Stamina problems for Crystal Palace as Tottenham the latest Premier League opponents to turn tide late on

BY EDMUND BRACK
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk

While Oliver Glasner was pleased with Crystal Palace’s performance in their 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, the overriding admission that filtered through from his press conference was that he believed his players were only capable of competing for three-quarters of the game.

The Eagles went ahead in the 59th minute in north London – Eberechi Eze fizzed a free-kick from the edge of the box past keeper Guglielmo Vicario.

But three goals in the final 13 minutes of normal time – the 18th, 19th and 20th goals conceded in the final 15 minutes of Premier League games this season – handed Spurs maximum points.

Palace have the worst record in the top flight for letting goals in during the closing stages, with only relegation certainties Sheffield United [19] having a similar issue at the back. The next closest after that is Chelsea (14).

“The players did a great job over 60 to 70 minutes,” said Glasner, who kicked off life in the Selhurst Park hotseat with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Burnley.

“They stuck to the plan and defended really well for most of the time.

“We could have been a bit more confident in possession, but then we scored a very nice goal. To win at Tottenham you must play almost perfectly over the whole distance of the game.

“We couldn’t do this – we have to accept it. We will work on it so we can keep this level high for the whole distance of the game.”

The Austrian boss, who appointed Michael Berktold as fitness coach when he arrived, has already set about changing Palace’s training regime, switching the traditional day off from Sunday to Monday.

With the clash against Newcastle United being rearranged due to the Toon’s progression in the FA Cup, Palace are set to head abroad after tomorrow’s home fixture against Luton Town, with a training game scheduled before players depart for the international break.

This will be the first prolonged period Glasner will have with the Eagles squad since taking over from Roy Hodgson.

Palace will hope to have Michael Olise, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Jeffrey Schlupp within touching distance of first-team training by the end of the break, with all three resuming light and individual programmes following injury.

Marc Guehi, who had minor surgery to clear his knee ahead of Euro 2024, will also be close to a return by the time Palace head up to Nottingham Forest on March 30.

Palace are likely to cash in on the former Chelsea defender over the summer, when the 23-year-old England international will be entering the final two years of his deal at Selhurst Park.

Darren Powell’s U21 side continued their unbeaten start to 2024 on Monday night with a 3-1 win over Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Goals from Franco Umeh, Danny Imray and Roshaun Mathurin gave the Eagles all three points in their Premier League 2 campaign.

Umeh has been with the first team in recent weeks due to Palace’s injury problems and was named on the bench for the 3-0 win over Burnley.

Imray nearly secured a loan away from the academy during January deadline day, but the move failed to materialise.

PICTURE: PA