Crystal Palace PL (H) Post match thread

[toffee balls]

I wasn’t booing the team……

 

[Shirley]

Are you more concerned with those fans who stayed to the end yesterday and boo'ed the team off or the thousands that leave early on 80 minutes at every home game? I know who I side with.

So we have a fan base who leave early and boo off the team, not a good look is it.

 

[Dribble]

What is it with the late goals?!? Is it concentration, poor game management, fear, leadership…..

The main characteristic of City under Guardiola is our control & workrate. For the first time in over a year, I saw a team (Luton) up the tempo, workrate & physicality against us & we matched & surpassed them.

Since Haaland & Alvarez came into our team, we seem happier to cede control, sit back & hit teams on the break with a long ball over the top, or a through ball which plays to Erling's strengths.

Because we're happy to cede a certain amount of possession to play longer balls over the top to bypass a midfield press, we end up playing football closer to our area, which statistically presents a bigger danger to our goal.

In the 2021-2022 season, if we lost possession, typically it'd be in the opposition half, so they'd still have a lot of work to do to pressure our defence.

Now because we tend to drop deeper, a mistake means the opposition are on top of our defence, in our defensive third & within striking distance of Ederson.

Remember all those typical City goals we'd score with a player getting to the byline in the area & cutting the ball back for either an attempt on goal, or a pass leading to an attempt?

Previously, because we lacked an Erling or a Julian, we'd have to play higher up the pitch, strangle the shit out of teams, & literally have to walk a goal into the net through a packed defence. We rarely seem to score those anymore because of the way we've adapted to play to Haaland's strengths, which means we play deeper & with less intensity.

We really need to return to basics & rediscover ourselves. Another issue is our bench. Kova is no Gundog. Nunes nor Philips are nowhere near the elite midfield level we're used to.

After winning the Treble, we've further diluted the quality gene pool of our once world class midfield. On paper we've the strongest defence I can recall us ever having, which suggests it's other things & not the quality of defenders why we're shipping late equalisers, & conceding so many goals per game.

 

[Roachy]

He's been stinking this year.

If he hasn't lost it, he's in a prolonged spell of very poor form.

Ok, that maybe a bit more realistic and I won't necessarily disagree. There's definitely a wider malaise in the team and dare I say it with Pep, with everyone sub standard. The way we nonchalantly went through the motions after the Palace 1st goal was ridiculous. Dreadful result overall that yesterday.

 

[stan bowles]

So we have a fan base who leave early and boo off the team, not a good look is it.

First time I've heard any boos for the team yesterday for a long time. I understand why some chose to vent their feelings that way. But the familiar rush in large numbers for the exits with 15 minutes of time to play is something that has been a City trait for years and years and will never disappear.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

First time I've heard any boos for the team yesterday for a long time.

Well, look, to be fair, we haven't exactly had much to boo about, have we? It's dead easy not to boo the team when they're winning everything in sight. That's easy. Personally, I'd never boo the team when things aren't going quite our way. And I was fuming like everyone at full time.
It's the behaviour of a spoilt, mardarse baby.

 

[Fordyboy46]

Why can't Pep ever play a settled back four, it changes every week. I feel for Gvardiol, a centre half by trade asked to play at left back because for the umpteenth season running we don't have one. It's making Josko look a bang average player and it's not his fault. Just try him at centre half one day Pep you might just be pleasantly surprised

 

[stan bowles]

Well, look, to be fair, we haven't exactly had much to boo about, have we? It's dead easy not to boo the team when they're winning everything in sight. That's easy. Personally, I'd never boo the team when things aren't going quite our way. And I was fuming like everyone at full time.
It's the behaviour of a spoilt, mardarse baby.

But still preferable to the players playing a superb game and demolishing the opposition only to be greeted by a half empty stadium at the final whistle.

 

[Wanchope n me Dickov]

Played well for 60 minutes then instead of going for the third like we used to, we sat back. Asking for trouble.

And I thought the boos were for the ref personally - frustration at the last minute pen,

Now let’s go win another

 

[warringtonblue]

Why can't Pep ever play a settled back four, it changes every week. I feel for Gvardiol, a centre half by trade asked to play at left back because for the umpteenth season running we don't have one. It's making Josko look a bang average player and it's not his fault. Just try him at centre half one day Pep you might just be pleasantly surprised

My concern has been his ack of pace, that wont change because he goes to centre back