Pardew prepared to tinker with Crystal Palace back four

Alan Pardew has warned his defenders he may heavily rotate his team selections this season as he looks too sure up their leaky backline.

The Eagles sit 16th in the Premier League table, just a point above the drop zone, after a poor run of form which has seen them lose to Leicester, Liverpool, West Ham and Burnley – conceding three or more goals in three of those matches.

Pardew has experimented with his defence this season due to loss of form and injuries, and says he may not have a first-choice back four just yet.

And instead he admits he will weigh up his options before every game and pick certain players based on the opposition they are facing.

“I’m not so sure, particularly with the centre-halves this season, whether I need to choose centre-halves which suit the opposition,” he said.

“I think that might be the way I go forward, because we have a different type of options there and I have done that before and it’s worked well for me.

“That is something I might lean on. In terms of the balance of the back four, I think that is important that we look at that and get it right between defending and attacking.”