A new manager could be inbound at Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace’s dream Roy Hodgson successor has never lost a game to them
In April, Steve Parish re-appointed 76-year-old Roy Hodgson in an attempt to save Crystal Palace from relegation to the Championship. The move turned out to be a huge success, with the ex-England boss winning five of his ten games and losing only twice.
However, heading into this weekend, Palace were five games without a win and had only won one of their last nine matches, putting them just a few places above the drop zone in the Premier League table.
This run of poor form has sparked rumours regarding Hodgson’s future at the club, with Crystal Palace reportedly showing an interest in Julen Lopetegui, as per Spanish outlet Marca, who has never lost a game against Crystal Palace, albeit having played against them just once.
Julen Lopetegui’s managerial statistics
Avid Premier League followers will recognise the Spaniard from his time managing Wolves last season, where he saved the club from relegation. Over the 27 games that he was in charge of, Lopetegui won ten, drew five, and lost 12. However, he was sacked prior to the 2023/24 season starting.
Despite managing plenty of top teams, including Sevilla, Real Madrid, Spain, and Porto, he has only won three trophies in his career, with two of those being consecutive European Championships with Spain’s U19 and U21 in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
His most recent and biggest trophy was the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla in 2020.
| Lopetegui’s managerial record since 2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Club | Matches | Wins |
| Wolves | 27 | 10 |
| Sevilla | 170 | 90 |
| Real Madrid | 14 | 6 |
| Spain | 20 | 14 |
| Porto | 78 | 53 |
| Stats via Transfermarkt | ||
Julen Lopetegui’s style of play
Lopetegui often opts for an attacking 4-3-3 formation that focuses on attacking full-backs, creative wingers, and a midfielder who has the freedom to roam and join the attack. This 4-3-3 is flexible, however, and depending on the personnel, it can become a 4-4-2 or even a 4-2-3-1 within the same game.
If Lopetegui was to be appointed as the Eagles manager, the 4-3-3 formation would remain as it has provided him with success over the years, particularly at Sevilla.
The current Palace squad has some similarities to the one that the 57-year-old won the Europa League with, which means his system would fit the side quickly and with ease. Lopetegui demands that his two centre-backs are comfortable in possession, can progress the play, and have athleticism, which Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen have in abundance.
Tyrick Mitchell at left-back will look to bomb forward at any opportunity, and so will Joel Ward at right-back, however, the latter doesn’t exactly match the profiles of Nelson Semedo and Jesus Navas, and a right-back may be on the Spaniard’s wish list for January if he does join.
Eberechi Eze is simply an unbelievable technician who can win a match on his own. The number ten thrives when drifting to the left of the midfield, and he will use his creativity, dribbling, and ball-carrying to get his side up the field. Eze is arguably a mixture of Matheus Nunes and Ivan Rakitic, and he would play in their role.
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