‘They can make the magic’ – Palace defender Andersen heaps praise on attacking duo

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace are unbeaten in Roy Hodgson’s first four games in charge since he returned to the club following Patrick Vieira’s sacking.

Three wins and a draw under the Croydon-born Hodgson have pushed the Eagles up to 37 points in the Premier League.

That resurgence in form is in large part due to the form of Palace attackers Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, who have been integral in the attacking threat, which has seen Palace register nine goals in four games.

“I don’t think you see them without each other,” said Andersen to the South London Press. 

“They’re always together – if you see Ebs, you just see Michael too.

“They’re just having fun playing games together, having fun [generally], and I think you see that on the pitch. They can combine – they can make the magic – it’s just nice that these players are in the team.”

Olise, Eze and Andersen all played the full 90 minutes in the Eagles’ 0-0 draw against Everton on Saturday – the first time in Hodgson’s four games back in charge that the side have failed to win, following victories against Leicester, Leeds United and Southampton.

But it is a run which overturned a sequence of 13 games without victory in 2023 under previous boss Patrick Vieira.

“I don’t know. We’re playing easier opponents also now, but I think also we feel happy – we feel more free,” said Andersen when asked about what the difference has been since Hodgson rejoined.

“In the other games [under Vieira], we’ve been a little bit unlucky. We had good chances we didn’t take. For example at Brighton, we should have been 3-0 up, [but] now we’re converting these chances.

“It’s difficult to say exactly what it is. Obviously [we have] more confidence – people are more free in the head. That always helps to take the chances – that’s maybe the biggest difference.

“It’s about making things simple.

“He (Roy) is coming in, and Ray (Lewington), and Paddy (McCarthy) also has been good; just putting on some good training – [with] some things that we can use in the games as well in the training – it helped us to not think too much because you don’t play your best football when you think too much. That’s the biggest difference – he keeps it simple and it’s been working.

“Against Leicester, you really saw that we really played well in the first half and in the other games, we killed the teams in the second half, especially Leeds.

“Southampton, where our first half was not the best [too]. Then, it’s about trying to dig in and fight for each other. Everyone is fighting to win second balls, and just some basics of the game we need to do. We’ve been doing that these last four games, and that gets you points.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD