Chris Richards

Richards reads the moment to step out of the defensive line and press an attacker in midfield, choosing to close space aggressively rather than sit off and invite pressure. He wins the ball in the air against strikers built to bully smaller centre backs, using his timing rather than his physical presence. His passing out from the back matters too to Palace's build up, since he can find a midfielder through a crowded press.

The risk that comes with stepping out is the space it leaves behind him if the pass beats him or the striker spins away. A centre back who defends this aggressively occasionally gets caught upfield when the ball breaks the wrong way, leaving a partner to cover ground alone. Watch how his partnership at the back adjusts to cover for that instinct. It says plenty about how much a manager trusts the aggression over the risk.