TV pundits Jamie Carragher and Robbie Keane were in agreement on Monday night that Patrick Vieira must address their centre-forward problem in the summer transfer window.
The Eagles were held to a goalless draw at Selhurst Park against Leeds after spurning several chances to win the match and move them closer to the top half of the Premier League table. They finished the match with 17 shots on goal but couldn’t find a way past Illor Meslier, who was voted man of the match at full-time for keeping Palace out.
Vieira started the match with a front three of Wilfried Zaha, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew with support coming from midfield via Conor Gallagher and Ebere Eze. The Frenchman turned to his bench in the second half to try and find a winner, though neither Michael Olsie nor Christian Benteke managed to get Palace over the line.
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Zaha is currently the top scorer for the Eagles with 12 goals so far this season, followed by Gallagher with eight. Centre-forwards Mateta and Odsonne Edouard - Palace’s deadline day signing from Celtic last summer - have six apiece, meanwhile, with Benteke chipping in with four goals.
None of those three strikers have held down a starting spot in the team for too long though, with Mateta currently in possession of the shirt after spending the majority of the first half of the campaign out of favour. Addressing that problem, according to pundits Carragher and Keane, should be a priority this summer for Vieira.
“You think where they could improve and it’s down the centre,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football at full-time. “No one has really nailed down that position. Maybe that’s something they could really address in the summer.”
Keane, who scored 126 Premier League goals with six different clubs during his playing days, agreed, adding: “They were very good in terms of building the play, but when they got to the final third, they didn't really create any clear cut chances. Zaha will always do something special, he was the one most likely to score. If they had someone more clinical, this one could have been done and dusted.”
Speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference, Palace boss Vieria addressed his side’s frustration in front of goal. The Frenchman said he was pleased with how side had fared in almost every aspect of play against Leeds, but admitted it was frustrating to see them fail to find the net.
“I think it’s about taking our chances,” he said when asked if Palace missing a ruthless edge limited their ambitions to finish higher in the league. “We have the quality. We know the front three can score goals but I want them to score more regarding the number of chances we were creating. Today, I think we were unlucky. The only thing missing in our game was that goal.”
