It was a disappointing 2016-17 Premier League campaign for Crystal Palace with the South London club flirting with relegation during the second half of the season. Sam Allardyce saved them from the dreaded drop but walked away from the club shortly after. Chairman Steve Parish has taken his time to identify Allardyce’s successor and he’s opted for former Ajax coach Frank de Boer who is tasked with putting the smiles back on the faces of the Selhurst Park faithful.
The Dutchman is remembered fondly as a player and his managerial career has largely followed suit. He guided Ajax to four consecutive titles in his first four seasons at the Amsterdam club before departing shortly after observing his side blow their chances of securing yet another Eredivisie success. He had been linked strongly with the Everton vacancy before opting to head to Serie A instead.
Looking forward to my new challenge at @CPFC and the new season in @premierleague football
pic.twitter.com/DSXvoI0wNI — Frank de Boer (@FdeBoerofficial) June 26, 2017
The 46 year old endured a tumultuous and turbulent period in the Inter hot-seat and was dismissed after just 85 days. He left the club in 13th position with rumours of in-fighting between the players and a fractious relationship between the fans and star striker Mauro Icardi. Frank de Boer will wish to draw a line under his short but eventful period in Milan but little blame can be attached to the Dutch tactician. His successor at the Serie A club Stefan Pioli has since been dismissed with former Roma boss Luciano Spalletti the latest man tasked with restoring order and meeting those lofty expectations at the San Siro.
He will draw on his experience at Ajax and will aim to play a brand of ‘total football’. The players return for pre-season training at the beginning of July and lurching from Allardyce’s percentage based philosophy to de Boer’s easy-on-the-eye approach is likely to take plenty of fine tuning.
Many Premier League clubs have taken this approach in the past with mixed results but de Boer insists his side will need to mix things up occasionally, playing an ‘attractive and dominant kind of football’. He added that this will be the aim of the game whilst he is also aiming to give several academy players a chance to shine.
4 – Frank de Boer is the only manager in Eredivisie history to win four consecutive titles, doing so in his first four seasons. Swoop. pic.twitter.com/e0CciFPkWK
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 26, 2017
Wilfried Zaha is one of many players likely to enjoy playing under de Boer’s tutelage and the Dutchman has promised supporters they’ll be looking up the Premier League table as opposed to nervously glancing over their shoulders.
They’ve been priced up at 14/1 for a top six finish in the Premier League Betting whilst Christian Benteke is an ambitious 50/1 to be the league’s top goalscorer next season. It remains to be seen whether the Belgian powerhouse flourishes under de Boer’s stewardship, but he is a useful asset to any side and Palace are likely to create plenty of chances over the course of the campaign.
Crystal Palace will be hoping for a much better season under their new coach and it’s an extremely exciting time for Eagles fans. The new boss has a point to prove as he aims to bounce back from his fleeting spell at the San Siro and is likely to oversee a hectic pre-season period. Palace supporters cannot wait for the new season to get underway when they host newly promoted Huddersfield on August 12th.