Crystal Palace vs Arsenal: 3 pre-match talking points

Having to watch the entire Premier League play their matches ahead of you isn’t ideal. Arsenal were already behind on matches played and now that trend continues.

It’s all about playing catch-up. If given the option of having games in hand but points to gain, almost everyone would rather have the points on the board. It can be a mental hurdle.

Facing Crystal Palace on Monday, Arsenal have the first of ten cup finals standing between themselves and a return to the Champions League. There are huge games to come, many against superior sides, and while points will be dropped on the way, ideally they won’t be here.

Losing away to Chelsea? Acceptable, to a degree. Falling to defeat to the side in 12th with just seven wins all season? Less so.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal: 3 pre-match talking points ahead of facing Patrick Vieira’s side in the Premier League on Monday

However, that doesn’t tell the full story of Crystal Palace, who are a vastly improved side under Patrick Vieira, someone who has worked wonders in the short time he’s been at the club. Only five teams have lost fewer games than them.

Mikel Arteta heads into this one with the Manager of the Month award under his belt for the second time this season – Jurgen Klopp went undefeated in March and beat Arsenal away from home so, ummm, yeah – and the form shown since mid-December is showing no signs of slowing down.

It’s all about getting the players back focused after travel all across the globe, where they’ve played in different positions and different systems, which is why the manager will actually be grateful that the Gunners are last up on the fixture list this matchweek.

Another absorbing Premier League fixture awaits, one with plenty of pre-match talking points.

Will Patrick Vieira Break Arsenal Hearts?

The end of season periods where it continued to appear as if Vieira was going to depart Arsenal as a player were tough to take. It hurt the soul. When he finally departed north London, however, he did so with the final kick of his Gunners career winning the club the FA Cup. The perfect send-off.

Someone loved by supporters more than any Palace fan will ever know, he was involved in seven consecutive seasons of Champions League football at Arsenal. Please don’t let him be the one who puts a big dent in the club’s hopes of returning to it for the first time in five seasons.

It would be crushing. Heartbreaking.

Everyone knows his name will be sung from the away end, but the hope is that those chants will be at their loudest since that will mean the victory is wrapped up. Let his name echo around Selhurst Park….when it’s 2-0 and all is rosy.

Not often do a travelling support love the opposing club’s manager more than their own fans. Palace fans are warming to Vieira faster than most could have imagined, and the hope is that he’ll enjoy a long and fruitful spell in south London.

But not on Monday. Let Monday be a disappointing day for him. There are only two times in the season where we’ll say that. Sorry, Paddy.

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Will Bernd Leno’s Kicking Improve?

As it’s the most recent memory of the team, the scenes at Villa Park are still remembered fondly, even if the players and coaching staff have long since moved on.

Bernd Leno being mobbed by his teammates – including the travelling Aaron Ramsdale who came to support the man whose shirt he took – was an extremely warming moment. Someone who has been first choice goalkeeper in every season of his senior career to date must have found it hard to contend with being usurped.

To have made some crucial interventions and calm claims from wide deliveries made the occasion more special. He deserved it.

His kicking, however, was not great. When Villa started pushing for an equaliser it prompted the German to go long, with his passes into Nicolas Pepe and Emile Smith Rowe a far cry from the raking and fizzed efforts Ramsdale is known for.

Each goal-kick was a relinquishing of possession, and acted as the one black spot on an otherwise fine return to the team.

Leno’s kicking had never been immaculate, but everyone knows it’s better than that. Rustiness is very likely to have played a part and keeping the clean sheet, especially with that late save, should hopefully give him the confidence to improve in that department.

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What Tactics Will Patrick Vieira Employ?

"“We were really focused [in training] on the defensive side of it,” Vieira said of his team’s tactics against Man City. “We knew we were not going to have the possession, it was really important for the midfield five to be tight and compact – to stop the finding those players inside the pockets.” “We wanted to force the ball wide and from there start to put pressure on the ball. We had a really good gameplan and the players executed it really well.”"

Their approach in the commendable 0-0 draw at home to Man City was one that was a combination of forced and measured. Vieira’s side are a team who like to win the ball back higher up the pitch and force broken play, using Conor Gallagher to press opposition central defenders, but against Man City it was a more pragmatic style.

Respect comes into it. Vieira knows his side can’t go toe-to-toe with the City’s of this world and come out on top, so they need to focus on other areas of the pitch to bring success. To their credit, they’ve claimed four points off City and not conceded a single goal, so whatever he’s doing is working.

Being at home one can expect front-footed football from the off, although they will know of the dangers in behind with Martinelli/Smith Rowe and Saka on the flanks. Vieira will never stray from his philosophy too far, though. It’s his style and he wants that everyone at Crystal Palace to know it off by heart. He wants them to live it and breathe it.

How will they set up against Arsenal? A midfield five again, or a 4-3-3? Slightly more conservative or with no fear as their position in the table is not under any serious threat?

It will be interesting to find out.