Freedman's selection gamble pays off

DOUGIE Freedman claimed he wasn't going to risk selecting any players who weren’t 100% fit for last night's tense and hard-earned Carling Cup semi-final victory over Cardiff.

But the Scot hypocritically admitted he took a gamble on captain Paddy McCarthy and Mile Jedinak after asking the pair if “they were prepared to put their body on the line for the club.”

While McCarthy's response was unsurprisingly yes, Jedinak's decision to play couldn't have been a better one for the Eagles.

The Australian midfielder showed why the Selhurst boss had spoken so highly of the 27-year-old when he signed him in the summer.

Freedman couldn't believe he had acquired the services of such a player in July but said it would be some time until the fans saw him shine.

Well, last night was that time - the way he controlled the midfield was extremely impressive.

The free passing style of Cardiff's midfield is no easy task to break up but Jedinak, who must have touched the ball with his head just as many times as with his feet, controlled the midfield effortlessly.

While Cardiff piled on the pressure to grab an equaliser late on after Anthony Gardner's header, assisted by a flick on from Jedinak, had given Palace the lead Julian Speroni wasn’t truly tested thanks to the efforts of Jedinak as well as the help of McCarthy and Gardner.

Anything that did get through didn't trouble the Argentine, who was making his first start in the Carling Cup this season, which admittedly was slightly harsh on Lewis Price.

It was clear from Freedman's selection the game plan was to match Cardiff in the height department and use the threat of Darren Ambrose and Wilfried Zaha on the wings, often solely relying on Zaha to break from defensive corners when every Palace player was in the penalty area.

Both Ambrose and Zaha were quiet last night and tamed well by Cardiff but the Welsh side let themselves down in an area you would expect them to be experts in - defending set pieces.

Their inability to defend corners and free-kicks was shocking at times, especially considering their manager Malky Mackay is a former centre-half.

But Freedman, a former striker of course, got his defensive tactics spot on and the inclusion of Peter Ramage, whose only advantage over Nathaniel Clyne lies in his ability to win the ball in the air and certainly not in advancing beyond the halfway line, was justified.

However, applying similar tactics in the return leg in Cardiff will be far too risky, especially given they have only failed to score at home on one occasion all season.

Freedman won't need telling that the job is no way near half done at the minute and if you thought Tuesday night was tense, wait until the second leg.

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