Crystal Palace: Three hopes, one fear

Hope #2: That reuniting with Pardew will get Loic Remy’s career back on track.

It wasn’t that long ago that Loic Remy was the can’t miss player in the summer transfer window. Remy turned a tremendous loan spell with Newcastle in 2013-2014 into a major deal with Chelsea. But like the 37 other players that Chelsea loaned out at the close of this transfer window Remy has quickly fallen out of favor with the London side and seen his minutes dwindle in recent seasons.

After two consecutive seasons of mostly sitting on the bench Remy was loaned off to Crystal Palace with the hope of getting his career back on track and finding a buyer for his services.

The good news for Remy is that he will be reunited with Pardew, who coached him during that great year at Newcastle. What made Remy such a tremendous player during that year was that Pardew had him operating in a 4-4-2 formation up top with Cisse. Remy’s size and technical skills make him a very difficult attacker to break down.

Furthermore, he has shown that he can deliver diagonal passes into open space. The hope is that with Benteke, another player that is looking for a second chance, that Palace have a 1-2 combination that can put the biscuit in the basket.

One other player to keep an eye on in rebuilding Remy is Yohan Cabaye. Cabaye was also integral to Remy’s success during that season at Newcastle. The French international is especially adept at pushing the attack from the center-mid position. That in turn frees Remy up to start setting up attacking opportunities. If those two can rekindle their previous form then Palace may have a very dangerous attacking system.

Next: Hope #3: That they can win the FA or League Cup.