Crystal Palace boss admits summer mistakes need correcting in January | OneFootball

Glasner pushes Palace to address summer mistakes ahead of January rethink

Oliver Glasner did not dress up the reality at Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United. A second loss in four days, following the reverse away to Strasbourg in the Conference League, sharpened the focus on squad depth, summer mistakes and the growing physical demands on a group playing European football for the first time.

Photo IMAGO

The Palace manager spoke candidly about the fatigue beginning to show and the uncomfortable truth that extra reinforcements should have arrived months earlier. With Palace navigating domestic and continental commitments, Glasner believes the omission is now catching up with his side.

Asked whether fatigue played a part after the Strasbourg trip, he said:

“It’s easy to find an excuse. I think if it happens at the end, yes, maybe, but straight after half-time, I don’t know.

“If it’s fatigue, yes, it’s the first time many of our players are facing this rhythm.

“These players are giving everything every single day and working so hard to be fresh, I think we missed it in the summer to back this group.

“We should have added one or two more players to the squad. We knew it, we were talking about it, we just didn’t do it.”

Fatigue exposes squad limits

Palace surrendered a half time advantage to United and the pattern felt familiar from Strasbourg only days earlier. The players’ commitment was unquestionable, but the thinness of the squad showed as energy dipped. The challenge of balancing Premier League intensity with European travel is new territory for many in the group.

Glasner acknowledged frustration while refusing to lean on excuses.

“Definitely, definitely. I know we have almost no injuries.

“Ismaila Sarr is here for the next two more weeks, because then he goes to AFCON also, that’s what we knew. We have no player with his profile, so I don’t look for excuses.

“Again, it’s my responsibility to find solutions. We will find one, it’s just, I think, still in good position in the league and everywhere, but I think it’s just, it would have made things a little bit easier.”

The honesty resonates. Palace remain ninth in the table, solid but aware that sustainable progress demands options beyond the current starting eleven.

Summer mistakes leave January spotlight

The transfer record underlines the concern. Four permanent arrivals were completed over the summer alongside the loan signing of Christantus Uche from Getafe. However, departures thinned the ranks, with Eberechi Eze moving to Arsenal among seven exits since last season concluded. Marc Guehi also came close to joining Liverpool before a late collapse on deadline day.

Glasner’s public lobbying for reinforcements was a recurring theme before the window closed. That urgency has now grown louder. Asked directly if Palace will turn to the January market, he replied with stark clarity:

“I think it’s just to correct the mistakes you made in summer.”

Photo: IMAGO

Palace look ahead amid mounting demands

Despite recent setbacks, the league position offers encouragement. Palace sit comfortably mid table, showing competitiveness even while stretched. The immediate task is the trip to Burnley on Wednesday night, another test of energy levels and tactical resilience for Glasner’s side.

January now looms as a defining moment. For Palace to sustain domestic ambitions and honour the European adventure, correcting summer mistakes appears not merely advisable but essential.