Crystal Palace man Hodgson rarely used is already vital to Glasner, has played every minute since December 3rd
Chris Richards has become one of Crystal Palace’s most important players in recent months and he’s only getting more vital.
Oliver Glasner will have loved what he saw from American defender Chris Richards on Saturday during the Eagles 3-0 win over Burnley.
The 23-year-old scored an 8.3 match rating on FotMob as he scored the opening goal of the new Austrian manager’s time as boss.
He was dominant in central defence with a 92 per cent passing accuracy and 73 touches along with five defensive actions and seven duels won.
All this is impressive and he’s no doubt nailed down his slot in the Crystal Palace line-up for now at least. He’s likely about to become more vital than he already was as a result of his impressive display.
Chris Richards has played every minute since December 3rd
Since December 3rd when Palace faced West Ham away from home, one man has been ever present after being sparingly used prior.
This comes from journalist Andrew McSteen who tweeted the stat about Richards.
This has included 15 games of which 13 have been Premier League games and two have been FA Cup games, this over 1350 minutes.
Since he’s become a regular he’s thrived and even played multiple different positions – such as right-back, centre-back or defensive midfield – which shows how impressive he truly is.
Richards is only becoming more important for Palace
Despite his importance being on the rise for Palace over the past three months, things are only going to get better for the American.
With Glasner in charge and his new three-at-the-back system, Richards has become a vital part of Glasner’s plans and he will be hoping for a back three of Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi alongside Richards at some point.
The USA international could absolutely find himself finishing out the season playing every minute as his rise in importance continues at Selhurst Park.
