Jean-Philippe Mateta faces Everton, live on Sky Sports on Saturday, having reached double figures for Premier League goals this season with his brace in Crystal Palace’s win over Manchester United. The striker continues to flourish under Oliver Glasner.
Since the Austrian’s first game in charge last February, a 3-0 win over Burnley in which Mateta hit Palace’s third from the penalty spot, the 27-year-old has scored 23 times in 37 outings, putting him only two behind Mohamed Salah in the same timeframe and fifth overall.
His total has him in distinguished company, a long way ahead of more celebrated names such as Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo. It is quite a turnaround for a player who only scored 11 times in 80 games for Palace before Glasner’s arrival.
It helps, of course, that he is finally playing regularly.
Mateta, a £9m signing from German club Mainz in 2022 following a period on loan, was mostly used as a substitute initially, only winning a starting spot late in Roy Hodgson’s second spell in charge. Under Glasner, he has started 35 Premier League games out of 37.
But Glasner has made changes to Mateta’s role as well as his playing time, helping to maximise the striker’s output, conversely, by narrowing his remit on the pitch.
As per his heat maps, a player who previously drifted into wide areas to combine with Palace’s wingers is now much more focused on central zones, where he can be more dangerous. “He is amazing in the box,” said Glasner after the win over Manchester United.
Mateta compared before and since Oliver Glasner’s appointment
Mateta is having to cover less ground, helping him to conserve energy. And despite averaging fewer touches, he is having an almost identical number of shots as he was under Glasner’s predecessors. The difference there is that they are coming from better positions.
According to Opta, he is getting three times as many big chances per 90 minutes. His shots are worth an average of 0.24 expected goals, up from 0.14 previously. His shot maps show fewer angled efforts and a higher concentration from the centre of the box.
Mateta is now having higher-value shots, according to xG
It follows, then, that he is converting a far higher percentage of them. But the improvement is down to better service as well as better positioning. Glasner’s preference for a back three has helped on that front, allowing him to reconfigure his attack around Mateta.
There is little need for Mateta to pull to the flanks when Glasner has wing-backs Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell occupying those areas.
That pair have in turn allowed Palace’s wide forwards, one of whom is now Eberechi Eze, who previously played in central midfield, to move inside and operate in closer proximity to Mateta.
Mateta has more attacking support under Oliver Glasner
Eze is Mateta’s top provider. The 26-year-old has set up seven Premier League goals for him since Glasner’s appointment. But Mateta also receives regular service from Munoz and Mitchell, with the former laying on the second of his two goals at Old Trafford.
Glasner has highlighted the importance of his off-the-ball runs too. GeniusIQ tracking data has Mateta fourth in the Premier League for runs challenging the opposition’s backline this season.
Only three players have made more runs challenging the opposition’s backline
Those runs are only partly about putting himself in scoring positions. They also require selflessness. “He makes so many runs where he doesn’t get the ball,” as Glasner put it recently. Often, the intention is simply to create space for team-mates by stretching opponents.
In spite of it all, Mateta continues to go largely unheralded outside of Palace. Maybe it is because he is viewed as “old-fashioned” in style, to quote Thierry Henry, his coach at last year’s Olympic Games, where he scored five goals for silver-medallists France.
At 6ft 3ins, strong in the air and excellent at holding the ball up, Mateta certainly has the qualities of a traditional target man. The tucked-in shirt adds to that aesthetic.
Saturday 15th February 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
But he has become plenty more besides. It is worth noting that only three of his 34 Premier League goals have come with his head. Nine have come with his weaker left foot. He also has a penchant for flicked, backheeled finishes.
One of his best weaker-foot efforts came in sublime style against Ipswich in December, when he lifted a deft finish over goalkeeper Arijanet Muric after leaving defender Jacob Greaves on his backside with a fleet-footed stepover and a burst of acceleration.
There was a further example of his all-round development in the recent win over West Ham, when, in similar circumstances to the Ipswich goal, having latched onto a ball in behind, Mateta elected to take his shot early, finding the bottom corner from outside the box.
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Mateta scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Man Utd
Mateta started the season relatively slowly after his exertions at the Olympics. But that dip served to highlight another of his strengths: his mentality. “I benched him two or three times but he always stayed positive,” recalled Glasner last month. “He was always a good guy and kept working hard.”
His contribution at Old Trafford was just the latest example of his knack for scoring crucial goals. In fact, since Glasner’s appointment, Mateta’s goals have been worth 14 points to Palace.
Continue in the same way and, belatedly, Mateta may soon start to attract the acclaim his performances deserve.
Watch Crystal Palace vs Everton live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm
