April 30 2017

Selhurst Park (Photo: Andy Roberts)

There is still work to be done on the pitch before Crystal Palace retain their Premier League status and put the current season behind them, writes Andy Jacobs.

Back-to-back defeats have added yet another twist to what has been a rollercoaster campaign, and while you would assume that a six-point gap with just three games to go will be enough to avoid the drop, you can never be sure in a league where late escapes are more than possible.

Sam Allardyce has worked wonders to pull us away from what was a precarious position left behind by ALAN PARDEW’s demise, but even if he is on the verge of extending his proud record of never been relegated from the top flight as a manager, he must have been hugely disappointed by how flat the team were against Burnley.

Simply put, we never got going; Burnley wanted it more and deserved the three points. Bookmaker Ratings may believe that the 2-0 defeat changes nothing in terms of our hopes of staying up, but Big Sam will be more than aware that the final game at Selhurst Park against Hull is crucial.

It is difficult to understand why the performance levels dropped dramatically after how we have performed in recent weeks.

We have gone from beating Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to being as flat as a pancake against Burnley; that’s football for you, but it does not make it any less infuriating.

We never looked like getting anything from a game that provided a great opportunity to end any relegation fears once and for all, with Palace second best in all departments and barely threatened to break down a Burnley side that epitomise hard work and determination.

Having a very bad day at the office was badly timed, given that the crunch clash with Hull is sandwiched between tough trips to Manchester City and Manchester United.

In all probability, Palace will pick up points against two teams challenging for a top four finish but struggle against a relegation rival; as long as we remain in the Premier League, I do not mind where the points come from.

The only silver lining from the Burnley defeat is that Palace can not possibly play any worse, and given that we face Manchester City at the Etihad next, you fear that they will run riot if we perform like that again.

Big Sam will undoubtedly have the players working hard on the training ground to make amends for what was a poor display in front of our own fans; he settles for nothing less than one hundred percent commitment and effort from his team, so to see the players look so lacklustre and lacking ideas will have left him enraged.

A number of online sportbook options listed on footielive will probably back Manchester City to pick up three points that helps their chances of securing Champions League football, but if we reproduce the performances of Stamford Bridge and Anfield, then we have every chance of walking away from the Etihad with a positive result.

It is difficult not to feel envious at the depth of quality that Manchester City possess, with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva all wonderful players who can win games on their own.

However, anyone who watched Middlesbrough push them all the way at the Riverside should feel encouraged that Pep Guardiola’s men could be there for the taking if they do not improve, especially considering that the Teessiders were hugely unlucky not to take all three points after Leroy Sane dived to win a penalty.

The game highlighted Manchester City’s weakness in the full-back areas as Middlesbrough had considerable joy down both sides – something that you would imagine caught the attention of Big Sam who may ask Wilf Zaha and Andros Townsend to turn it on.

I also believe that Christian Benteke can have considerable joy up against Nicholas Otamendi, although the big Belgian is more likely to be marked by his international team-mate Vincent Kompany in what would be an epic battle.

In a sense, Palace have nothing to lose against Manchester City and should just throw everything at them in the hope that they continue to crack and allow us to counter-attack with pace and purpose.

We would more than settle for a committed performance that makes up for the Burnley debacle, but you cannot help but feel that Palace can pick up a result that would secure our Premier League safety.