Ian Holloway used a pretty direct style at Blackpool and has done the same at Crystal Palace. That should be a major benefit to Chamakh. He was on loan to West Ham last season but didn't have much opportunity to get in the side. With the Eagles, he'll be the main target man and major focus of the attack. Given the strength of Tottenham's defence, Chamakh might have a hard time making much of an impact.
During Brazil's tremendous run in the Confederations Cup, Paulinho displayed how good a of link he can be in midfield. With Luiz Gustavo behind him and Oscar up closer to goal, he was the perfect link between the two. At Spurs, he can be that conduit between Capoue and somebody like Gareth Bale, Moussa Dembele, Lewis Holtby or Gylfi Sigurdsson as the season goes on. Against Crystal Palace, Paulinho should have a nice welcome into the Premier League. The Eagles lack a lot of talent and strength in midfield, so the Brazilian should have an easy time threading the ball through to his teammates and may even have an effort or two on goal. PredictionThis one is gonna be Spurs, Spurs and more Spurs.
This could be a tough season for Palace fans, as the club will struggle to stay out of the relegation zone. Here's a quick preview for this Sunday's clash. When: Sunday, August 18, at 8:30 a. m. ET (13:30 BST)Where: Selhurst Park, London, EnglandWatch: NBC Sports NetworkLive Stream: NBC Sports Live ExtraCrystal Palace Player to Watch: Marouane ChamakhMarouane Chamakh is one of the biggest symbols of Arsenal's failures in the transfer market. The 29-year-old did very well for Bordeaux but was a flop at the Emirates.
Spurs will be sure to key on him. If Crystal Palace are to get anything, Chamakh will likely be the guy to make it happen. Tottenham Player to Watch: PaulinhoOn the whole, Tottenham have done very well in this summer's transfer window, perhaps the best in the Premier League. The crown jewel of the transfer purchases is Paulinho. The 25-year-old was one of the best players at the 2013 Confederations Cup as Brazil romped to a title. It's never good to base your judgment of a player off just one tournament, though. Fortunately for Spurs, Paulinho has demonstrated his skills in both the Club World Cup and Brasileirao for Corinthians. With the signing of Etienne Capoue, as confirmed by the Guardian, Paulinho should have a little more creative licence in midfield. He's not going to have to be the sole midfielder sitting in front of the back four.
Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and PreviewMichael Regan/Getty ImagesEven when he's not even playing, Gareth Bale is still dominating the headlines. With speculation over a transfer to Real Madrid continuing to run rampant, the Guardian's David Hytner reported Bale will miss the first three matches of the season as a result of him having missed most of the preseason due to injury.
So if you compare this with your other options for watching the UK’s highest-level league, Sky Sports offers the most extensive coverage, by far. As you may also know, Sky Sports has several options included in just one package. This includes Sky Sports One, Sky Sports Two, and several other channels as well. Sky Sports does broadcast games from the other leagues in English football too. This includes games from all of the other three professional leagues – The Championship, League One, and League Two.
The biggest problem for Chamakh is that while in France, he benefited from what was a more direct style of play. He received a lot of service from wide areas. At Arsenal, he had to adapt to an attacking style where the ball was played on the ground through the middle of the pitch. Now having moved to Crystal Palace for a full season, this could be a big year for Chamakh, at least big by the standards he set at Arsenal.
As an added bonus, Sky Sports does broadcast plenty of games from La Liga, the Carabao Cup, and the EFL Trophy as well. So compared to BT Sport, for example, Sky Sports is probably the best option in terms of overall coverage of UK football matches. As for the price, there are quite a few price levels that you could explore. At the moment, Sky Sports has a deal of £30 for 18 months for their football package.
That means the winger will miss the opener against Crystal Palace, a Europa League fixture against Dinamo Tbilisi and the critical North London Derby. Even without Bale, Tottenham should be able to get by just fine. They've had a great summer and recently confirmed the purchase of Etienne Capoue (h/t Tottenham's Instagram account). Meanwhile, Crystal Palace's biggest signing of the summer has been Marouane Chamakh. Palace have been hit hard by Wilfried Zaha finally moving to Manchester United. The winger was a huge part of the Eagles' promotional campaign. Without him, they lack a creative presence in the attack who can get his teammates involved.