Unveiling the Untold: Jean-Philippe Mateta's Revelations on the Rumours and His Dynamic Partnership with Odsonne Edouard

Jean-Philippe Mateta, Crystal Palace's striker, exemplifies patience and perseverance in the world of Premier League. He recently made his long-awaited return to the starting lineup after an eight-month hiatus, contributing to Crystal Palace's impressive 1-0 victory over Manchester United. Throughout the previous season, Mateta has only been given the opportunity to start on seven occasions in the highly competitive Premier League.

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Despite the limited opportunities to play, he could have chosen to leave for a new club. However, Mateta affirms, "I am a competitor. During the summer, there were clubs that expressed interest in me, but I decided to stay. I have a purpose here.

"I have had to exhibit patience. It is always disheartening to not be on the field and only be a substitute, but I am someone who puts in the effort and it is rewarding when I finally get the opportunity."

"I have always been like that, I've always had a good mental side to my game, right up until today."

Mateta's value at Selhurst Park was evident during the week the transfer window closed. He showcased his abilities with a remarkable hat-trick against Plymouth in the Carabao Cup third round and followed it up with two assists as a substitute, leading Palace to a 3-2 victory over Wolves on Super Sunday. Manager Roy Hodgson expressed his satisfaction with the decision to retain Mateta despite his desire for more playing time, stating, "That's why we kept him. He, due to his limited game time, would have been eager to explore other opportunities, but both the club and I were determined to retain him."

Upon closer examination of Mateta's performance, it becomes evident that he perfectly embodies the Palace style, particularly in his role as a forward player.

In the match against Manchester United, he exhibited a selfless demeanor by creating two crucial goal-scoring opportunities. Moreover, among all the players on the field, none held possession of the ball more frequently than the 26-year-old forward.

However, this is all part of the strategy. Palace's team excels at retaining possession, surpassing all other teams in this regard. Notably, Mateta, Odsonne Edouard, and Jordan Ayew have individual rankings of fifth or better in this particular statistic.

Is Mateta patiently waiting for his opportunity? This concept also applies to how you play.

"Merging with the team's talented midfielders is essential, so I must both run and retain possession to elevate the team," Mateta further explains.

The challenge lies in the fact that both of those players are currently sidelined due to injuries. Olise has been absent for the entire season, while Eze has recently been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Edouard may make a return this week since he was seen training. Mateta has a special bond with his fellow Frenchman, expressing, "He's an amazing person, truly great. We often engage in conversations in the locker room as we share the same background in Paris and have many mutual friends."

Could Hodgson find a solution to the setback caused by Eze's absence by pairing Edouard and Mateta as the striking tandem when Palace faces Nottingham Forest on Saturday Night Football? Mateta believes it's possible and expresses that playing alongside Edouard brings him immense satisfaction.

"It doesn't matter if I score and he assists, or he scores and I assist, everyone wins and that's for the best.

Crystal Palace

Nottingham Forest

Saturday 7th October 5:00pm

Kick off 5:30pm

Without a hint of complaint, Mateta accepts the uncertainty surrounding his opportunities. During Patrick Vieira's initial season as manager at Palace, the player only managed to grace the league football pitch for a mere hour, from August until Boxing Day. Nonetheless, Mateta persevered and made a remarkable recovery, eventually carving out a position as a dependable starter for the Eagles as the season drew to a close.

Last season, Palace experienced a resurgence under Hodgson thanks to his winning goal against Leicester in the 95th minute. If he manages to score against Forest on Saturday, it could potentially ignite a new streak of goals after spending a considerable amount of time on the bench…

Tune in to watch the live broadcast of Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest on We' Saturday Night Football this weekend starting from 5pm, with kick-off at 5.30pm.