EZE

[park the bus]

From the beginning one could see Eze had a bit of skilful ability about him, this was tempered by him often overplaying the situation, lack of cover and tackling, and losing possession rather too often.
This season he's been found out by the opposition, which often doubles up on him so he doesn't have the time or space to go on a mazy run. Remember the excitement for the goal against Sheffield United? That goal, indeed exceptional, wouldn't happen today.
I'd add he doesn't look 100% fit.

 

[Nicholas91]

From the beginning one could see Eze had a bit of skilful ability about him, this was tempered by him often overplaying the situation, lack of cover and tackling, and losing possession rather too often.
This season he's been found out by the opposition, which often doubles up on him so he doesn't have the time or space to go on a mazy run. Remember the excitement for the goal against Sheffield United? That goal, indeed exceptional, wouldn't happen today.
I'd add he doesn't look 100% fit.

I do agree to a certain extent, however I'd just add that unlike Wilf who had the natural ability to do 'Wilf things' regardless, Eze needs the freedom (and space) to really shine.

He clearly is identified by the opposition as a threat, rightly so, but there is an expectation upon him to carry the majority of our threat and I think this is weighing heavy. Olise took some of that heat off of him and whilst I've been very impressed, Sarr is less consistently able to do so. I see him more as a pacy, counter-attacking, short fits and bursts player, as oppose to a technically gifted midfielder (like Olise).

It really is more of a thought than anything, but if we had another 'flying wing-back' on the left similar to Munoz, and a bit more attacking threat from elsewhere, this might mitigate the pressure on Eze and free him up to do his thing. The more he is dragged into the mechanics of our play and expected to deliver from a central position with constant pressure, the less able he is to do so.

When we are a bit shorter on ideas, our build up play is a lot slower and less varied, Eze seems to find it hard to conjure up that magic which others cannot.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

I do agree to a certain extent, however I'd just add that unlike Wilf who had the natural ability to do 'Wilf things' regardless, Eze needs the freedom (and space) to really shine.

He clearly is identified by the opposition as a threat, rightly so, but there is an expectation upon him to carry the majority of our threat and I think this is weighing heavy. Olise took some of that heat off of him and whilst I've been very impressed, Sarr is less consistently able to do so. I see him more as a pacy, counter-attacking, short fits and bursts player, as oppose to a technically gifted midfielder (like Olise).

It really is more of a thought than anything, but if we had another 'flying wing-back' on the left similar to Munoz, and a bit more attacking threat from elsewhere, this might mitigate the pressure on Eze and free him up to do his thing. The more he is dragged into the mechanics of our play and expected to deliver from a central position with constant pressure, the less able he is to do so.

When we are a bit shorter on ideas, our build up play is a lot slower and less varied, Eze seems to find it hard to conjure up that magic which others cannot.

Excellent summing up, we only play 3 attacking players in Glasners set up, most play 4 in the most popular 4-2-3-1 set up, Liverpool and Man city play 5, you cannot call Muñoz an attacking player, like you cant call Robertson or AAA attacking players, when out of position Muñoz is RB, he must have unbelievable fitness, as Nicholas91 says someone similar on the left is crucial, many times Eze gets the ball and there is literally nobody in an attacking position to pass too, Wharton is massively missed because he has the ability to find players in the attacking third, as unfortunately no other central midfielder has

 

[DenTyler]

Eze… an enigma. He seems like a really nice guy, very chilled and has all the skills you could ask for… but.

He never gets a tackle in. Never ever wins a header (or goes up like a kid in the cold at the park who wants to be at home on his PS5.
He does not have a turn of pace to burst through the lines and cause issues. At this moment in time he is slowing things down. Seems to pass backwards all the time and try’s to do too much.

We just don’t have to luxury of dropping him because our squad is so thin on real talent but we also don’t have the luxury of carrying a player like him.

For me he needs to toughen up, get stuck in and get involved. Make things happen instead of being on the fringe. I know he will never be hughes or lerma but a bit of that side of the game would really help him and then his natural talent would shine through.

At the moment he is exactly the player I knew he would be without Olise. The player PV dropped.

 

[JHB]

Eze isn’t playing to his potential of that there is no doubt. However, he is also one of the few players we have who is likely to create a scoring chance. He has more assists for us in the league this season than any other player. Last night he was pretty anonymous but his free kick created a goal. Against Southampton he didn’t do a lot but scored the winner. Against Chelsea again he didn’t do much but assisted the equaliser. So while I get the criticism of him I think he is also key to us even off form.

What I’d like to see from him is being a bit more direct. He never seems to take a player on anymore but at his best this was one of his strengths. I agree with those saying he is slowing it down too much.

 

[MrRobbo]

I hear a lot the defence (having a proper foil, a defensive wing back, doubling up etc) but IMO its just not good enough for someone of his talent. Gets dispossessed so easily so often.

