A tough fixture for Oliver Glasner saw his Crystal Palace side succumb to a 2-0 loss against Fulham where they never seemed to find a way to control the game. It’s their first defeat in four matches after goals from Emile Smith-Rowe and Harry Wilson sunk the Eagles, with Daichi Kamada getting himself sent off in what was a disappointing afternoon for the side.
The Eagles failed to show any domination throughout the match, and that was evident in Glasner’s comments after the match. The usual fight that his team usually showed had disappeared, with a strong Fulham side outclassing them on all fronts to keep them firmly in the relegation conversation for now
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Lack of fight
A major part of this Crystal Palace side is their ability to remain defensively strong even whilst letting in lots of chances, but this loss continues to bring up errors all over the pitch. Whilst defensively they struggled in this match, the attack hasn’t been functioning to the level it was towards the end of last season.
Some defensive luck did aid Fulham early on, with a goal line clearance preventing Palace from taking the lead, but all in all they just weren’t clinical yet again. Fulham punished them this time where other sides didn’t.
Glasner commented on this, saying “We made too many mistakes. We didn’t take situations. It’s the first game this season where we deserved to lose.”
It’s a tough admission to make, but it’s also highlighting the importance of taking your chances. Crystal Palace have had a rather tough start to the season, but this was arguably the first match that saw their game plan falter. They failed to convert and failed to defend yet again, but it was a poor performance all around that decided this game.
Yet again, Palace let their opponents control the game, taking only 35% possession, but they also had 13 shots with 5 on target. The chances were there, and perhaps if they had converted that early chance, Oliver Glasner would be talking about something different.
This negative talk post match isn’t something to bring anyone’s hopes up, and it could be argued that it’s the players right now that are letting the manager down. It’s a difficult situation for all parties involved but the results must start to pick up sooner or later.
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Baptism of fire
Selhurst Park isn’t exactly the type of stadium to put fear into the hearts of young debutants, but it still wasn’t the most ideal debut for Justin Devenny. Some fresh legs and a fresh perspective in a midfield featuring himself and Marc Guehi, but that makeshift midfield could be highlighted as a reason behind his side’s struggle.
Glasner was quick to protect his player, saying about his player that “He was okay. It was a difficult game because you can’t expect a debutant to lead his team in midfield”.
It wasn’t a particularly bad performance from the youngster, but more had to be done from the players around him to make the match easier to get into. A Premier League debut is never easy, but there have certainly been easier times to start your career with a club. Devenny will have better days with Crystal Palace, there is no need to jump to any conclusions about his ability just yet. Time will tell on that one.
Nonetheless it was a difficult performance to watch from a Palace perspective, a result that puts them only a point above the relegation zone after Wolves’ win over Southampton, and in a similar situation that Roy Hodgson found himself in.
Words of guilt might not save Glasner’s job, but it’s an honest reflection of how a club with such high hopes have fallen back to reality.
