Johnson: We’ll take the game to Chelsea
Brennan Johnson says that, with the full force of Selhurst Park behind them, Crystal Palace will show no fear against Chelsea in this afternoon’s London derby.
The Eagles’ recent arrival made his home debut as a Palace player last time out in SE25 – a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa two-and-a-half weeks ago – and almost capped the occasion with an early goal, but for a fine save by goalkeeper Emi Martínez.
But with Palace looking to turn their recent form around, and bolstered by the returns of Daniel Muñoz and Ismaïla Sarr, Johnson believes his new team can go one better against sixth-placed Chelsea.
“I expect a tough game,” Johnson said. “I think Chelsea, of course, have some great players in their squad. It's always going to be tough because when you have that much star quality in the team, people can create chances out of nowhere.
“But we want to take the game to them, especially with the home atmosphere. We want to really show a good side of ourselves. We have a couple of players returning to the squad, which is always welcome, and we're all really excited for this game.
“We're really excited for everyone to come back. I haven't played with any of the lads who have been injured yet, so for me, it feels like I'm going to be playing with even more quality players, because the squad's got a lot of quality already. I’m excited to play with them and have a go [at Chelsea].
“I'm also excited to go back to Selhurst Park because my first game was great and the crowd were unbelievable. Hopefully we can get the result we want.”
We know that with a good few results, we can get ourselves back up there
—Brennan Johnson
Palace have endured a testing winter on the pitch, and are winless in 10 matches in all competitions, which has seen the Eagles slip down to 15th in the table ahead of Sunday’s match.
But the tightness of the table means that Palace remain just five points off the top half of the table and – remarkably – just eight outside of the top four. With 16 games to go and plenty left to play for, Johnson espies opportunity.
He recalled: “I remember watching Palace’s game against Fulham and they were so high up on the table. But it is just how the Premier League is. It shows how fast things can change, and especially if you have a tough couple of results, you can find yourself falling a little bit.
“But at the same time, we know that with a good few results, we can get ourselves back up there. It’s good that we're still in that group of teams who can really push on, and we all want to try and get towards the European spots.
“And in the Conference League, it’s a really big opportunity. I think this squad's got more than enough to win that competition, but it's just about how we deal with the games. It's a different style of opponent. For me, that's what I'm really excited for, because I've got confidence in them.”
Johnson’s arrival has seen him don the Palace No. 11 shirt most iconically associated with legendary winger Wilfried Zaha, but the 24-year-old sees it as an exciting mantle to take on.
He smiled: “I think players like Wilf showed what this club's about. I think his attacking play, and flair, and the entertainment [he provided] is definitely something that I've got so much respect for him for.
“Obviously, we're different players, but we both want to affect the game in the final third. The No. 11 shirt was definitely something that I was interested in, because I want to have the same impact as he's had, and I want to be able to do my thing as well.
"Massive respect to him, but obviously I want to try and carry that success on.”
Match Details
Crystal Palace v Chelsea
- Sunday, 25th January
- 14:00 GMT
- Premier League
- Selhurst Park
- Live audio commentary on Palace TV+