ROY Hodgson says the key to keeping Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin quiet tomorrow is for Crystal Palace to work hard and perform even better than the Toffees.
The in-form England striker has impressed for Sean Dyche’s side this season and appears back to his best following a two-year injury nightmare.
Even during that period of stop-start recoveries, Calvert-Lewin managed to score twice against the Eagles and has five career goals in total from meetings with Palace.
Hodgson is a big fan of the forward, but believes his defence are more than capable of shutting out Everton’s main goal threat when the two clubs meet this weekend at Selhurst Park.
The SE25 manager said: “They are the old questions about how do you negate the opposing team’s best player.
“You work hard to do it, basically, unless you are suggesting we are going to put two men on him and never leave him from the moment the ball is kicked off, which not many teams would agree is the right thing to do.
“How are we going to negate him? We are going to play well, we hope.
“We are going to be very strong defensively like we’ve been in at least five of our games this year where we’ve not conceded a goal. We are going to respect him because he is a very, very good player.
“I think he has done exceptionally well since he has come back in.”
Palace have a few quality attacking options of their own, with star men Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise both expected to feature tomorrow.
Hodgson said: “I’m pretty sure Sean Dyche will be saying the same about him as I am mentioning with regard to Eze and Olise – that when you have players of that quality they make one hell of a difference to your team because they pose a threat that, when they are not playing, is hard for you to reproduce.
“Because those type of quality players don’t grow on trees and they are not always available for teams like ourselves because of the enormous price they cost, or the value that they have in the transfer market.
“It is not just Calvert-Lewin. It was very simple (to say) Everton were a very poor side except for one player.
“Then things would be a lot easier. He is one good player amongst many and he is a player that all teams, we certainly included, would have to fear because he is capable of scoring the goal which could win them the game.”
Palace fans were given a big boost going into the Everton game when it was confirmed this lunchtime Eze has followed in the footsteps of Sam Johnstone and Jordan Ayew by penning a contract extension.
The new deal keeps the England international in south-east London until 2027 and former national boss Hodgson says it is testament to Palace that such a talent wants to stick around.
He said: “I’m delighted for the club and pleased for Eberechi as well because he has done so well in the three years he has been with us and it is great to know he has pledged his future to the club.
“I think that says a lot really about his confidence in where the football club is going and what he can achieve here because his ambition is to establish himself in the English national team.
“He obviously believes by signing this new contract that we can get him there where he wants to be.
“For us having him on the field every week is a major boost because of the threat he poses to the opposition.”
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