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It’s been an eventful season for Crystal Palace fans this year, one that has seen them endure a seemingly never-ending injury crisis, hefty defeat after hefty defeat, and some less-than-stellar football – but not anymore.
Oliver Glasner’s appointment in place of Roy Hodgson last month felt like a changing of the guard and the beginning of what could be a very exciting period for the club.
The experienced Austrian has five points from his first four Premier League games and will be confident of adding three more to that tally this afternoon against Nottingham Forest.
However, if he wants to increase his chance of doing so, he must drop Jordan Ayew for a far more dynamic player.
Jordan Ayew’s previous performance against Forest
In the reverse fixture, the Eagles played out an incredibly dull 0-0 draw, in which there was a grand total of seven shots on target between both teams, although only two came from the south Londoners.
The Ghanaian international took one of those, but that was the only notable thing he did in his 95 minutes on the pitch.
It may sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by the South London Press’ Edmund Burk, who awarded him a 5/10 match rating for his performance.
It’s a score that is also supported by the numbers. In his 95 minutes of action, he failed to score or assist, took two shots off target and just one on target, missed one big chance, won five of his 11 duels, lost possession 14 times, and misplaced both of his crosses.
Jordan Ayew’s game vs Forest in numbers |
|
---|---|
Minutes |
95′ |
Goals |
0 |
Assists |
0 |
Shots on Target |
1 |
Shots of Target |
2 |
Big Chances Missed |
1 |
Duels (Won) |
11 (5) |
Lost Possession |
14 |
Crosses (Completed) |
2 (0) |
All Data via Sofascore |
All in all, the experienced forward just didn’t do enough in that game to justify his selection today, with Glasner needing to contemplate who to replace him with.
The player who could replace Ayew vs Forest
Unfortunately for the former Frankfurt boss, the obvious candidate to replace Ayew – Michael Olise – is not set to make the trip to the City Ground, despite having made a return to full training this week.
That will serve a notable blow as while the French U21 ace also missed out on the game against the Tricky Trees earlier in the season due to injury, in the five appearances he has made against today’s opponents, he’s registered two assists.
As it is Glasner will have to look elsewhere to find a suitable candidate to fill that void, while also replacing Ayew in the meantime, with the latter man hardly pulling up any trees against Luton last time out either…
Jordan Ayew’s game in numbers vs Luton |
---|
70 minutes |
31 touches |
0 key passes |
79% pass accuracy rate |
1/2 aerial duels won |
4/12 ground duels won |
12x possession lost |
0/3 successful crosses |
Stats via Sofascore |
The man who replaced the one-time Aston Villa star against Rob Edwards’ side midway through the second half was Naouirou Ahamada, although there may be wisdom in unleashing another substitute from that clash in Odsonne Edouard.
A striker by trade, the Frenchman – who has scored six times this season in the league – can operate on the flanks if needed, allowing the Glasner the chance to shuffle his pack for the trip to Nottingham.
Ultimately, Ayew is still an important player for the Eagles, but having disappointed in the reverse fixture with Forest – as well as against the Hatters last time out – it may be time for a change out wide.
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