Patrick Vieira is reportedly keen to switch his tactics at Crystal Palace next season and switch to a three-man defence.
The Frenchman regularly lined his Eagles side up in a 4-3-3 formation last season that saw Danish international Joachim Andersen and 21-year-old Marc Guehi heavily relied upon at centre-back. The two defenders started 30 of Palace’s 38 Premier League matches together - only split up due to injury - and at least one of them was on the pitch for every minute of the league campaign.
Vieira’s other options at the heart of defence last season were Martin Kelly, James Tomkins, Cheikhou Kouyate and Jairo Riedewald. Kelly has already been announced as the club’s first summer departure after making just four appearances last term, while Jairo Riedewald only managed five games, with all of them coming in midfield.
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James Tomkins deputised on nine occasions meanwhile, but despite extending his contract at Selhurst Park by another year recently, he does not meet the required level to be a regular starter in Vieira's system. The fourth option is versatile midfielder Kouyate, though the Senegal international is currently locked in contract talks with the club and might leave on a free should discussions not go the right way.
That leaves Vieira seriously under-strength at centre-half, meaning that if reports from the Sun this week are accurate about Palace switching to 3-5-2, recruitments in that position will be of huge importance this summer for the club. Palace played in this formation - which can also be seen as a 5-3-2 dependant upon possession of the ball - twice last season, once in the FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea and again in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in May.
On both occasions, Kouyate was dropped back into the defence alongside Guehi and Andersen, and the extra cover did help them to remain compact in the face of tricky, technical opposition players. It also created more avenues from which Palace could attack from, with full-backs Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne able to provide the width and keep Wilfried Zaha and Jean-Philippe Mateta closer to the box where their impact in front of goal could be felt more.
For the first 45 minutes at Wembley against Chelsea, the formation seemed to work well, with Palace managing to contain the Blues before being undone in the second half and then switching formation again as they pressed for a way back into the game. Against Villa, who tried to go long and put the Eagles on the back foot, there were also glimpses of the formation working, though the midfield struggled to dominate at times as a result of the more defensive approach out of possession.
The switch wouldn't signal great things for Palace's wingers, though Zaha has shown he is capable of playing as a centre-forward while Michael Olise has the ability to play centrally as well as out wide. Jordan Ayew - recently signed to a one-year contract extension - would remain a useful squad member for when Palace need to shape up differently, though the development of young winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi - were he to remain at the club rather than head out on loan as is expected - would likely take a hit.
What will be key for Vieira next year is personnel, with the club in need of at least two centre-backs who can fit into the system as well as cover in defensive midfield that will give Palace's forwards more freedom to attack. The latter could be solved with the arrival of Cheick Doucoure from Lens, though that deal still seems a while away from being completed thanks to an impasse between the two clubs on a transfer fee. In defence, Palace have been keeping tabs on Chelsea academy graduate Lewis O'Brien, who spent last season on loan at Championship side Huddersfield, and 22-year-old American Chris Richards, currently on the books of German champions Bayern Munich.
