Maxence Lacroix was shoulder-to-shoulder with Mohamed Qudus as they chased down Lucas Paqueta’s through ball. But the race had only one winner.
After sprinting ahead of Kudus, Lacroix calculated his challenge perfectly, stopping West Ham’s charge with the outstretched boot and slotting the ball into the path of centre-back Marc Guehi, clearing the danger and turning defense into attack in one movement.
The intervention was cheered by the away fans at the London Stadium and highlighted the qualities that the summer signing has brought to Palace.As well as being one of the quickest centre-backs in the division, he has been excellent in one-on-one play.
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Kudus was just the latest opponent to figure it out GeniusIQ: shows Lacroix has forced turnovers from almost 70 per cent of tackles this season, 12 per cent higher than any other Premier League player.
Lacroix forced 69.4 percent of the turnovers he faced.
The 24-year-old has been on the low side but he is proving one of the signings of the season, justifying the sale of Joachim Andersen to Fulham, a move that raised eyebrows and played a significant role in Palace’s steady rise up the league table.
Saturday’s 2-0 win over West Ham made it three wins from four Premier League games, and they have only lost two in 14. That’s a long way from the start of the campaign. when they went eight games without a win.
The deal that made financial sense for Palace. Lacroix is four years younger than Andersen and at £21m would cost around £9m less than his predecessor’s selling price, making sense in footballing terms as well.
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Watch highlights from Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win at West Ham
It helped, of course, that Lacroix became familiar with Oliver Glassner’s methods, having played for him at his previous club Wolfsburg, where they qualified for the Champions League together. “We had a good bond,” Lacroix said of Glassner after their reunion.
But Glassner used a back four rather than a back three at Wolfsburg, with Lacroix also joining the team in a state of flux, with Andersen’s departure following Michael Ulis’ exit to Bayern.
He has had to adapt and there has been more upheaval since Trevo Chalobah was recalled on loan by Chelsea and Guehi continues to attract interest from the same club.
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Watch Lacroix’s best moments for previous club Wolfsburg
In testing circumstances, Lacroix offered stability, establishing himself at the heart of Glassner’s three-man defence, initially being used in wide positions.
The pace of his coverage has been invaluable.
Tracking data shows that Lacroix has recorded one of the fastest speeds in the Premier League this season at 35.81km/h, which ranks him 10th out of a total of 518 players, behind only Miki van de Ven and Emmanuel Emmanuel among centre-backs. Agbadouin.
Lacroix’s explosiveness has added security for moments like the one against Kudus when the backcourt is threatened, but he’s also excelled in defending the box.
Lacroix has the second most interceptions in the Premier League
His total of 36 interceptions is second only to Fulham’s Anthony Robinson this season, highlighting his ability to anticipate danger.He also ranks highly for clearances.
His defensive qualities have made a difference.
In fact, since Lacroix moved to the center of their defense at the end of October, Guehy 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 to have conceded fewer shots on target.
Palace’s strong defensive numbers since Lacroix moved into the middle of their back three
Andersen made a huge contribution to Palace, making 112 appearances in three years at the club, but Lacroix has proven to be physically and athletically refined, his speed and height allowing him to dominate opponents.
He’s also technically sound, helping Palace build from the back, linking up with midfield and even repeating Andersen’s eye with a long pass.His 50% success rate is actually higher than Andersen’s this season at Fulham.
Lacroix is active in the opposition as well as his own, scoring for Guehi from a corner against Everton in September and in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in December.
He has taken 15 shots in total, just one fewer than Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and three fewer than Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes.He has an expected goals average of 1.58, 11th among all Premier League players this season. His dead-ball threat was also evident at Wolfsburg, where he scored four times last season.
Glassner will be hoping for the same 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 plan an exit from him.
Watch Crystal Palace v Brentford live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 1pm on Sunday, kick-off at 2pm
