Hodgson highlights players’ training performances – News – Crystal Palace F.C.
Roy Hodgson has taken note of a number of Crystal Palace players’ performances in training over the November international break.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against Luton, Hodgson revealed that he has been impressed with a number of the squad who remained training in Copers Cope while seven were away representing their countries.
Discussing Michael Olise’s return to fitness – the Frenchman having returned from long-term injury as a second-half substitute against Everton just before the break – the manager said of his No. 7: “He was so good last season, especially in the 10 games I had at the end of the season.
“He was extremely good, then we lost him to that very, very bad injury he got playing for France U21s, so it’s just nice to see him back again and pretty much in training at least, looking like the player I remember from those 10 matches.
“But we have to be a bit careful judging him too soon. He hasn’t played any matches since June, apart from when he came on as a substitute, so I’m rather hoping that he will rediscover that form.
“Everything I’ve seen in training suggests he will and has already done so, but let’s wait and see in three or four matches’ time. If he’s played in those matches, we’ll have a better grip on the situation.”
Hodgson was also queried on how well summer signing Matheus França performed in training, given his first-team debut arrived at Newcastle United last month.
The manager explained: “He’s settling in well. Both he and [Naouirou] Ahamada have been pretty good during this two-week break – they have both impressed me with their training sessions.
“With Matheus, he seems to be settling in more and more. He’s getting better and better with the language and more attuned to what playing at the Premier League level is about, because he’s playing against such good players in training.
“I have to say that we, as a coaching staff, are more than happy with him. If he can continue along those lines then we have another player who will be knocking on the door of selection, as is also the case with Ahamada.”
The return to fitness of almost all of Hodgson’s playing squad is a welcome boost for the manager, who is looking forward to the challenge of accommodating all of Palace’s exciting talents.
He explained: “I don’t have any worries about where the good-quality players we have in the team will play – we’ll find a place for them in the team.
“Players who are that good and will help the team as much as they can, we’ll find a home for them. Whether that home will always be one specific home, and no other home is even considered, I don’t know.
“Most clubs will be aware of the number of players – if they’re big clubs, it might be quite a lot of them and if they’re not big clubs, it might be a few less – who are going to be decisive for them and get the points they need to achieve their goals.
“You could argue Olise and Eze are fairly similar, but I can’t imagine any team in the Premier League saying they can’t play together. Of course they can play together, and they’re capable of different positions as well. You see Olise as a right winger and Ebs as an inside forward, but I can see those two swapping over quite easily if they wanted to.
“I don’t think they’re centre-halves or goalkeepers, but I can see both playing as a forward because they’ve got the ability to do so. My opinion is always that you’ve got to get your best players on the field, and your players will dictate your line-up more playing this very rigid system of play.”
