May 15 2016

Sullay Kaikai

Crystal Palace finished their league season on a low note. Here's what we learned from the 4-1 reverse.

By Matt Pearce and Dougal Caston.

1. Campaign comes to a end

The last league game of the season was without doubt a bit of a disappointment, to cap off a season of many ups and downs. But the 4-1 drubbing at St Marys was not how anyone would have liked to see it end. It was team which is understandably distracted, with one all-important fixture left. It was certainly discouraging to have such a total collapse by the end. After Jason Puncheon's fantastic strike from the edge of the box to pull things back to 2-1, it didn’t seem inconceivable that we could maybe go on to edge a point. Unfortunately, we couldn’t convert the chances we cultivated and paid the price for failing to capitalising on these, and sloppy defending, by conceding another two before the final whistle.

2. Pardew rests players and changes tactics

As usual the absence of some key players was felt in an attempt to keep legs fresh for the final, leaving us exposed and vulnerable. Alan Pardew opted for a 4-3-3 formation, which is a change from the typical tactics deployed. Without the usual threat from our wingers, and squad players failing to deliver the goods, Palace could not match an in-form Southampton. Work needs to be done over summer so resting players doesn’t have such a disastrous outcome.

3. Kaikai makes Premier League debut

One positive that can be taken from this match was a bright debut from youngster Sullay Kaikai. He looked lively as a soon as he came off the bench, exploiting wider areas of the pitch and delivering some wonderful crosses. Kaikai came close to polishing off his promising debut with a goal, when gifted with an opportunity from close range, which he just didn’t quite strike cleanly enough. Nevertheless it was a debut that gave a lot of hope that there’s far more to come from Kaikai. When interviewed about his debut Kaikai showed humility and the right attitude when commenting: "This is only the start of my journey. There’s a lot to learn… hopefully I can prove myself and get to the top level."

4. Defensive mishaps costly

Our defence looked particularly weak; Adrian Marriappa was a less than adequate replacement for the ever-present Scott Dann at centre-back, Joel Ward put in a tepid performance, and Damien Delaney (worryingly) seemed to struggle with a knock that he sustained during the match. Pardew argued two goals were conceded due to poor refereeing, but had the back four been more efficient, the incidents should have been totally avoidable. With Manchester United’s strong attacking options, a defensive performance like this simply will not do on Saturday.

5. Nothing to worry about?

It’s hard to say if this was an inconsequential loss to an in-form top-five team, or a damning indictment on the squad's weaknesses. Admittedly we knew we were safe going into the match and have the biggest game for 26 years around the corner. But with only two wins in the last 21 league games, it’s a concern that this form may continue into next season, and is further proof it’s imperative to add depth to the squad over summer. But enough complaining, while it was a disappointing result I’m sure fans are willing to forgive this one if we can get the result we’re all hoping for at Wembley.