With his self-belief growing, his conversion rate of 38.1 per cent under his current manager makes him one of the Premier League’s most lethal marksmen on current form.Mateta adds value to the Palace side with his aerial threat in general play, but just one of his 11 Premier League goals this season has been from a header.
His sharpness on the ground is improving quickly under the new manager, as displayed when his clever one-two with Jordan Ayew opened space for him to score against Newcastle.Burnley took a big step forward in their bid for safety with last weekend’s 4-1 win over Sheffield United, and the man at the heart of the victory has justified the faith put in him by his manager.
It has been a rollercoaster few weeks for goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
Promoted to the starting XI last month in place of summer signing James Trafford, he enjoyed a positive start, with a 2-1 win against Brentford and then draws against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But at Everton Muric made a costly mistake, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to close him down and deflect his clearance into the net for the only goal in a relegation six-pointer.
It then got worse in the following match against Brighton & Hove Albion as Muric let a backpass roll under his foot for a late equaliser.Yet his boss, Vincent Kompany, stuck with the goalkeeper for the trip to Sheff Utd.
When asked after the victory over the Blades if he had a difficult decision to make over who started in goal, Kompany said: “No, it’s not a difficult position at all.
“I’ve had this type of season with my players where I’ve had to back them, otherwise you end up with no players left on the pitch. You have to back them and you have to support them.