Big players can have a bad game here and there, but he's practically making zero impact in any game. I genuinely cant think of 1 decent think he did last night.

He's now been off the boil for 10/15 games now.

 

[park the bus]

Eze… an enigma. He seems like a really nice guy, very chilled and has all the skills you could ask for… but.

He never gets a tackle in. Never ever wins a header (or goes up like a kid in the cold at the park who wants to be at home on his PS5.
He does not have a turn of pace to burst through the lines and cause issues. At this moment in time he is slowing things down. Seems to pass backwards all the time and try’s to do too much.

We just don’t have to luxury of dropping him because our squad is so thin on real talent but we also don’t have the luxury of carrying a player like him.

For me he needs to toughen up, get stuck in and get involved. Make things happen instead of being on the fringe. I know he will never be hughes or lerma but a bit of that side of the game would really help him and then his natural talent would shine through.

At the moment he is exactly the player I knew he would be without Olise. The player PV dropped.

Agree totally, the bit I doubt will ever happen is him getting stuck in. That said I'm questioning what his role is supposed to be in the Glasner grand scheme of things. Having just listened to Glasner's post match interview his criticism of the first half performance and the details of which, although no names were mentioned, could easily apply to Eze, lack of intensity in closing down the opposition and ceding possession in particular.
OG must have learnt a lot about his squad over the last couple of games, some players seem to be struggling and there's next to zero cover. Eze is one of those, and that's also why his place is assured...

 

[JHB]

Agree totally, the bit I doubt will ever happen is him getting stuck in. That said I'm questioning what his role is supposed to be in the Glasner grand scheme of things. Having just listened to Glasner's post match interview his criticism of the first half performance and the details of which, although no names were mentioned, could easily apply to Eze, lack of intensity in closing down the opposition and ceding possession in particular.
OG must have learnt a lot about his squad over the last couple of games, some players seem to be struggling and there's next to zero cover. Eze is one of those, and that's also why his place is assured...

On the subject of getting stuck in and doing defensive work I am reminded of the supposed story of Michel Platini. One of his teammates had a go at him for not doing this and he supposedly responded saying “I’ll start tracking back when you start hitting defence splitting 50 yard through balls”.

 

[park the bus]

On the subject of getting stuck in and doing defensive work I am reminded of the supposed story of Michel Platini. One of his teammates had a go at him for not doing this and he supposedly responded saying “I’ll start tracking back when you start hitting defence splitting 50 yard through balls”.

I don't see Eze either getting stuck in or hitting defence splitting 50 yard balls. I wonder what he actually does in the grand scheme of things - he's not a forward, not a winger, not a midfielder either. If he could turn out like Beardsley, Le Tissier, or Currie then we'd have a player on our hands.

 

[JHB]

I don't see Eze either getting stuck in or hitting defence splitting 50 yard balls. I wonder what he actually does in the grand scheme of things - he's not a forward, not a winger, not a midfielder either. If he could turn out like Beardsley, Le Tissier, or Currie then we'd have a player on our hands.

Yeah I wasn’t comparing him to Patini! Just passing on a story.

Eze should be a number 10 creative player. He can play much better but even so he has created more goals than any of our other players (not a high bar I admit) so is still important to us. His performances this season have been frustrating though for sure

 

[CrazyBadger]

yet again only managed to catch the MOTD highlights, but one thing that did stick out to me was that first highlight shown the ball went to their RB, and Mateta went to cut off the Pass to the CB, and can be seen encourgaging Eze to Close down his attacker, as he was some way off. (see about 52.00mins into Motd).
It's obviously something that doesn't come easy to him, but limits the effectiveness of the press if not done right.

 

[dreamwaverider]

Eze, like Doucoure, ruptured his achilles heel and required an 18 month recovery period.
For Doucoure, I would suggest he is still recovering.
But are we being slightly misled on this subject?
Im not convinced that anybody makes a 100% mental and physical recovery.
In Eze's case, last season showed a player who appeared to have overcome the injury, but this season there has been a noticeable negative change in his performances.
Not forgetting he has also subsequently suffered hamstring injuries.
Im not saying he is a crock, but I do think we expect too much too soon from bad injuries.
If we are lucky, maybe Eze needs more time to restore to his former fitness.
In Doucoure's case I would say definitely not there yet.
Be patient with our boys. They are both very valuable assets.

 

[park the bus]

Eze, like Doucoure, ruptured his achilles heel and required an 18 month recovery period.
For Doucoure, I would suggest he is still recovering.
But are we being slightly misled on this subject?
Im not convinced that anybody makes a 100% mental and physical recovery.
In Eze's case, last season showed a player who appeared to have overcome the injury, but this season there has been a noticeable negative change in his performances.
Not forgetting he has also subsequently suffered hamstring injuries.
Im not saying he is a crock, but I do think we expect too much too soon from bad injuries.
If we are lucky, maybe Eze needs more time to restore to his former fitness.
In Doucoure's case I would say definitely not there yet.
Be patient with our boys. They are both very valuable assets.

