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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Crystal Palace goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely has revealed exactly what it is that Roy Hodgson does in training in order for his Crystal Palace side to be so well organised.
Kiely played for Palace’s south London rivals Charlton on 222 occasions and also made 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team, and his words give a great insight into how the former England manager works.
What did he say?
Kiely told Love Sport Radio: “If you’re ever lucky enough to come and watch Roy Hodgson train on the grass, the defensive shape and how he drills the team, it’s not just the back four and goalkeeper – it’s the 11, how they work.
“What Roy does really well is he keeps reminding the players that if they switch off or take it for granted, that’s when they’ll get hurt, so the demands are massive.”
Having the desired effect on the pitch
Whilst it has been well-documented that the Eagles don’t score too many goals – Connor Wickham, Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke scored just two league goals combined last year – you cannot deny that Palace are a very well-drilled side from a defensive aspect.
They finished the 2018/19 season with the sixth-most clean sheets in the Premier League, and so far this term, they sit top of that same list with two clean sheets from four games – they have also conceded just two goals, the least of any team in the division.
Scoring goals is arguably the hardest part of the game, but Hodgson deserves a lot of credit for counterbalancing his side’s lack of quality in front of goal by organising his troops to an admirable standard, so much so that they have been at the right end of the table regarding defensive statistics for a while now.
The 72-year-old’s work on the training field is truly reaping the rewards out on the pitch.
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