FYP's Tom Hughes takes a look at Palace's options in the middle of the park...

Finally, after a long time of not fielding enough substitutes or inadequate loan signings, Dougie Freedman has something approaching a selection headache in the centre of midfield. It’s a good problem to have.

Of course, some of Palace’s midfield players fit into the negative categories of being inexperienced teenagers or injured. In fact, Jonathan Williams ticks both of these boxes. He must have done a lot of revision for his GCSEs while recovering from that broken leg.

To say I’m overexcited about the prospect of Williams as the focal point of our midfield is an understatement, I’d go as far as to say someone with his natural ability and pace is exactly what Palace have been missing during the past few months. He can be the first and fastest player up the pitch to collect Murray’s knock-downs or he can run with the ball at defences rather than always diverting the ball to the wings. At the start of the season exasperated opponents lunged and hacked at the starlet repeatedly as their first means of stopping his jinking, lightning-quick dribbling. He offers the team another outlet rather than Wilfried Zaha’s tricks and turns, which inevitably only go so far when defences double and triple up on the winger.

Admittedly, it’s unlikely Williams will return soon, start every game, and push us on to promotion. But with the type of patience and encouragement afforded to players like Zaha and Nathaniel Clyne he could go on to be a big asset, and when he returns to full fitness it will be a huge boost to the side.

Putting my excited gushing for the injured young Welshman aside for a moment, the fit and healthy players available for selection in the centre of the pitch show the reassuring growth of the squad under Freedman. While not being the most gifted creative geniuses, any combination of Australian International Mile Jedinak, the unpronounceable Kagisho “KG” Dikgacoi and surprisingly heroic David Wright make for a great buffer in front of the back four.

Stuart O’Keefe is of a similar battling mould, but seemingly a bit more of a box-to-box midfielder than simply cover for the defence. He shone against Manchester United, and since has been used sparingly including a very solid sixty minutes against Leicester. Sorry to briefly go back to Mr. Williams, but the idea of him partnering O’Keefe in a Palace starting XI makes me feel like we’d be absolutely invincible. Or, the team would at least be explosive and exciting through the centre rather than merely strong and combative.

While I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard the Selhurst crowd as frustrated with a player as Jedinak, undoubtedly in my mind he is finally settling in. He seems to win more headers than anybody else, runs himself ragged, and only incurs supporters’ wrath with his truly unpredictable passing.

Frankly, his ambitious efforts are usually wasteful and inappropriate when something simple would be best. Sometimes it’s possible to see the thought “It’s all up to me” going through the Australian’s mind as the Eagles start a counter-attack, before lofting a forty yard cross-field lob straight off for a goal kick. Well, if simple passing is what you want, then the next midfield option is the ideal remedy.

Owen Garvan has a comfortable air about him, playing sensible and calm passes, as well as keeping a cool head from the penalty spot. Quite often I find myself arguing for Garvan over Darren Ambrose for most set pieces including corners (apart from ridiculous long range free kicks), and admire the Irishman’s vision and technique. He can shoot with both feet and doesn’t shy away from an effort on goal, something that the more defensive midfielders in the team could take heed of. Ambrose is another obvious central midfield option, when it finally becomes clear to the management that he doesn’t have the pace to play on the flank.

Alex Marrow’s recent (astoundingly fast) return from injury has added another player to the mix, however Preston North-End will be charged with keeping him injury-free for the rest of the season and hopefully reinstating him to a potential first team challenger.

I haven’t even begun to focus on some of the other young players coming through the academy, including those that played so valiantly against Blackpool for 85 minutes (back when we still thought the Carling Cup was important) or against Derby in the FA Cup. There is also Andy Dorman on loan at Bristol Rovers to consider, but moving swiftly on...

This season with Zaha used so repeatedly as an outlet on the wings it has emerged that one of the team’s key weaknesses has been the core of midfield’s lack of ingenuity, unable to provide a moment of inspiration or a ‘Plan B’. The same could be said for Zaha’s opposite wing, but that’s for a different article.

Clearly, Freedman now possesses a certain amount of central depth and variety, from a large bulk of powerhouses to a smaller group of intelligent passers. So with all of these options on hand, surely only a bit of tinkering is needed before the right combination between defensive solidarity and attacking flair is discovered. O’Keefe and Jedinak? KG and Ambrose? Wright and Garvan? Maybe we won’t even play two defensive central midfielders at home one of these days, without Freedman feeling as if he’s turned into a high-stakes gambling man with kamikaze ancestry. Whatever the ideal combination of players is, the assortment of midfield options and potential tactical approaches are refreshing. Well, they especially will be when Joniesta returns and lives up to my naively high expectations.

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