Crystal Palace have appointed Frank de Boer as their new boss
Premier League Crystal Palace named Frank de Boer as their new boss earlier today.
Argentinian boss Mauricio Pellegrino was reportedly the Eagles first choice, but the Argentinian decided to take the reins at Southampton. De Boer was seemingly the next boss on the Eagles managerial shortlist.
I have to say I am not sure what to make of the appointment. On one hand, De Boer won many trophies in his homeland with Ajax. However, on the other hand, he struggled to make an impact at Inter in Italy and failed to even last until Christmas in the job.
A good record
Frank de Boer was a big success at former club Ajax as boss, winning four consecutive Eredivisie titles. The success playing attacking football obviously brought him to the attention of other clubs. However, second place finishes in his last two seasons with the Dutch giants rather diluted his achievements.
Despite his final seasons at Ajax being poor, De Boer is for many a highly-rated young boss. There was talk of him heading to Everton last summer. When compatriot Ronald Koeman left Southampton for the Toffees, De Boer was linked with replacing the former Feyenoord boss on the south coast.
However, his next move was to Italian giants Inter, where it is fair to say he was not a major success. He got the job in early August and found himself fired by early November. The Dutchman argued that the Nerazzurri’s Chinese owners did not give him enough time.
In truth, though, De Boer won just five of his 14 games in charge in Milan, also suffering seven defeats in the process. His record at Inter was not a great one for a highly-rated young boss.
His failure in Milan does not seem to have harmed his reputation, though. He was reportedly on Southampton’s list of prospective bosses before the Saints ended up going with Pellegrino.
Crystal Palace have a decent squad
I recently wrote an article about how Crystal Palace underachieved last season. They finished 14th place in the Premier League in the end. However, for much of the campaign, the Eagles looked to be in danger of relegation.
That really should not be happening to a team that have attacking players like Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend. When on form the trio are hard to stop, especially Benteke who proved my point towards the end of last season.
With the right sort of boss, these players can thrive. Former boss Sam Allardyce played caution first football to ensure the team stayed in the Premier League last season.
However, De Boer likes his team to play possession-based, attacking football. He is unlikely to be cautious in his approach in the Premier League. The 47-year-old who has spent the majority of his career at Ajax and Barcelona, so no doubt he will be looking to play attractive football at Selhurst Park.
This could go either way
Frank de Boer’s appointment really could turn out very well for the Eagles. However, it could also prove a disaster for the London club.
Like so many of the teams that finished between eighth and 17th place last season in the top-flight, it is hard to judge the expectations of Crystal Palace for next season.
The club hierarchy have backed previous bosses in the transfer market and that will probably continue with De Boer. The Dutchman is building from decent foundations of a team.
Palace are odds of 9/2 for relegation from the English top-flight next season. Judging by the bookmaker’s odds, they expect the Eagles to finish around the same position as last season, so the expectations will not be sky high at Selhurst Park.
The Crystal Palace hierarchy have not done too badly when it comes to appointing bosses in recent years. The club are still in the Premier League and now have the infrastructure to move forward in the future. Whether De Boer is the man to move the club forward only time will tell.
Is Frank de Boer a good choice of boss for Crystal Palace?
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