January 24 2016

Yannick Bolasie (Photo: Andy Roberts)

Since their return in 2012, Crystal Palace have been slowly creeping up the Premier League table, establishing themselves as a good mid-table side, who are solid and very difficult to beat.

Dougie Freedman, Ian Holloway, Tony Pulis and to some extent Neil Warnock deserve credit for this rise, but since Alan Pardew has taken over, Palace have become a different animal on the pitch.

Their fast, direct, counter attacking style has made them incredibly dangerous, as well as providing a template for other teams in the division to copy if you want to beat possession based opponents, especially away from home.

One player who is the epitome of this style is Yannick Bolasie. Tricky, extravagant, forward thinking and incredibly fast, Bolasie has the ability that will give any defender nightmares and the clear enjoyment he gets out of tying fullbacks in knots is wonderfully refreshing.

It’s been a long journey to the top for the Congolese star, who has worked his way up the divisions since making his professional debut with Rushden and Diamonds in 2009, but he has now established himself as a very good Premier League winger, and with this comes the inevitable speculation.

Neil Warnock said in a recent interview that he didn’t think Bolasie would find his way to a top six club, but in recent transfer windows, the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and even AS Roma have been taking a look at Palace’s Number 10.

Although a move away from Selhurst Park seems unlikely at the moment, that doesn’t mean Bolasie won’t be playing in Europe next season.

This is the most wide open season in Premier League history, with any team capable of snatching three points on any given weekend. Palace are no exception to this, but they have endured a mixed season so far and currently sit in eleventh place.

Pardew will be disappointed to see his side so far down the table, considering how well they have played on many occasions, but it’s their home form that is the big concern.

Palace struggle to assert their dominance at home, not being able can’t utilise their counter attacking qualities against teams who sit back and let them have the ball, the 1-0 home defeat to lowly Sunderland being a prime example of this.

They might be in the bottom half, but a great source of comfort to Palace fans will be the fact that they are only two wins away from fifth and sixth place. If they can sort out their home form and add a little consistency to their repertoire, then a top six finish is a real possibility and with that comes European Football.

It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bolasie and his Palace teammates strutting their stuff in the Europa League next season and with those places seemingly up for grabs this year, Pardew will see this as a very realistic and attainable goal.