Alan Pardew blamed a lack of quality and missed opportunities for Crystal Palace's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth on Tuesday night, just a day after the January transfer window closed.
Scott Dann opened the scoring for the Eagles, and things started to look positive following a poor run that had seen Palace lose four consecutive league games. However, Marc Pugh and Benik Afobe scored to inflict yet another defeat.
Palace missed chances which would have been hitting the back of the net only three months ago. Some players were taking too long to shoot and not taking as many risks in the final third as they were earlier in the season. Dann's first-half goal was the first time a Palace player had scored in the league since mid-December.
Injuries have also had a negative impact on the squad. Yannick Bolasie, Connor Wickham, Dwight Gayle, Marouane Chamakh and Bakary Sako have all suffered with long-term injuries in recent months. Yohan Cabaye, James McArthur and Jason Puncheon could all be added to the list if their recent injuries turn out to be worse than first feared.
Palace now need to rely on Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor was Pardew's only signing in the January transfer window. Despite having not played regular football for over a year, he appears to be the man who Pardew has chosen to rely on for goals and to make a positive impact on a confidence-stricken side.
It is almost a staggering 40 hours of football since a Palace striker scored a Premier League goal from open play. During this time, the likes of Gayle, Wickham and Fraizer Campbell have all led the line, but none are yet to show any sign that they have the potential to score regularly.
At the start of the season, Pardew claimed that his ambition was to be competing with the likes of Tottenham and Everton, however both of these clubs have regular goalscorers who are key to how the team perform. Palace are yet to find a true goalscorer and are suffering as a result.
The strikers cannot solely be blamed for Palace's poor recent form, though. The Eagles needed several reinforcements in many positions; including a centre-back, an attack-minded midfielder and another striker along with Adebayor. Players were targeted for each of these positions and big transfer fees were linked with the likes of Khouma Babacar, Loic Remy and Jonjo Shelvey, but nothing materialised.
This is not a case of Palace not being able to attract players who meet their needs. A club that has huge ambitions to become a top quality Premier League club with ever-improving facilities, including a redevelopment of Selhurst Park following a new multi-million pound investment, should be able to attract suitable talent.
The Financial Fair Play scheme is an obvious barrier for clubs in a similar situation to Palace, and there were reports that players would have to leave before players would be signed. However, interest in players such as Gayle, Campbell and Adrian Mariappa did not result in departures which would have made funds available.
Palace were naïve if they thought the current squad had the required depth to consistently challenge the Premier League's top eight this season. The club desperately needs someone to give the team a morale boost, but it's now going to have to come from someone within the current playing squad, which looks unlikely given the seeming lack of confidence on show against Bournemouth.
Palace could learn from Bournemouth
Eddie Howe's side deserved their victory at Selhurst. No side, particularly at home, should finish a game claiming they did not deserve to drop points if they miss as many clear-cut chances as Palace did. Howe deserves huge credit for the job he has done at Bournemouth. His recent spending has come under criticism but he noticed weaknesses in his squad, identified replacements and ultimately improved his squad.
The Cherries now find themselves just three points behind Palace in the Premier League table, and their fans who travelled up from the South Coast celebrated the victory with chants of 'we are staying up', suggesting they had previously feared relegation.
It would be a dramatic overreaction for anyone to claim Palace have dug themselves into a relegation battle. Most clubs have a poor period of form in each season, although as it stands, only Aston Villa are almost certain to drop into the Championship. Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland and Bournemouth improved their squad in January, while Swansea and Chelsea look improved under new management. If Palace fail to improve their form over the next month, they could easily find themselves lingering dangerously above the relegation zone.
Palace are just nine points away from the desired 40 points that are seen as the milestone for a club wanting to stay clear of relegation. Three wins is all it will take to be sure of safety, although it is difficult to see where those three wins are going to come from.
The lack of judgement displayed by Palace last month could prove very costly if they struggle to find the form that saw them reach as high as the Europa League places earlier in the season. Pardew must now find a Plan B in order to turn the fortunes of his side around and make up for an underwhelming transfer window.