In England, Crystal Palace is going through a historic Premier League crisis this season. They have the worst xG–goal differential in the league, meaning that they are underperforming significantly on their expected goals created. The team is doing poorly. The Eagles were beaten for the third game in a row on Sunday, going down to Tottenham at Selhurst Park. With only 21 goals from an expected 29.4 xG, the team is underperforming by 8.4 goals, prompting manager Oliver Glasner to call for reinforcements in the upcoming January transfer window.
The overall deficiency in finishing quality has turned into a recurring worry for the club. With their results still going from bad to worse, the screws are tightening on Glasner to get a response. The first home match of the season, their defeat to Tottenham in which Archie Gray scored Leeds’ only goal, reinforced the urgent need for curbing practices. Following the match, Glasner reflected on the team’s situation, emphasizing that while they create chances, converting these opportunities remains a challenge.
“Unfortunately, we’re going through it at the moment. We’re creating chances, which is the most important thing. The next stage is putting the ball in the back of the net and results will change.” – Oliver Glasner
Ongoing Challenges for Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s recent form has raised eyebrows, leading to questions about potential factors behind their struggles. Despite various challenges, including injuries and international duty affecting key players like Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada, Glasner remains focused on improving the squad’s performance. He claimed that tiredness is not a contributing factor to their widespread failures today.
“I can’t blame anybody for missing the chances, but we have to accept right now that we have a little bit of a lack of finishing quality in the team.” – Oliver Glasner
The FA Cup and additional European play-ins await in the new year. This means that Crystal Palace’s schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher. The club’s management knows that attracting new talent will be key to making sure they are up to the challenge of addressing this new pressure.
That’s certainly true, the new American ownership provides considerable financial muscle. This opens up an opportunity for some shrewd signings that might help them to contention. Alan Pardew, erstwhile supervisor of Crystal Palace, instructed the board to again Glasner in his search for reinforcements.
“There’s that situation with the manager. He’s suggesting, ‘I want some more players’. His contract is out in the summer. He’s probably more important than anything else, to keep him at the club.” – Alan Pardew
Future Outlook and Potential Transfers
As Crystal Palace ready their plans for the January 2023 transfer window, speculation about potential incomings and outgoings has already begun to swirl. Relatively established key players such as Marc Guehi suddenly find their future in limbo. His contract runs out this summer and he is now able to sign a pre-contract agreement with other clubs, starting as early as January. This lack of clarity on how the federal Reserve Fund works in practice only serves to complicate Palace’s current predicament.
ULTRA Europa League finalist Oliver Glasner’s contract runs out this summer. This new reality gives the club even more urgency to finalize its strategy for the future. The more recent performance slump has intensified that pressure. As a result, he is focused on getting his players back in shape.
“It’s now really supporting the players to get this confidence back that they are able to score more goals.” – Oliver Glasner
The management team at Crystal Palace must address these challenges swiftly to ensure they do not fall further behind in their quest for Premier League success. With a mixture of new blood and the old’s restored spirit, there is optimism that they can get back on track.
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