Alan Pardew's soaring Eagles have the resources to punish the Gunners where it hurts, says Alex Keble... Since arriving at Selhurst Park, Alan Pardew has swiftly moulded Crystal Palace to play his preferred brand of counter-attacking football, implementing a tactical model almost identical to that of Newcastle. Given Arsenal's possessional dominance and high positioning, Pardew's style is well suited to exploit Arsene Wenger's side's vulnerabilities. His quick-breaking strategy is ruthlessly focused on attacks down the wings, with central midfielders instructed to clear the ball to the flanks as quickly as possible; 76% of his Newcastle team's attacks came down the channels, more...
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