Formation switch didn’t pay off for Palace as Patrick Vieira had about as tough a Premier League baptism as possible

It was always going to be a baptism of fire for Patrick Vieira when he saw that his first competitive match  as Crystal Palace head coach was against a side who are one of the favourites to lift the Premier League title and are the champions of Europe.

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea whipped away some of the optimism as the Eagles, unbeaten over pre-season, got a harsh lesson on the unforgiving nature of top-flight football.

After a relentless 20-minute spell where Chelsea penned the Eagles deep into their own half, a stunning free-kick from Marcos Alonso and a comfortable finish inside the area from Christian Pulisic gave the hosts a two-goal advantage heading into half-time.
Trevoh Chalobah made it 3-0 before the hour mark after he swept a 25-yard shot out of the reach of Vicente Guaita.

Chelsea had recorded seven consecutive victories against the Eagles prior to last Saturday, so tomorrow’s test against Brentford is the first game where Vieira’s side can be expected to pick up the first points of his tenure.

Thomas Frank’s side are overflowing with confidence and riding the wave of their Premier League promotion. They’re not here to make up the numbers, as they showed on Friday night with their professional 2-0 win against Arsenal.

Brentford are well educated in a style of play akin to the one Vieira is trying to teach his Palace side. The Bees, lauded for their prolonged astute recruitment, suffocate opponents with their forwards and play out from the back with ease. Having been with the club since 2016, Frank’s ideology is firmly imprinted on his players. The top-flight experience, which the core of Vieira’s team has in abundance, could be crucial for Palace to get their first points of the new campaign

Palace’s record last season under Roy Hodgson against sides who finished below them was a deciding factor that kept the Eagles in the league – completing the double over West Brom and Sheffield United and defeating Wolves, Fulham, Southampton and Brighton at least once.

With games against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and arch-rivals Brighton to follow in their next eight fixtures following the Brentford clash, it’s vital that Palace begin to start building towards the 40-point mark that is widely seen as guaranteeing top-flight status.

Vieira’s decision to switch from 4-3-3, his favoured formation in their tune-up fixtures, to 4-4-2 at Stamford Bridge seemed to confuse the Eagles.

Jean-Philippe Mateta, starting up top alongside Wilfried Zaha, appeared isolated. The distance between him and the midfield expanded as the first half went on.

As for Zaha, who shone in pre-season out on the left of a front three and scored in every game in which he featured, he was smothered creatively and left to watch on as Palace defended for their lives before Alonso broke their resistance.

Jordan Ayew tried his best to drag Palace up the pitch but was swarmed by a sea of Blue shirts when he reached the halfway line, often giving away the ball in dangerous territory.

In the middle, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jairo Riedewald and James McArthur had the thankless task of trying to contain and combat two of the world’s current best in that position – Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho.

Only Pulisic’s goal can be pinpointed as a passage of play where the South Londoners’ defence showed a lapse in concentration, the centre-back pairing of Marc Guehi and Cheikhou Kouyate did well to keep Chelsea at bay on several occasions.

The 4-3-3, which excelled against league rivals Watford in the final test before the season began, offered an alluring style of play that saw Palace attack freely and build their way up the pitch from the back – Vieira will likely revert to that against Brentford.

Vieira claimed that he “didn’t learn very much” from his side’s 3-0 defeat because of his squad has yet to be completed with the necessary pieces of the jigsaw.

This summer was always going to require significant patience while the Frenchman attempts to transition from a team with defending at its core to one that is free to express itself. However, Vieira needs every component of the side to be at his disposal before any change materialises.

When Joachim Andersen made his debut last Saturday, with the Danish centre-back allowing Vieira to switch to a back three, the Eagles’ style of play drastically improved. They attempted to take the game to Chelsea rather than remain camped in their own half.

Having players suited to the World Cup winner’s plans is crucial to this project resulting in success. Having adaptable players will also allow Vieira to adjust formations in-game and switch to a Plan B or C, something his predecessor Hodgson was often criticised for not having.

Vieira has been extremely vocal about the need for the club to continue being active in the market, and with Michael Olise scheduled back in training in just over a week, there are still plenty of factors that need a period of bedding in.

Palace are still lacking depth. Although it was a proud day for Palace’s academy, with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi making his professional debut and Rob Street, Reece Hannam and Scott Banks named on the bench, Vieira said: “Those young players did really well in the pre-season, but they are not ready for that level.”

Vieira’s revolution has everything it needs to work and this is starkly different to what Palace experienced under Frank de Boer.
But the Eagles’ hierarchy must work quickly, with less than two weeks left of the summer window, to ensure that the French head coach has every detail he requires to assemble his new-look Crystal Palace.