Stan Collymore explains how Alan Pardew can revitalise Crystal Palace star

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Yohan Cabaye is a shadow of the player that lit up the league with Newcastle, but Collymore reckons he has the solution.

Stan Collymore has written in his column for Boyle Sports that Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew needs to take inspiration from Claudio Ranieri at Leicester in order to get the best out of Yohan Cabaye.

The pressure continues to mount upon the 55-year-old after Palace threw away a lead to lose in extraordinary circumstances in Saturday’s nine-goal thriller against Swansea City, meaning The Eagles have now picked up a grand total of zero points from their last six league fixtures.

As a result, Palace are firmly mired in a relegation battle alongside expected strugglers such as Sunderland and Hull City, despite possessing a selection of players the league’s bottom clubs could only dream of.

However, while summer signings Christian Benteke and Andros Townsend have showcased only glimpses of their quality so far, playmaker Cabaye has been in and out of the starting XI this season as Pardew struggles to coax quality performances out of a player who impressed so consistently during their time together at Newcastle United.

And Collymore believes Pardew needs to hand his most technically gifted player a role free from defensive responsibilities, using inspiration from how Ranieri transformed Riyad Mahrez into a title-winning PFA Player of the Year.

“What’s Alan Pardew’s style? Pure football? Nope. Lots of long balls? Sometimes. I’ve watched all of his teams and I can’t honestly put my finger on what his methodology is,” Collymore wrote for Boyle Sports.

“If I were Alan I’d go the Ranieri route. 4-4-2, hardworking players committed to the cause, with room for a Cabaye like Leicester have room for a Mahrez.

“I think his personality and experience would suit this kind of team too as he’s an easy personality to follow and trust.”

The France international has often played a more conservative role at Selhurst Park, charged with breaking up play and distributing possession reliably rather than scoring and creating in the playmaking role that made him one of the league’s best midfielders at Newcastle.

Cabaye scored or assisted 33 goals in just 79 appearances in his first spell in English football, but that tally has dropped to just 7 in 44 since returning with Palace.