December 22 2014

Mile Jedinak

Aaron Jones assesses the impact of the Eagles being without captain Mile Jedinak at the beginning of 2015.

The Africa Cup of Nations and its impact on the squads of Premier League teams tends to grab the headlines but Crystal Palace have reason to curse another international gathering that takes place in the New Year as captain Mile Jedinak is set to depart to represent Australia in the AFC Asian Cup.

Australia are hosts of the 2015 edition of the tournament and play Kuwait in the competition's first game on January 9. That's the day before the Eagles host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and they'll do so without their influential skipper, arguably one of the Premier League’s most underrated players.

The Socceroos have until December 30 to confirm their 23-man party of the Cup and as captain of his country, it's almost certain Jedinak will be part of it.

Ange Postecoglou's team have something to prove too. Australia were given a hellish World Cup draw, slotted in alongside the Netherlands, Spain and Chile, and though they gave a decent account of themselves, still returned from Brazil without a point, never mind a win.

It was though the stage for some promising youngsters to begin to show their worth on the international stage and Jedinak, an experienced old hand, needs to be with Australia to help guide their development.

Jedinak has already suggested he'll wait as late as possible before joining up with the national team and may not depart until after the game against Aston Villa, which takes place on New Year’s Day at Villa Park.

The 30-year-old is supposed to leave on December 28, after Palace’s London derby with Queens Park Rangers, and the earliest he could return is after Australia’s January 17 game against South Korea.

As hosts and silver medallists from 2011, Australia are aiming to be involved for the duration. With Oman rounding out Group A, Australia should at least make comfortable progress from the first stage.

The final isn't until January 31, so if Australia do reach the final, Jedinak stands to miss the entire month for his club.

While Jedinak can't be faulted for his desire to represent Australia at an important event, it does put Palace manager Neil Warnock in a difficult position. Jedinak has played 16 of Palace's 17 league games, missing only the 1-0 defeat against Manchester United as a result of a red card in the game before, against Sunderland.

Palace are in a precarious position, one place out of the bottom three, and not only is Jedinak the inspirational midfield anchor, his set-piece expertise means he's the team's second-highest scorer. In that regard, it's a double blow.

Assuming Jedinak does play against Villa on January 1, he'll miss Palace's next three league games as well as the FA Cup trip to Dover.

Nine points can make an enormous difference to a team at the foot of the table but Jedinak can play no part in the struggle to obtain them.

Instead, he'll be on the other side of the world, fighting for a prize that may be prestigious, but its long-term ramifications are potentially hazardous to Palace's future.

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