Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace got their first win on the board for the Premier League season, beating Tottenham 1-0 last weekend. This win took them out of the relegation zone, putting them 17th on six points, after nine games played.
The Eagles even made it two wins on the spin, with an EFL Cup victory over Aston Villa, beating Unai Emery’s side 2-1 at Villa Park. Glasner’s side have been drawn against Arsenal in the quarter-final of the competition which will be played at the Emirates.
But Palace’s next game comes against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league, looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins, and three wins on the bounce overall. And in order to stop Wolves, shackling their most dangerous player will be key.
Wolves’ key man
The Old Gold are currently holding the fifth least possession in the Premier League this season with 44.7%, are taking the fouth fewest shots per game with 10.7, and have only managed to score 12 goals this season, leaving them 11th for most goals scored.
Four of those 12 goals have been scored by Wolves star man, Matheus Cunha, coming off the back of a superb 2023/24 season. Last campaign, the Brazilian made 36 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists, totalling 2,772 minutes played.
Wolves signed Cunha in 2022, initially joining on a season-long loan, which then became a permanent transfer for around £44m.
Now the 25-year-old is seen as one of their most important players, and in order for Palace to beat Wolves on Saturday, stopping Cunha will be vital.
Crystal Palace’s Cunha solution
Luckily for Glasner, summer signing on loan from Chelsea, Trevoh Chalobah, is finding his feet at the club at the exact right time.
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The 25-year-old defender, described as “outstanding” in the past by content creator Alex Goldberg, has now made three appearances for the Eagles since joining this summer.
He has started the past three Premier League games, his first against Liverpool in a narrow 1-0 defeat, his second in another narrow 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest, and then his third in the 1-0 victory over Tottenham, keeping a clean sheet and gaining Palace their first league victory of the season.
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Chalobah vs Guehi vs Lacroix comparison |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Chalobah |
Guehi |
Lacroix |
|
Progressive Carries |
0.33 |
0.56 |
0.17 |
|
Progressive Passes |
3.33 |
4.11 |
2.00 |
|
Passes Attempted |
31.3 |
55.9 |
47.5 |
|
Pass Completion % |
80.9% |
85.1% |
79.3% |
|
Passes into Final Third |
3.67 |
3.78 |
3.83 |
|
Tackles |
2.00 |
1.00 |
1.67 |
|
Blocks |
2.00 |
2.00 |
1.33 |
|
Interceptions |
1.00 |
0.78 |
1.65 |
|
Aerials Won |
2.67 |
3.00 |
2.50 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
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Cunha plays on mainly as an inside forward from the left side for Wolves, meaning he is likely to come up against Chalobah, who has been starting as the right-sided central defender in a back three for Palace.
Chalobah has made the most tackles and blocks per 90 of the three central defenders this season (joint for blocks with Guehi), and has made 1.00 interceptions per 90, plus won 2.67 aerial duels per 90, really showcasing the defensive prowess he brings to the side.
By persisting with the Chelsea loanee as the right-sided centre-back, Palace will give themselves a great chance of stopping Cunha, as their best defender this campaign (by the metrics for defensive actions) will be directly up against him, and he certainly has the recovery pace and 1v1 defending attributes to deal with the tricky Brazilian.
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