Crystal Palace (N) | FA Cup Final | Post Match Thread

[GX Blue]

When a team has no intention to attack, Pep has do do better.

When Arsenal had 10 men v us this season, Dias was the spare man and had the ball in space outside the box so much. He didn’t do anything with it and Arsenal were happy.

Same today, Akanji was often the spare man. He can’t overlap, he can’t put good crosses in so Pep has to take a risk and put someone in his place with crossing ability or some sort of attacking threat.

Foden would have been better off playing full back for 10 min instead of Akanji as him and Savinho would have been more effective in getting the equaliser.

 

[big gaz]

Shit again.
Wingers don’t fit the style of play at all. Kevin, I love you, but you’re past it. We can’t score goals at all. Just a dreary performance overall. Only good thing was Echeverri.

?

 

[SWPISHOME]

I don't give a fuck mate, the players don't.

I'm the same.

I've said for ages today's game is the biggest of the season for me because it's a trophy and trophies are hard to come by...

Finishing between 2nd and 5th can kiss my bollocks.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

100% agree with every word, bar a few.
But, we can still be gracious mate.
We're not rags.

I think some do it as some sort of defence mechanism. Like if they say congrats to the opposition, it makes the defeat hurt a little less. Like I said, if Palace had played well and not had a diabolical decision go in their favour, I could be a little more understanding and gracious but not after having watched what I have just watched.

 

[simon23]

All on Pep.

But don't agree he should walk.

The next season is going to be damn intense that's for sure though!

Not even Pep can polish a turd!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Pep needs to watch some old video of Ferguson’s United when we are behind in the last 15 mins and the opposition has their backs to the wall. Some high, some low, some shots to the far post, etc, etc, etc…but bombard the box with chances, second balls, deflections!!!

Same shit for 100 minutes. Shuttle, shuttle, nothing for the strikers, chances falling to whomever happens to be there.

Haaland has to wonder where the service will come from if KDB and Bernardo are in midfield and we play two wingers?!

Pep picked the correct team for the game, but they just had no fresh ideas and having 5-6 players with their back to goal wondering if there’s EVER going to be a pass is mind numbing!

Sadly, today, KDB had the chance to carve his name in yet another Final, but he looked a step slow and one too many loose passes away from who he was.

For the first time, I think he showed me that he is not enough of the same player I have loved for the last decade. It’s time.

 

[TinFoilHat]

We need to go back to the tippy tappy football when we used to pass teams to death with purpose and with an end result. I feel we abandoned that partly to accommodate Haaland but mainly because we didn't replace players like for like.
Every buy over the last couple of seasons has been inferior to the player that they replaced and now we're paying for it.

We can do that when Erling isn't playing. We've tied our mast to him now and the next coach will have to coach a side to play to his strengths.

Pep has a free pass with me for everything he's done. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes after the CWC.

 

[Coatigan]

That incident alone didn't cost us the game

We were insipid today.
Absolute wank performance. Just like last season.

Looking like Wembley becoming a bogey ground for us

Of course it did. Gave them a huge advantage. Denied a goal scoring opportunity, gave them an extra man for 70 minutes, and their top keeper to make key saves.

We didn't do enough, but let's not pretend that moment didn’t happen or had no impact on the game.

 

[Gazza]

100%
We pay someone dhedloads to score goals….. not taking a pen is baffling

He gave it away to Marmoush because he knew it didn't contribute to his league total.

 

[Dizbuster]

We should have put the chances away that we created in the first half, We were the masters of our own downfall today.

I'm seriously pissed off that Haaland handed over that penalty it's a fucking farce that he didn't step up to take it, We bought him and gave him mega money to put the ball in the back of the net, Yet he's handing over penalties in a Cup Final, Shocking.

Still scratching my head as the why Pep continued to use Akanji as the player to be on the ball in the wide right area for the entire game, A position we have always seen De Bruyne in for years to deliver dangerous balls in the box. It was a complete waste having Akanji in that area as he was never going to cause Palace problems, I'm sure they were chuffed we continued in that manner.

Erling has been anything but consistent in his penalty-taking recently.

 

[eyalluvitt]

Only 9 1/2 more years of disinterested Earling and his play every week if fit contract

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

You cant control what others do.

You can only control what we do as a team - we werent good enough - the squad is done - keep creating excuses but that is what stops progress and redevelopment of the team

From the players that played today next season only Gvardiol (possibly Bernardo), Haaland, Foden(if he can get his form back) deserve to be in a starting 11...

