Maxence Lacroix: Crystal Palace defender candidate for signing of the season after replacing Joachim Andersen | Football news
Maxence Lacroix was shoulder-to-shoulder with Mohammed Kudus as they chased Lucas Paqueta’s ball. Crystal Palace’s midfield was bypassed by West Ham’s fast attack. Their defense was exposed. But the race had only one winner.
After sprinting in front of Kudus, Lacroix timed his challenge perfectly, stopping West Ham’s attack with an outstretched boot and hooking the ball into the path of fellow centre-back Marco Guehi, eliminating the danger and turning defense into attack in one move.
The intervention was welcomed by the away fans at the London Stadium and highlighted the qualities that the summer signing brought to Palace. In addition to being one of the fastest central defenders in the division, Lacroix excelled one-on-one.
Kudus was only the last opponent to discover this. Data from GeniusIQ shows that Lacroix has forced a turnover in almost 70 per cent of the one-on-ones he has faced this season, a success rate 12 per cent higher than that of any other Premier League player.
The 24-year-old has been a low-key arrival but is proving to be one of the signings of the season, justifying the sale of Joachim Andersen to Fulham, a move that raised eyebrows, and is playing a significant role in Palace’s steady rise to the Premier League. League table.
Saturday’s 2-0 win over West Ham made it three wins from four Premier League games. Go back further and they lost just two of 14 with Lacroix playing every minute. It’s a far cry from the start of the campaign, when they went eight games without a win.
A deal that made financial sense for Palace – Lacroix is four years Andersen’s junior and, at £21m, cost around £9m less than his predecessor’s selling price – makes footballing sense too.
It helped, of course, that Lacroix arrived well-versed in Oliver Glasner’s methods, having played for him at his previous club Wolfsburg, where they qualified for the Champions League together. “We had a good relationship,” Lacroix said of Glasner after their reunion.
But Glasner used a back four, rather than a back three, at Wolfsburg and Lacroix also joined a side in flux, with Andersen’s departure following that of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich.
He had to adapt and since then there has been more turmoil. Chelsea recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell and Guehi continues to attract interest from the same club.
In testing circumstances, Lacroix offered stability, lining up at the heart of Glasner’s three-man defense that was initially deployed in wide positions.
His cover pace was invaluable.
Tracking data shows Lacroix clocked one of the highest top speeds in the Premier League this season at 35.81km/h, which puts him 10th out of 518 players overall and behind only Micky van de Ven and Emmanuel Agbadou among defenders .
Lacroix’s explosiveness added security for those moments like the one against Kudus, when Palace threatened from behind. But he also excelled in defending their lodge.
His total of 36 tackles puts him second only to Fulham’s Antonee Robinson this season, highlighting his ability to anticipate danger. He also ranks highly for endorsements.
His defensive qualities made the difference.
In fact, since Lacroix moved into the center of their defense at the end of October and Guehi moved to the left, Palace have one of the best defensive records in the division, conceding just 17 goals in 14 games and keeping five clean sheets. Arsenal and Liverpool are the only sides that have allowed fewer shots on goal.
Andersen made a huge contribution to Palace, of course, making 112 appearances in three years at the club. But Lacroix has shown physical and athletic progress, his speed and stature allowing him to dominate opponents.
He is also technically sound, helping Palace build at the back, combining with their midfielders and even replicating Andersen’s eye for a long pass. His 50 per cent success rate is actually higher than Andersen’s for Fulham this season.
Lacroix is an asset in the opponent’s box, just like himself. He set up Guehi’s goal with a knock-down from a corner against Everton in September and scored a stunning header himself in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in December.
He had 15 shots in total, just one less than Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and three less than Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes. He has amassed 1.58 expected goals from balls, which puts him 11th among all Premier League players this season. His dead-ball threat was also evident at Wolfsburg, where he scored four times last time out.
Glasner will be hoping for that from Lacroix when Palace host Brentford, live Sky Sports on Sunday. But he has already shown his worth. Recent evidence suggests that Brentford’s forwards, like West Ham’s, may find it difficult to get past him.
Watch Crystal Palace v Brentford live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 1pm on Sunday; start at 2 p.m
