Forget Clyne: £8m Palace man has to start vs Burnley if Mitchell is injured
Forget Clyne: £8m Palace man has to start vs Burnley if Mitchell is injured
Crystal Palace could be without Tyrick Mitchell on the weekend and Roy Hodgson needs to pick Jairo Riedewald over Nathaniel Clyne if this is the case.
The Eagles face a huge trip away to Burnley on the weekend.
So, why should Roy Hodgson pick Jairo Riedewald over Nathaniel Clyne if Tyrick Mitchell is injured? Let’s take a look.
What’s the story?
Crystal Palace faced Tottenham in their last Premier League match and ended up losing 2-1. The news went from bad to worse after 24 year-old Mitchell went down and had to be substituted due to a knock.
At the moment, the severity of the injury is not known. It could be a bad one for Palace if Mitchell is not available against Burnley.
The Englishman, who recently made 100 Premier League appearances for the Eagles, is currently the only senior left-back at the club.
Some players can move out of position and play at left-back if desperately needed. We saw this in the Spurs match as Clyne was deployed in that position after the injury. This tactical decision should not be made again by Hodgson if Mitchell is not available.
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Jairo Riedewald needs to start for Crystal Palace if Tyrick Mitchell is injured
Palace have been good in defence this season and have kept a lot of clean sheets, so having Mitchell injured would be a huge worry. Riedewald, who is naturally a midfielder, can also play as a left-back. We have seen the Dutch player do this many times since he joined the club for just under £8m.
The 27-year-old has never managed consistent starts for Palace. Despite this, he has always been reliable when called upon, especially at left-back.
Riedewald has made three starts in all competitions so far this season.
With him left-footed and good at defending, he definitely seems like the best option against Burnley. Despite this, it looks like Hodgson would favour Clyne.
Clyne is arguably towards the end of his career and he is also right-footed. Putting him on the opposite flank feels like a mistake waiting to happen.
No doubt Riedewald feels like the player whose quality matches the Premier League more than Clyne. Hopefully he gets the nod against Burnley if Mitchell is out.
Mitchell being injured would again show the failures of the summer transfer window in which the Eagles did not strengthen enough to compete in the top half.
