Player Focus: Cabaye's Emergence as the Heartbeat of Pardew's Palace

Crystal Palace arguably accomplished one of the coups of the summer when they secured the services of Yohan Cabaye from PSG. Out of favour with the Parisian giants, the talented midfielder opted to depart for pastures new, returning to the Premier League to reunite with Alan Pardew, the manager who brought him to England during his time as Newcastle manager. When the deal was confirmed, Palace fans must have been pinching themselves to ensure they weren’t living out a dream. 

Cabaye had established himself as one of the finest in his position in his previous stint in the Premier League, yet struggled to break into a midfield containing the likes of Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore. That, though, says more about the strength in depth available to Laurent Blanc than the 29-year-old’s inability to force his way into the reckoning in France. It clearly did not come into Pardew’s thoughts, who is well aware of Cabaye’s quality. 

The France international excelled under Pardew for Newcastle, which ultimately culminated in his move to PSG. An unhappy 18-month spell was enough to convince Cabaye to leave Paris, however. While the 29-year-old would indeed have continued to pick up trophies by the truckload given PSG’s unrivalled supremacy in France, the lack of action would certainly have limited Cabaye’s progress. With Euro 2016 mere months away, he needed playing time in order to consolidate a spot in Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus squad. 

With the Eagles, he is gaining the regular action he needs. Only Pape Souaré (720) and Jason Puncheon (713) have registered more Premier League minutes of Palace players than Cabaye (691) this season. The Frenchman has quickly formed an effective midfield partnership with James McArthur in Pardew’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. The duo offer the necessary tenacity in the defensive third, with Cabaye and McArthur covering sufficient ground in order to ensure the defence is rarely pressurised. 

Cabaye in particular has performed his necessary defensive duties with aplomb. Only Jordan Amavi (64) has made more tackles and interceptions combined than the Palace star (61) in England’s top tier this term. Meanwhile, no player has made more interceptions in a single Premier League match this season than Cabaye (8 vs Tottenham), further accentuating his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘ball interception’. This impressive reading of the game is one of the many reasons Cabaye has gained a WhoScored rating of 7.48 this season - the best of all players to make 5 or more appearances. 

Despite a spell away from England, Cabaye has readjusted to the rigours of Premier League football with ease - it’s as though he never left, in fact. The swiftness with which he has forged a solid partnership with McArthur is certainly part of the reason that Palace sit 4th in the Premier League and no team has conceded fewer league goals this term than Pardew’s side (7) as the second international break of the season draws to a close. 

The midfielders rank among the top 5 Palace players for average passes per game - Cabaye with 38.8 and McArthur 34 - and the top three for tackles (3.9 and 2.1, respectively) and interceptions (3.8 and 1.8). Both players willingly perform their respective defensive responsibilities when required, but are more than capable of driving the team forward as and when it is needed in order to improve the chances of scoring. 

The duo are averaging the same number of key passes per game (1.3) in the Premier League this term and the quick understanding developed has enabled the more offensive minded players – most notably Jason Puncheon, Yannick Bolasie and Bakary Sako – to really express themselves in the final third. The trio are able to hurt the opposition, safe in the knowledge that Cabaye and McArthur have solidified the midfield to protect the defence. Meanwhile, with the three attackers posing a constant threat, the duo have the vision and offensive talent to create chances for their teammates.

Of course, Cabaye’s arrival has limited the influence of Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak, two key players for Palace in the past, but the former’s signing was considered a necessity if the Eagles are to launch an assault on a European spot. As things stand, the south London outfit are well equipped to do just that, though are perhaps a striker short of turning that dream into reality, especially amidst reports Patrick Bamford could return to Chelsea in the coming weeks. 

Nonetheless, the capture of Cabaye was a real statement of intent by Palace. When the rumours first started, many could not believe the Eagles could coax the midfielder to Selhurst Park, though given the influx of TV money, Premier League sides are now able to flash the cash in order to strengthen accordingly and in Cabaye, Palace have done just that. 

Pardew continues to build an excellent Palace team and one that can be considered worthy of a European finish. Cabaye has quickly emerged as the heartbeat of this current Eagles side as the team continues to go from strength to strength.

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