his guns, saying he was bought down by the Southampton keeper. Ian Holloway has seen it differently and in his weekly press conference, the Croydon Advertiser quoted him as saying Chamakh received an earful from the manager but no fine.
Interestingly, Holloway was also quoted as saying Chamakh had felt he would have got a penalty had he been at Arsenal. It’s certainly a view Holloway can appreciate given what he received his fine and ban for earlier this season.
Another interesting point from it is that, after an outrage from Steve Parish after Ashley’s Young’s diving antics against the Eagles where he stated divers should receive red cards, Chamakh has not been fined. The “hairdryer” treatment that Holloway told his press conference was given to Chamakh could have come in many forms but Parish’s views, which were essentially good points, have come back to bite him because of the actions of his striker just a few weeks later.
Whatever happened to Florian Marange? A likely Palace quiz question for future fans to ponder over. The French defender has left the club by mutual consent without making a league appearance. The way this transfer has been dealt with does seem strange, not helped of course by the player himself coming out and speaking against the club whilst still employed by them.
Memories of Aruna Dindane last season come to mind when this transfer is analysed, with both failing to make a league start for the Eagles, despite both being scouted by the club and deemed to be able to fit into the squad.
Having fallen to a fifth defeat of the season, Anfield awaits the team and with the Reds making a solid start to their season it would seem like it could be a long afternoon. But a week is a long time in football, so who knows where the club will be in seven days time.
Daniel Smith - @dmsmith1987
Source: PalaceMAD
Source: FOOTYMAD
