Last two transfer windows for Crystal Palace have failed to solve the shortages in the squad – with a lack of players with pace and trickery

The positives were there for all to see, as Palace led at the interval and fought back after undeservedly going behind to a goal that clearly should never have stood.

It was an excellent performance in which we saw the genius that is Wilfried Zaha at his unplayable best – twisting, turning, and wriggling out of tight situations like a footballing equivalent of Harry Houdini.

The imperious Zaha drew the type of challenge from Granit Xhaka for the second penalty that you might have expected from a Sunday morning pub player, rather than a seasoned international.

Arron Wan-Bissaka turned in another impeccable display – a combination of lung-busting runs, mazy dribbles and a telescopic reach in the tackle. Tackling is an art and the young full-back brought the crowd to their feet on several occasions with a combination of power and perfect timing. Premier League wingers take him on at your peril. In fact, don’t waste your energy.

Then there was Luka Milivojevic. Much-maligned following only his second penalty miss in a Palace shirt seven days earlier, the Serbian midfielder displayed nerves of steel and a big pair of what Troy Deeney likes to call “cojones.”

The hyperbolic nature of fans on social media and forums is a source of annoyance, with Milivojevic on the receiving end following the defeat at Everton.

Every player it seems is either a zero or  a 10 dependent on the outcome. The margins in this game are as fine as the width of the goal-line, the opinions of some fans however would lead you to believe they are more akin to the width of the pitch.

Football fans and perspective sadly rarely feature in the same sentence, where any form of error makes the said player “the worst in the league” and the club a “shambles”.

It seems every club has a fair share, with social media awash with clips from the now legendary Arsenal Fan TV featuring a succession of angry Gooners wishing to pour vitriol on the “cheat” that is Wilfried Zaha. Even the perpetrator’s admission that it was a clear foul doing little to dampen the flames.

Somewhat surprisingly, the “assist” from Alexandre Lacazette – a clear handball – was missed despite being right in front of the visiting fans.

Now to the negative. One point instead of three. One team had won 11 in a row prior to Sunday and had you arrived from the moon prior to kick off, you would have thought it were the side in red-and-blue stripes on the evidence of the 90 minutes witnessed.

A win may have kick-started Palace’s season in the manner in which the victory over reigning champions Chelsea had 12 months prior. It can only be hoped that confidence and belief can be drawn from the game as if the victory had been earned.

Had justice been done and referee Martin Atkinson identified the body part used by Lacazette in helping on the corner that lead to Pierre-Emerick  Aubameyang scoring the north Londoners second goal, it would have been a huge shot in the arm.

Hence the parallels with the season so far, which has been somewhat anti-climatic.

There were certainly signs on Sunday that some of the glorious football played at the end of last season was not so far away.

That’s it, in a nutshell. Not far away. Given the football played in April and May, it seemed the optimistic feeling shared by most coming into the season was not misplaced. I thought that with a reasonable summer in the transfer market the squad would be in good shape.

But the last two windows of opportunity have not provided the squad with the little bit more needed.

That is not to say that the signings of Cheikhou Kouyate, Max Meyer, Andre Ayew and Vicente Guaita have been a disaster.

Kouyate was excellent on Sunday and could be a real asset.

Meyer looks a clever, technical type, who can see a pass. The real question is where he is accommodated within the team.

It’s fair to conclude that he is neither a defensive midfielder, nor an orthodox wide player and will he score the goals to be an effective number 10? This is one to watch and if the conundrum can be solved, perhaps it will really shape how the season may play out.

Ayew had his best game in a Palace jersey last weekend and may be better utilised as a wide player or as a number 10, where previously he has shown an ability to find a yard and get shots off.

Guaita has yet to appear in the Premier League, though Wayne Hennessey’s early season form has dipped a little in recent weeks with a few goals now being filed under “could do better” without being howlers.

I have been critical of the recruitment during the last two transfer windows, which wasn’t solely the quality of the players purchased. The frustration is more around the balance of the squad. Defensively and in midfield there is certainly depth and very little in the way of surgery is required.

It is in forward areas that the depth and balance is awry.

In terms of a central striker, Christian Benteke has struggled for form and confidence. It must be hoped that the enforced lay-off may help him find himself again.

Connor Wickham has always shown promise and if one could create the perfect centre-forward, there is no doubt that he has many of the characteristics in abundance. Unfortunately his injury record has meant his Palace career has been stop-start at best, but there is a player there.

Alexander Sorloth has not convinced in the nine months he has been at the club, with the step he has been asked to make looking more like a leap at this stage. Time is a commodity rarely afforded to anybody in the modern game.

I was very much against the sale of Glenn Murray and felt it was the first time that Palace had moved a player on too soon following promotion. That hunch has been proven. As is often the case, a succession of shiny and new, expensive upgrades have been anything but.

But by far the most important element is the lack of ball carriers and dribblers within the group. Every squad needs a mix of ‘Steady Eddies’ and ‘Flash Stans’ and this is where the imbalance is glaring.

Aside from Zaha and Andros Townsend there is a distinct lack of players who can go past anybody with the ball. My belief is that you need five of these within the 25.

Jonnny Williams and Sullay Kaikai would be Hodgson’s next options in this respect and he has clearly been reluctant to use either.

You need three of these in your 11 and another two on your bench as impact subs. An extra player of this type would further improve the output of both Zaha and Townsend.

Individual talent so often wins the day when the margins are fine and this unpredictability and thrust is missing, aside from the mercurial Zaha.

Last season Palace had the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek driving into the box and Bakary Sako impressing as a central striker. There’s the difference. No game-changing substitutions.

Roy Hodgson has been heavily criticised in this respect, but I don’t see the options at his disposal.

All he has been able to do in forward areas is change a Benteke for a Sorloth. It’s a 14-man game and the more players you have that can provide a moment of magic, the more games will be won.

So we look to January in the hope that the balance can be redressed. Any chairman will tell you that every manager is always “only three players away” from being able to move things forward.

The bad news is, at them offensive end of the pitch players come at a premium and it is unknown what resources Palace’s sporting director will have at his disposal in order to help the manager.

A creative approach may be required and this could well shape what sort of progress the club is able to make in the mid-term.

Until then, the attacking threat will be limited and the over reliance on Wilfried Zaha will be a continued cause of concern.