I have doubts about both of them realising their full potential. Doucoure's role is attritional, it may take time for him to overcome physically and mentally the serious injury that he sustained. Eze on the other hand has never "got stuck in", he avoids the physical contact, intensity, and hard pressing required by Glasner's system, and it's particularly noticeable this season as you mention. One wonders where he fits in, as he loses possession far too often, despite the positive aspects to his game.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

FFS, Eze doesn't defend, he is a No 10 playing in a No 11 role, he is our only player with the skill and ability to create and score like he does, its not his fault Glasner plays him out of position, best sell him for 20m and then see what he does in the No 10 role in a 4-2-3-1, when you only play 3 attacking players, there isnt many making runs, if he makes a run, nobody can pass without Wharton. outside the 3 attacking players. it was the trio of Eze, Olise and Wharton that why we jelled, sadly 2 out of 3 missing is bad.

 

[Fanofzhiyi]

I feel like Eze’s drop in form is not just related to Olise going but Wharton being injured. Once Wharton returns and gives the ball quickly to Eze while he is facing the opposition I think we will see the fully effective Eze return.

As others have said he is not effective playing with his back to goal. Wharton and Hughes make an excellent and creative midfield and release the ball in the right areas. Sarr will excel with Wharton back as well

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

Doucoure doesn't fit into Glasners system either, he sits in front of the defence, he cant do what Hughes in particular, and Lerma do, closing down quickly.

 

[Phil’s Barber]

FFS, Eze doesn't defend, he is a No 10 playing in a No 11 role, he is our only player with the skill and ability to create and score like he does, its not his fault Glasner plays him out of position, best sell him for 20m and then see what he does in the No 10 role in a 4-2-3-1, when you only play 3 attacking players, there isnt many making runs, if he makes a run, nobody can pass without Wharton. outside the 3 attacking players. it was the trio of Eze, Olise and Wharton that why we jelled, sadly 2 out of 3 missing is bad.

I would agree with most of your points but it’s not ok for Eze to be so ineffective defensively. As has been mentioned by several posters and is clear to see; he doesn’t track back, he pulls out of headers when unmarked (Bournemouth Away), his closing down is only a half hearted token gesture and he doesn’t tackle.

Take for example Morgan Gibbs-White of Forest, a number 10 often playing wide and doing an amazing job in every defensive aspect where Eze is completely lacking.

 

[NEILLO]

I’ll caveat what I’m about to write by stating that I like the guy and want to see him do well for Palace and himself.

But….I’m weary of the litany of excuses for his consistent underperforming. “ He doesn’t fit the system, he’s missing Olise ( aren’t we all ), it’s Mitchell’s fault , it will be better when Whartons back “ etc etc.

Ultimately he is responsible for his performance. Constantly losing possession and giving lazy passes to the opposition is down to him. Those are basics and he should be doing better at those as a minimum.

Look at the chances he’s missed this season - that has nothing to do with anything other than his own performance levels.

I really want him to rediscover his form. We know what he’s capable of. But he’s not doing himself justice at the moment

 

[CPFCSaturn]

Excellent summing up, we only play 3 attacking players in Glasners set up, most play 4 in the most popular 4-2-3-1 set up, Liverpool and Man city play 5, you cannot call Muñoz an attacking player, like you cant call Robertson or AAA attacking players, when out of position Muñoz is RB, he must have unbelievable fitness, as Nicholas91 says someone similar on the left is crucial, many times Eze gets the ball and there is literally nobody in an attacking position to pass too, Wharton is massively missed because he has the ability to find players in the attacking third, as unfortunately no other central midfielder has

Disagree with this - Munoz contribution is that of an attacking player and he is very clearly part of our approach to create chances and score goals.

His average position in a game is closer to that of a right-winger than a right back, and his numbers in chance creation and other attacking metrics are far more comparable with wingers and forwards than full backs.

 

[CPFCSaturn]

FFS, Eze doesn't defend, he is a No 10 playing in a No 11 role, he is our only player with the skill and ability to create and score like he does, its not his fault Glasner plays him out of position, best sell him for 20m and then see what he does in the No 10 role in a 4-2-3-1, when you only play 3 attacking players, there isnt many making runs, if he makes a run, nobody can pass without Wharton. outside the 3 attacking players. it was the trio of Eze, Olise and Wharton that why we jelled, sadly 2 out of 3 missing is bad.

'Not defending' shouldn't just be an accepted reality.

The days of top teams setting up with a luxury 10 who doesn't have responsibilities out of possession are long gone, and that's a big part of why Eze is still here, despite his obvious talent.

Of course he's still worth his place in the team, but criticisms of his performances are fair and he shouldn't get a free pass just because he can be skilful and creative when it suits him.