Echevari is a prospect, Doku a decent squad player.

Huge questions on Sav, Dias, Akanji, Marmoush (not cause of quality but because of where does he fit in?)

Questions on whether OReilly can step up in his natural position

Done - KDB, Gundo, Grealish, Nunes - they all need to go.

Ederson looks like he will leave if rumours are to be true but Id get rid of Ortega first

Khusonov - looks decent BUT it has to be at centre half...Reis doesnt look physically ready

This is what we need to focus on instead of some arbitary decision and the performance of a goalkeeper doing his job

Compare this lot to the side of 4/5 years ago. It’s chalk and cheese.

 

[Feed the Elk]

The red card decision is not the reason we lost that. Infuriating and wrong, yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that we were devoid of ideas and absolutely toothless in and around the penalty area.

We can’t play killer passes any more as Kevin and Bernardo are absolutely done. Legends of the club and we’ll be for ever grateful but we are long past the point where we should have said “thanks for the memories, goodbye.”

Wingers offering no end product. They had 2 players on Doku all afternoon and he had no overlap, only option being to pass backwards and more central, which was exactly what they wanted. Savinho just isn’t cutting it I’m afraid - 1 good game and 10 average or shit ones isn’t good enough.

Then the elephant in the room. Haaland. Bangs them in when he has the service as he did with KdB a few seasons ago, but in a team of seriously deteriorating players and opposition who have worked us out, it’s like playing with 10 men. We’re boring to watch and now look years of winning anything again.

We have set ourselves such insanely high standards that the drop off hurts more than it should, but that’s where we are. I’ll always be grateful for what we’ve had the last 12 or 13 years, but I’ve not felt so despondent since the days of Mark Hughes. It’s painful to watch at times.

Congratulations to Palace. A proper side with good players and a good manager, they deserve their day today. I have no issue with players going down with head injuries and slowing the game down - I’d be annoyed if we didn’t do that so I can’t get exercised about it. It was, guttingly, a reasonable result on the basis of the game as a whole.

Now off to get pissed and watch Eurovision.

That last line is the best place for you

 

[ShedDweller]

congrats to palace

Just want to say big congrats to PGMOL as well. Tried your hardest and you did it. The WORST decision I’ve seen in football and obviously it goes against us.

Will happily jump on conspiracy theories about today and the refereeing decisions this season we’ve had go against us.

It’s as clear as day.

The PL know they aren’t winning the 115 case..

The fix is in on the pitch, the only way they can hurt us is this.

No push back of the Bournemouth game… oh no, not for us.

Expect more of the same in the next 2 games… if they can keep us out of the CL they will.

Absolute cunts…

 

[Bettys Bell]

Disappointed but not surprised. Didn’t like BBC showing a young lad in the City end in tears not needed .

 

[No1 was Colin bell]

How utterly predictable. A hugely controversial var decision just like the Grealish penalty against United. Clearly the FA wanted a new winner. But that really is on us and on pep. Two wingers which should’ve given lots of crosses and fast attacks but over and over again pass out to the wing turn back inside, pass inside, pass across pass to the other wing turn back inside pass inside again. Boring and more to the point totally ineffective. Why not change it. Phil comes on and continues to do exactly the same. Huge rebuild in the summer.
ps. Erling. Take the fucking penalty.
And we move to Bournemouth game, which is absolutely huge. And we are flat. Joy.

 

[bellsouth]

He was gutless today and might be better suited to la liga instead of coming up against half decent centre halves every week and being outmuscled. Beast my arse

It wasn’t his fault that he was still on the pitch though, the subs decisions were bafflingly eccentric.

 

[daztrueblue91]

Indeed fair play to Palace, but I just don't see the "worlds best striker", when I see Erling. He may not be fully fit, but today wasn't his day.
Oh for a prime Kyle Walker!

The only thing I’m going to blame Haaland for is not taking the penalty. That’s a cowards move.

As for his poor performances, he’s got fuck all to work with. Every ounce of creativity has been removed from this side. Just look at Foden when he came on, not only did he make more passes backwards than forwards, he was left with nothing but hitting hopeful crosses to the box. This is one of the most gifted players in English history we’re talking about.

I just don’t understand how a side with such attacking talent can be so poor.

 

[herrock]

Strange starting 11, although we played decent, teams just know how to stop us now. Got to win Tuesday or this season really has been a disaster.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

I’d like to see the pen again as one angle did look like he got the ball.

Henderson not being sent off was the key decision though.

You cannot miss penalties at any level.