Crystal Palace: Jean-Philippe Mateta Shows Why He Must Start Every Week

· GiveMeSport

Crystal Palace secured a 2-2 draw away at Besiktas on Thursday evening, which undoubtedly has to go down as a strong result for the Eagles.

Crystal Palace secured a 2-2 draw away at Besiktas on Thursday evening, which undoubtedly has to go down as a strong result for the Eagles.

Palace went behind in the first half as Wilfried Ndidi struck just before the break, but Palace answered shortly after half-time through Yeremi Pino.

Just moments later, Jean-Philippe Mateta fired Palace in front, but Besiktas equalised in the 73rd minute.

Although Pierre Sage will be disappointed by the fact that Palace threw away a 2-1 lead, it's difficult to complain about a draw away at Besiktas.

Going away to Turkish sides in Europe is always incredibly difficult, with their supporters often creating intimidating atmospheres.

The draw puts Palace on four points from their opening three games in the Europa League, meaning they currently sit in a playoff position.

Sage will have learnt plenty about his side from that game, and there's no doubt the Eagles need to improve after a disappointing start to the season.

One thing he will have learned is that striker Mateta needs to be a guaranteed starter for Palace going forward.

The French forward has started just one Premier League game so far this season, and that came against Everton on the opening day.

The 29-year-old wasn't named in a squad until the game against Brighton last time out, but he started against Besiktas.

Mateta scored Palace's second goal of the game with a thunderous left-footed finish from a tight angle.

Now that Mateta is back fit and ready to play, he needs to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Sage if they want to improve.

When on form, Mateta is one of the best strikers in England, and Sage needs to find a way to get him fit and firing regularly in the Premier League.

There has been previous controversy surrounding Mateta, who has been close to leaving the club on multiple occasions.

Despite that, he remains a Crystal Palace player for now, and Sage needs to fully utilise him if he wants to turn things around at Selhurst Park.

The Palace boss is under pressure to start getting results after a poor start to the campaign, and a player of Mateta's calibre could be crucial.

Whatever has happened in the past with Mateta needs to be put behind them, as he could be a key asset for Palace going forward.

There's every chance Mateta does still leave the club in 2027, but there's no point having him rotting away until then.

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