Player Focus: Magnificent Murray Spearheading The Eagles' Ascent To Safety

Crystal Palace have upset the title race in the last 2 seasons. The ‘Miracle of Crystanbul’ last term effectively ended Liverpool’s hunt for their first Premier League title as Palace came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 in arguably the most entertaining game of the campaign. The enthralling stalemate all but handed Manchester City their second top-flight championship in three years as Manuel Pellegrini ended his first season in the Citizens hotseat on a high. 

However, the Chilean was left ruing his team’s profligacy on Monday night as he departed Selhurst Park rueing yet another underwhelming display from his City side. The defending champions have now won just 5 league games in 2015, with the loss in South London ensuring the defending champions ended the latest round of fixtures in 4th. Alan Pardew deserves ample credit for the way his Palace outfit performed on Monday night, with some now suggesting the experienced Englishman is deserving of the manager of the year award.

His exploits, akin to Tony Pulis’ last season, have helped drag Palace to within 3 points of 10th placed Stoke City, with Pardew now rightly targeting a top half finish. Given Palace were mired in the relegation zone when he took over at the turn of the year, the 53-year-old warrants the praise being thrust his way. Pardew has worked wonders to bring out the best in the likes of James McArthur, Scott Dann and Jason Puncheon, but it is Glenn Murray who drew the admiration of his manager after his performance against the champions. 

"In the football world, Glenn’s been unlucky because of injuries at bad times. He’s got to the Premier League, but missed big parts of it," Pardew said of his striker in the aftermath of the victory over City. "Now he’s showing what people always knew about Glenn - that he can play in the Premier League and be a quality player and that’s what he’s proving." Murray’s career has been resurrected under Pardew. No Palace player has scored more league goals than Murray (5) this season, an impressive feat given he has made just 10 top-flight appearances this term. 

The 31-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan with Championship side Reading, where he netted 8 times before returning to Palace at the turn of the year. After initially playing second fiddle to Marouane Chamakh, Yaya Sanogo and, to a lesser extent, Dwight Gayle, Murray has all but made a starting spot his own.

There may have been a point when he feared his career would come to a premature end after he suffered a serious knee injury against former club Brighton in May 2013. Murray, though, appears to have overcome any injury problems, with Pardew managing his return to regular competitive action astutely. Crucial goals in wins over West Ham, Stoke and City, including WhoScored man of the match awards in the latter two, have helped boost his status in England’s top-tier.  

Murray’s finishing ability means he has netted more frequently (1 every 89.4 minutes) than any other player in the Premier League this season. Pardew’s tactical switch up - notably moving Jason Puncheon in field - has certainly benefitted the Palace striker. With James McArthur and Joe Ledley excelling in the middle of the park, not to mention Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie impressive in wide positions, chances aplenty are being created for Murray. 

Following the 2-1 win over City, Murray is now averaging more shots per league match than any Palace player (2.1). The confidence instilled in him by Pardew is clearly having a positive effect, both on the player and the club. Palace now have a focal point to their attack, which has helped propel the Eagles up the table and all but guaranteed their top-flight safety. Boasting ‘finishing’, ‘aerial duels’ and ‘headed attempts’ as statistically calculated WhoScored strengths, Murray could well be considered the ideal frontman for this Palace side, especially with creative trio Puncheon, Zaha and Bolasie all impressing. 

Puncheon in particular has thrived with Murray spearheading the Palace attack. His WhoScored style of play highlights that Murray ‘gets fouled often’ so the Eagles are able to win free kicks in dangerous positions. This was exhibited excellently in Monday’s win over City. Murray was barged over 25-yards from goal 3 minutes after the interval, with Puncheon superbly dispatching the resulting free-kick that secured all 3 points for the South London team. 

Having moved on from his injury woes, Murray continues to impress as Palace’s leading frontman. Perhaps lucky to be given his break upon his return from Reading, the burly striker has grabbed the opportunity to stake a claim for a regular starting berth with both hands.  

"I’m obviously enjoying it, it took a long time to get over my knee, and obviously I’ve worked hard to get back to this position and I’m enjoying it now," Murray said following his man of the match display on Monday night. With confidence high having found his feet in England’s top-tier, one would expect Murray to maintain his current purple patch as the Eagles continue their ascent up the Premier League table.

What do you make of Glenn Murray's recent goalscoring form? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below