Expectation: Malice at Crystal Palace | Reality:

There's a buzz around Selhurst Park this year. It's the break of a new dawn.

Crystal Palace had their toes tagged for the relegation morgue heading into the 2021-22 Premier League season, seeing as how they were clearly a squad in transition.

When the summer transfer window rolled around, Crystal Palace had 15 senior players nearing the end of their contract. Patrick van Aanholt, Andros Townsend, Mamadou Sakho and James McCarthy all departed the club on free transfers.

They were also bottom for sprints in a league where managers are increasingly training their teams to adopt some form of a press. Yet, somehow, Roy Hodgson's Eagles kept on keeping on as he became the oldest manager to take charge of a Premier League game at 71 years old.

The one thing they absolutely needed to do this summer was get the average age of the squad down by targeting players aged 25 and under.

In came the Championship's Young Player of the Year, Michael Olise (19), along with Marc Guehi (21), Joachim Anderson (25), Conor Gallagher (loan), (21), Will Hughes (26) and Odsonne Edouard (23). Job done? Not quite, but a solid start, no?

New players, a new manager and new challenges in arguably the most competitive league in Europe. The stage was set and Crystal Palace have defied expectations so far. With a third of the season gone, Patrick Vieira's Eagles are 10th in the league, ahead of Everton, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Leeds United.

The numbers Palace have racked up so far paint an even prettier picture. Only Chelsea and Liverpool (1) have lost fewer Premier League games than Palace (2) this season. Vieira's Eagles are also fifth (+2.6) in xGD (Expected Goals Difference) per FBRef data via Statsbomb, behind Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and West Ham.

Strong underlying numbers and a significant improvement in their attacking metrics (12th in non-penalty xG per 90 so far, as opposed to 19th last season). The only thing that's missing is a club legend in a BT Sport studio rubbing his hands together, proclaiming: "Palace are back!"

While that will follow in due time, there have been several key stalwarts in this 2021 Palace resurgence, chief among them being Conor Gallagher.

With an almost Carlos Tevez-like tenacity off the ball, the on-loan Chelsea man embodies Vieira's approach at Selhurst Park.

At Turf Moor this past weekend, Gallagher was once again front and centre. Chasing every loose ball and pulling Palace up the pitch with his endeavour, Gallagher had a shot on target as early as the ninth minute and laid an assist on a plate for Christian Benteke's equaliser in a dramatic 3-3 draw.

So far, Gallagher has shown that he's adept at creating space for himself and his teammates, a trait he couples with supercharged bursts of energy in pressing (Gallagher ranks first in the squad in pressing).

Again, the numbers are a testament to Vieira's managerial impact along with a younger squad. Last season, Palace finished 16th in PPDA (Passes Per Defensive Action: how many passes an opponent makes for every defensive action the team makes. A lower PPDA value signifies a more active press).

This year? Opta Analyst has them ninth.

Having already faced Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham (3-0 win), Liverpool, Leicester City, Arsenal and Man City (2-0 win), Palace will navigate relatively calmer seas in their next few fixtures.

With Christian Benteke's under-the-radar revival, Eberechi Eze yet to get back to full fitness and Michael Olise still settling in (and a swanky new £20 million academy), there's no way but up for Patrick Vieira and Palace... provided they tighten things up at the back.

Joachim Anderson's ball-playing abilities from centre-back are admirable, but defensive solidity is still the need of the hour.

A bunch of promising talents. Players with Premier League experience. A manager from the Man City and Arsenal school of thought leading the charge. Exciting wingers. Ball-playing centre-backs. A quality goalkeeper. You see where I'm going with this?

For the first time in a long time, Crystal Palace have a sense of direction. Premier League safety has been assured for several seasons, but the Eagles are now looking to soar a little higher.

Granted, that will take time, but Vieira's 4-3-3 has Palace playing like they belong in the top half of the league table. A couple of recruitments in midfield and up top, and Palace will have a solid squad to rise higher.

In the Premier League, there's a fine line between the drowned and the saved. Frank de Boer's 77-day stint in 2017 - the third-shortest managerial reign in the Premier League era - was one that threatened to sink Palace's ambitions.

But Crystal Palace are aboard the Black Pearl now. Minor growing pains notwithstanding, it promises to be a fun ride.

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Colin D'Cunha

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