Our team-by-team Fantasy Premier League (FPL) analysis of the 2022/23 season continues with a Crystal Palace review.
Chelsea and Everton will follow on Monday.
Here, we take an in-depth look at each top-flight side’s campaign, analysing them from an attacking and defensive perspective. We’ll also explore their biggest goal threats and most potent creators.
We’ll return to do a preview of each club closer to the big 2023/24 kick-off, factoring in new transfers, pre-season results and fans’ expectations.
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2022/23 CRYSTAL PALACE REVIEW: ATTACK
| Total | Rank v other clubs | |
| Goals scored | 40 | 14th |
| Shots | 426 | 14th |
| Shots in the box | 270 | 15th |
| Shots on target | 135 | 17th |
| Big chances | 52 | 16th= |
| Expected goals (xG) | 39.94 | 16th |
| Non-penalty expected goals (NPxG) | 37.57 | 17th |
The late-March return of manager Roy Hodgson helped the Eagles resurrect some awful form and escape relegation, ensuring next season will be their 11th consecutive top-flight campaign.
Winless in 11 matches, Palace had dropped to three points above the drop zone when Patrick Vieira was dismissed on St Patrick’s Day. They’d recently gone three games without a shot on target, the only team to do so since Opta started recording the data in 2003/04.
By Gameweek 28, just before Hodgson’s arrival, they were on joint-fewest goals (22) and second-worst for xG (25.15).
Hodgson’s arrival brought three successive victories and comfortable survival, with a 6.4 minutes per chance bettered only by Manchester United, Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Eagles also shot up to tenth for minutes per xG in the run-in.
A big improvement, then, but it’s important to acknowledge the very favourable run of games that awaited Hodgson when he made his return to the Palace hotseat:
The veteran head coach is the bookies’ favourite to be named the permanent manager for 2023/24 but, at the time of writing, nothing has been confirmed.
Above: Palace’s underlying attacking numbers at home (left) v away (right)
Venue barely seemed to matter to the Eagles, with the goal count (21 v 19) and xG tallies (20.61 v 19.33) very similar.
The ‘big chances’ totals, indeed, were identical (26).
2022/23 CRYSTAL PALACE REVIEW: DEFENCE
