Ok, finally got round to watching the match fully and calmly, and I now better understand why there was so much negativity in this thread in the immediate aftermath. On the face of it, a draw at Palace looks like an acceptable result, given that they've given us problems in the past.
So many misplaced passes! So many balls not properly controlled!! Far more than I'm used to seeing from this team. First goal — who on earth does Rico think he's marking? And if he's not supposed to be aware of Munõz, who is moving into what seems to be an entire meadow of space, then who the hell is supposed to be aware? Second goal — really poor from Walker. A free header. In both cases, neither player seemed to be aware of where their man really was. Michael Brown on the OS commentary says “City are controlling the game”. Well, control without threatening? Because that's what it was, especially in the second half.
Nunes had an ineffective game, there's no two ways about it. Yes, there was the cross, and it was a good one. That's it. I've defended him, or rather I've asked for more time on him. Well, not an impressive match. Rico, who I've also defended — he got simply dispossessed at least two times, and it might have been three. And it led to dangerous counters by Palace. The lad just gets bullied physically. I admit it — in a 50-50, he's simply not going to come out on top. Anyway, it's invidious to single out individuals.
Man of the match by a country mile — Días. Thank God for him, at least. Where would we be without him at present? Fifth? Sixth?
We're far from being credible title contenders. That's gone. We may get top four, I think we will, because everyone behind us is pretty iffy, too.
But there is some major renovation to be done, now.
