MX23RW : Saturday, December 21 06:36:15| >> :120:30508:30508:
[monks data]
Attendance: 25,781
Crystal Palace logo
Premier League | Gameweek 20
Dec 30, 2018 at 12pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

0-1

FT(HT: 0-0)
Kante (51')

Roy Hodgson rubbishes suggestion that Palace and Chelsea are one-man teams

Roy Hodgson rubbishes suggestion that Palace and Chelsea are one-man teams
© Reuters
Eagles forward Wilfried Zaha and Blues star Eden Hazard have earned plenty of plaudits.

Roy Hodgson has hit back at suggestions that Crystal Palace and Chelsea are one-man teams.

The Eagles host Chelsea on Sunday with Wilfried Zaha and Eden Hazard expected to spearhead the attacks of each side.

Palace's victory over Leicester earlier this month was the first time the Eagles had won a Premier League match without Ivory Coast forward Zaha in their team for more than two years.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have relied heavily on the attacking threat of Belgium international Hazard, who has 12 goals to his name already this season.

However, Palace boss Hodgson insists there is far more to both teams.

He said: "Any accusation to a manager of a team or a player in the team that you are a one-man team would be very unwillingly accepted.

"Most of us would point out that's not the case but people still say what they want to say.

"If you're asking me do I think Chelsea are a one-man team, I don't. Or if Palace are a one-man team, then I don't.

"Each team has got good players and good players are the ones that grab the headlines. I'm pretty sure Manchester City would reject suggestions Sergio Aguero makes them a one-man team.

"If you ask do these teams have very good players capable of turning a game and making the game a successful one for them, then I'm pretty sure Maurizio Sarri and myself would be happy to say yes.

"Hazard and Wilf come into that category.

"We have a lot of unsung heroes who do not get the headlines that their performances deserve, but I don't think I am in an unusual situation with that.

"The articles and TV shows tend to single out the same star quality players, but there are a few players beneath that who deserve a bigger pat on the back than they sometimes get."

Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and full-back Martin Kelly are back from injury and available to face the Blues.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Andy Sims, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '2222c318-21eb-443d-832b-93f16db2d111');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Roy Hodgson rubbishes suggestion that Palace and Chelsea are one-man teams'});

ID:345407: cacheID:345407:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4635:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Olivier Giroud celebrates after opening the scoring for Chelsea in their Europa League meeting with PAOK on November 29, 2018
Read Next:
How Chelsea could line up against Crystal Palace
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Texans
@
Chiefs
9.30pm
Steelers
@
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!