AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth will be hoping to maintain their impressive recent home form when they host Premier League rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The Cherries have taken seven points from their past three games at Vitality Stadium, beating Brighton and Aston Villa and drawing with Chelsea.
Crystal Palace arrive in Dorset on the back of three successive victories in the top flight having won 1-0 against Newcastle, Brighton and Watford.
Patrick van Aanholt was on target against the Toon at Selhurst Park as the Eagles halted a run of seven Premier League games without a win.
And Jordan Ayew was their goal hero against the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium and again in the victory over the Hornets on home soil on Saturday.
Roy Hodgson’s team looked likely to become embroiled in the relegation battle after winning just one of their 11 games following their 1-0 triumph over the Cherries in December.
But the recent run has propelled them to 39 points and the Eagles, currently 11th in the Premier League table, can now set their sights on a top-half finish.
Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Sam Smith, who covers the fortunes of Crystal Palace for the South London Press.
afcb.co.uk: Can you put your finger on what’s been behind Palace’s recent upturn in fortunes?
SS: Roy Hodgson was asked this exact question after the victory against Watford and summed up the situation well.
Palace had gone eight games without a win before beating Newcastle on February 22nd but there were so many mitigating factors which added a bit more context to that period.
It was around early December when it seemed Palace would lose at least one player to injury per game.
Sometimes you would ask for team news at a press conference and Hodgson would reel off a list of three or four players who had suffered fresh injuries.
You hear the phrase injury crisis bandied around a lot by managers but this one was genuine.
During one period, there were only 11 genuinely fit senior players. Some were having to play through injury – such as during the 2-2 draw against Manchester City in January.
Having worked so hard to secure that point they then played a high-energy, in-form Southampton at Selhurst Park a few days later and some players were visibly shattered.
There were other examples of bad luck mixed with individual errors. The usually-reliable Vicente Guaita dropped the ball over his own goal-line in the 1-0 defeat against Sheffield United – a game Palace had dominated.
Against Everton, each of the three goals conceded in the 3-1 defeat were highly avoidable.
The recent rise in form is largely down to those injured players returning to full fitness. Hodgson now has genuine options, which he hasn’t had for the best part of three months.
afcb.co.uk: Although Wilfried Zaha has only scored three goals, how would you rate his season?
SS: By his own very high standards, it’s been a below-par season for Zaha.
That might have something to do with his action-packed summer. There was the very public transfer saga involving him, Palace, Arsenal and latterly Everton.
He also competed in the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast. It would be naïve to suggest that didn’t affect his poor start to the season.
It’s important to remember that Zaha also brings a lot more than just goals and assists.
Some teams prepare a whole game plan based on stopping him. There was evidence of that against Watford.
When teams use two or three players to mark him in an attempt to minimalise his threat, it provides a bit more space for the likes of Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke and Andros Townsend to impact the game.
He has not scored as many goals as he would have liked, nor has he been as influential as he has in previous seasons.
But he’s actually involved in the build-up to a lot of Palace’s goals, whether that’s playing the pass to the player who claims an assist or whether it’s leading a counter-attack that results in a chance.
afcb.co.uk: Who has been Palace’s standout performer this season?
SS: The success this season has been due to a collective effort, which is typical of most Hodgson teams.
However, there are three very strong contenders for player of the year. Gary Cahill has been excellent, Guaita has kept Palace in plenty of games, but Jordan Ayew is the one who stands out as the best performer.
The story of Ayew’s Palace career is slightly strange. He was on loan last season and only managed one league goal in 20 appearances.
At times, he looked unfit and lacking in confidence. At other times, he showed slight glimpses of being a decent option, but those times were incredibly rare.
He was signed for around £2 million in the summer and a large part of Palace’s fanbase were unhappy.
They asked why the club could not pay a bit more for a striker with a proven record of regularly scoring goals.
Southampton buying Che Adams around a similar time after he had netted 22 times for Birmingham last season only increased that frustrated – although, ironically, Adams has failed to score for the Saints.
Ayew has been completely different this campaign and has proved many people wrong.
His goals have directly won Palace 14 points this season. They currently sit comfortably in mid-table on 39 points, 25 would have them comfortably in the relegation zone. That shows his importance.
He looks fitter and scoring the winner against Brighton has made him a fans’ favourite.
afcb.co.uk: Give us your thoughts on Gary Cahill?
SS: He has been outstanding. At 33 and already having won every major honour there is to win in club football with Chelsea, Palace fans could probably have been forgiven for – albeit perhaps cynically – thinking he was joining for a final paycheque and to comfortably see out the final years of his career.
There was a feeling among supporters that he wouldn’t have been able to perform at a consistently high level. Those doubts were so, so wrong.
Palace have had some excellent centre-backs since promotion in 2013. Scott Dann, Damien Delaney, James Tomkins, Martin Kelly and Mamadou Sakho have all been very good.
Cahill is on a different level to each of those. He raises the performance of whoever plays at centre-back with him and brings such assurance to the back four.
His experience and leadership qualities are invaluable traits, he attacks the ball with such authority and he is one of the best defenders I’ve watched.
afcb.co.uk: Are any first-choice players either injured or suspended against the Cherries?
SS: Against Watford, James Tomkins was the only player absent through injury but Hodgson mentioned in his pre-match press conference that he would be back in training this week.
That’s apart from Cenk Tosun, the loanee from Everton, who suffered an ACL injury and has been sent back to the Toffees for the remainder of the season.
Barring there being no injuries during training this week, Hodgson will have a fully fit squad to choose from. That hasn’t happened since the first few weeks of the season.
afcb.co.uk: Do you have any funny anecdotes of dealing with Roy Hodgson?
SS: What you see is what you get with Hodgson. He’s personable, likable and has so many interesting stories to tell.
To be managing into a 44th year and to still enjoy it – in his words – “as much as ever” is remarkable.
I’ve not had any necessarily funny interactions with him yet, but the positive news of him signing a contract extension until the end of next season gives me a bit more time!
afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?
SS: Although I have not watched much of Bournemouth this season, I’m shocked to see them in the relegation zone. I think it will be a 1-1 draw.
You can follow Sam on Twitter – @SamGeorgeSmith
Match officials: Mike Dean (referee), Dan Robathan (assistant), Simon Long (assistant), Simon Hooper (fourth official), Andy Madley (video assistant referee), Simon Beck (assistant video assistant referee).
This fixture has now been postponed.
