Crystal Palace fans might be wondering how it has come to this. Three months into their 12th successive season as a Premier League club, Saturday’s starting XI against Fulham included a 21-year-old academy midfielder making his first-team debut for Palace, and a centre-back playing in midfield.
Justin Devenny, whose only prior senior experience had come in the Scottish third tier, is talented but his inclusion was primarily out of necessity, rather than a reward for his promising performances in training or for the under-21s, and while Marc Guehi played competently as a defensive midfielder in Palace’s 5-0 win over Aston Villa on the final day of last season, he is otherwise unfamiliar with the No 6 role.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Palace’s midfield got played around and through during Fulham’s 2-0 win at Selhurst Park. Though Guehi and Devenny did not make any specific mistakes — other individuals were far more responsible for this defeat than either of those two — the midfield did not work and it was never likely to do so, even when Jeffrey Schlupp replaced Devenny during the second half.
Manager Oliver Glasner, who has by choice limited his outfield squad to only 20 senior players, still has not found the “solutions” he consistently says are required. There is responsibility on individual players — in this case, Maxence Lacroix for passing straight to Emile Smith Rowe on the cusp of half-time which led to Fulham’s opening goal, but take your pick from several who have made similar errors this season. Most of all, this season’s plight highlights a failure in recruitment.
There is misfortune in Palace’s significant injury crisis. Cheick Doucoure is still recovering from a toe problem sustained against Leicester in September and was fit enough only for the substitutes’ bench here. Jefferson Lerma and Eberechi Eze are out with hamstring injuries, Adam Wharton recently had surgery to fix his groin problem and Will Hughes was suspended against Fulham after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in last week’s 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Hughes, an important option under Glasner, must be more disciplined.
Injuries are to be expected across a season. It is not unusual, particularly with the gruelling schedule and many international players in squads, for teams to be without a handful of their first-choice XI. Palace drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest in March on a day when they had an incredibly weak bench, while options were also sparse during last September’s goalless draw at home to Fulham. On two of these three occasions, Palace named two goalkeepers among their nine substitutes.
That is why not increasing the size of the squad was an error. Yet, Glasner said he had no regrets over that decision.
“Our new signings were not in a football rhythm and we could have done better,” he said, complaining again — albeit not unreasonably — about four new arrivals coming in very late in the transfer window.
“This is maybe a collateral damage that you have to suffer during a season. Two, three or four, you can deal with (but) then with three extraordinary injuries we didn’t expect, and we couldn’t expect, it takes so long (for them to recover.) That is how it is, but we still have 14 players available,” he added.
What Glasner said about his players not having a pre-season together is accurate, but continuing to mention it as the season progresses into its fourth month risks it becoming an excuse rather than an explanation.
The manager believes the primary cause for the injuries is a lack of pre-season for those international players who played in tournaments this summer, but that was something Palace should have considered when doing their recruiting. Glasner, however, described the injuries as unexpected.
He has not been dealt the best hand, but it was his decision to limit the size of the squad, and it was he who signed Daichi Kamada, a Japan international midfielder who has so far failed to adapt to the Premier League since his arrival from Italy’s Serie A. Kamada is now suspended for three games after a high challenge on Kenny Tete earned him a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men for the final 20 minutes or so when they were, at that point, just a goal down.
Arguably, it is the make-up of the squad that is the main problem. Half of the 20 players in it are defenders, including Joel Ward and Rob Holding, who are out of favour and unlikely to play. In midfield, Schlupp is not a player to especially worry opponents and, at best, newcomers Ismaila Sarr, Eddie Nketiah and Kamada have shown just glimpses of promise as No 10s. The attacking depth is insufficient and the caveat that players take time to settle at a new club — although that is not something Palace can afford — is not good enough.
The argument that it would be a waste of an academy if youngsters coming through at the club were not given a chance has merit, but introducing 19-year-old Asher Agbinone and Caleb Kporha, 18, late in the Fulham game was out of desperation. A balance is required.
Glasner said Devenny would have been better if supported by more experience alongside him, but did not believe the midfield selection was the reason for Saturday’s defeat.
Even with a fully-fit squad, Palace do not have sufficient quality. When their most important players are absent, it becomes even more stark. Glasner is right to say that they are being undone by individual mistakes, but that may, in part, be a result of the pressure on the defence because the forwards are struggling.
The failings are collective, but this is not the first time Palace have put a manager in a position where he has one hand tied behind his back. The inability to learn from previous situations is the ultimate failing.
(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
