Frank de Boer’s future as Crystal Palace Boss is in serious doubt after only three Premier League games in charge with the club’s hierarchy understood to be completely dissatisfied with the start he has made in English football and continuously unconvinced he will be willing to adapt his approach and mount up a revival.
 |
| Frank de Boer was appointed 62 days ago on a three-year contract promising to make Crystal Palace ‘a solid Premier League team, not to struggle with relegation’. Photograph: PPAUK/Rex/Shutterstock |
The former Ajax and Internazionale manager was appointed in June to succeed Sam Allardyce at Selhurst Park after a month-long selection process headed by the chairman, Steve Parish, and with the input of Palace’s American major shareholders, David Blitzer and Josh Harris. De Boer arrived in south London on a three-year contract promising “evolution, not revolution” and the aim to make Palace “a solid Premier League team, not to struggle with relegation”.
However, the playing staff have struggled to adapt to the 47-year-old’s demands and intent to play a more possession-based style built around three at the back, and there has been concern raised in the boardroom over perceived naivety due to the manager’s rigidity over tactics in the Premier League.
Palace have lost their first three league games of the season, including home matches against newly promoted Huddersfield Town and last season’s fellow strugglers Swansea City, and have yet to score a goal.
De Boer has been in charge as Crystal Palace Boss for only 62 days, still 23 days shorter than he managed at San Siro, and the owners would clearly prefer to offer him more time to prove his pedigree. But they have been alarmed at his rigidity in bending his tactics and, if they receive no indications the situation will change, are conscious a swift decision would allow more time for recovery. A firm decision will be made over the international break.
De Boer, whose 14 games at Inter yielded five wins after four Eredivisie titles in six seasons at Ajax, suggested his players lacked courage on Saturday and was dismissive of suggestions that tactical systems were wrecking their chances. “I don’t see a change of style,” he said. “It’s just [about them] showing the spirit and doing what we tell them to do. It was not different to against Liverpool, where we did really well. I want to see that every time. If we play 3-4-3 or 5-3-2 or 4-3-3, everybody knows what he has to do. It all starts with courage when you have the ball. Defending, you know, is not the most difficult thing. When you have the ball, you have to make the right choices. We did that in the second half much better.”
The manager has inherited a squad effectively put together by Ian Holloway, Tony Pulis, Neil Warnock, Alan Pardew and Allardyce over Palace’s five-year stint in the top flight. There have been only three signings in this transfer window and the only permanent deal was the £7.9m signing of Jairo Riedewald from Ajax.
The club had hoped to push through a deal for Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho this week, conscious of the impact the France defender made while on loan last season, though it remains to be seen whether a compromise over the fee can be reached before Thursday’s deadline. Liverpool have been insistent the centre-half will cost suitors £30m.
Source: THE GUARDIAN
0 Response to "Frank de Boer’s future at Crystal Palace in doubt after three defeats"
Post a Comment