A woeful performance underlined just how significantly Crystal Palace lack strength in depth as they succumbed to a lifeless defeat against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup.
As he has throughout this competition, Eagles boss Roy Hodgson gave his fringe squad players an opportunity, making eight changes from the side which halted Arsenal’s winning run in the Premier League at the weekend.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Andros Townsend and Jordan Ayew were the only players to have started on Sunday.
A change of formation was also preferred, with 4-4-2 seeing Alexander Sorloth partner Ayew up front – with the latter playing in a more suited role off the Norwegian target man.
Middlesbrough’s Marcus Tavernier (left) and Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka battle for the ball
Pape Souare made his return to the starting line-up for the first time in two years, following his serious injury in an horrific car crash.
The paucity of creative and attacking options in this Palace side was laid bare at the Riverside, as they struggled to create even the semblance of an opportunity to either trouble the Middlesbrough goal, or even cause problems for the defence.
Tony Pulis’ side was – as always – set-up with defence in mind. They were rigid and difficult to break down. But in theory, this Eagles side ought to have had sufficient talent to find openings and create opportunities.
As it happened, they barely looked like they wanted to be on the pitch. Sluggish movement, a lack of guile, and a fundamental lack of cohesion summed up the visitors’ play throughout.
The German international Max Meyer was expected to be the midfield lynchpin, yet he showed precious little here to convince Hodgson that he should be involved in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace’s Max Meyer (left) and Middlesbrough’s George Friend battle for the ball
The ball frequently reached the midfielders and that was about as far as it reached.
Jeffrey Schlupp was completely ineffective on the left wing, not aided by Souare’s failure to support.
Equally, the two forwards were reluctant to come deep to receive the ball, but when Ayew made that decision, they were able to get in behind the Boro defensive line, although nothing actually came of these moves.
The common errors which seemed to have almost disappeared on Sunday reared their ugly head again in Teesside.
Too many lackadaisical passes, a lack of determination and hesitancy were all found in abundance here.
Crystal Palace’s Jeffrey Schlupp (left) has a shot on goal but misses
Given the hosts’ relative success on the counter-attack it would have been wise for the Eagles to be more careful with possession in the final third, but it was wasted on multiple occasions. Luckily for them, Pulis’ side were equally wasteful.
It was a far cry from the clinical performance which saw them defeat West Brom in the previous round, with no player performing well. Souare, in particular, struggled down the left.
He was partially at fault for the winning goal three minutes into the four allotted in first-half stoppage time when he failed to get tight to Lewis Wing and also failed to close down the midfielder as he unleashed a fierce strike from 20 yards which sailed past Vincente Guaita.
Palace put the hosts under pressure in the second half but they were more than capable of resisting it, with multiple corners coming to nothing, much like most of the Eagles’ general play.
It was telling that the best – and only – two chances that tested Dimi Konstantopolous came towards the end of the game as they became increasingly desperate to find an equaliser.
Firstly, Luka Milivojevic, on as a substitute, played a delightful ball to Wan-Bissaka whose square ball found Meyer but the midfielder scuffed his shot when well placed with 15 minutes remaining.
Then Townsend produced his best moment when he drove inside and cut back on his man before hitting a low shot which bounced awkwardly only to be palmed to safety by the Boro goalkeeper.
Middlesbrough’s Marcus Tavernier (left) and Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka battle for the ball
Without Wilfried Zaha this squad is distinctly average in attack – and that has been proven time and time again.
Ayew failed to offer anything, neither did Sorloth. The version of Townsend which turned up at the Hawthorns seems to have gone into hibernation for the winter.
The signing of Guaita was supposed to improve distribution and move the ball quickly, but the Spaniard was indecisive and failed frequently with his kicking. Wayne Hennessey has nothing to worry about on this showing.
This was an excellent test of how they would cope against a side set-up to stifle and frustrate. Hodgson’s side failed each and every single time.
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