Strasbourg vs. Crystal Palace match thread

In the final analysis, had we taken those gilt-edged chances with the keeper out of his goal, there would be an entirely different debate on HOL.
I was aware that Strasbourg were a talented young team but what was surprising was their vulnerability in defence given they had only conceded 2 goals in their 6 home games to-date.
In the final analysis it should be acknowledged that we missed so many chances to put the game beyond the opposition, irrespective of how well we did or didn't play. And it's not a one off, it keeps happening.
Anyone who has played one a full size pitch knows that missing a full size empty goal takes some doing, I would imagine it's really something if one was a full time professional getting paid tens of thousands.
So what is the solution? Over to you Mr Glasner.
 
Nothing wrong with Glasners decisions tonight. As for Sarr and Wharton that’s the reason we come away with zero points tonight. No excuse for those two open goals missed. We would have been hailing Glasner if those players and others had taken their chances. Hopefully we learn from it and bring in a couple of first 11 players that can put chances away like those missed tonight?
We lost.
We were instantly better when Wharton came on and conceded a goal after Guehi went off.

Glasner is resting players because he thinks we can get into the knock out rounds at a canter.

I hope he is right.
 
In the final analysis it should be acknowledged that we missed so many chances to put the game beyond the opposition, irrespective of how well we did or didn't play. And it's not a one off, it keeps happening.
Anyone who has played one a full size pitch knows that missing a full size empty goal takes some doing, I would imagine it's really something if one was a full time professional getting paid tens of thousands.
So what is the solution? Over to you Mr Glasner.
Indeed with Mateta being one of the culprits.
According to one source Mateta has missed 10 big chances this season.
The positive aspect is that we are creating the chances !
 
I thought we played okay, they’re a good side as they proved, but we contained them for long periods and as we all know if we’d taken a couple of our chances, especially Sarr could’ve put us 2-0 up it would’ve been a different story.
I don’t know what the answer is to missing chances like we do, but I know one thing, I’d sooner us be getting the chances and missing a few than not getting them at all. At least I know with this side we’re going to push forward and get the chances and give ourselves a chance in games even if we go behind, as apposed to all that turgid stuff with hardly an effort at goal

There’s no panic, we’ve got two easily winnable games to go, that’s the beauty of this format
 
Indeed with Mateta being one of the culprits.
According to one source Mateta has missed 10 big chances this season.
The positive aspect is that we are creating the chances !
Yes and if the universe were to align in our favour we would absolutely thump some poor unsuspecting team by a large margin.
 
In the final analysis, had we taken those gilt-edged chances with the keeper out of his goal, there would be an entirely different debate on HOL.
I was aware that Strasbourg were a talented young team but what was surprising was their vulnerability in defence given they had only conceded 2 goals in their 6 home games to-date.
Agree 100% Like the Wolves match we missed chances and had our bad moments as last night but this time we got beaten by a team better than Wolves. If we had taken our chances for which there were many we would be singing the team’s praises and forgiving the not so good parts of last night’s game
 
I thought we played okay, they’re a good side as they proved, but we contained them for long periods and as we all know if we’d taken a couple of our chances, especially Sarr could’ve put us 2-0 up it would’ve been a different story.
I don’t know what the answer is to missing chances like we do, but I know one thing, I’d sooner us be getting the chances and missing a few than not getting them at all. At least I know with this side we’re going to push forward and get the chances and give ourselves a chance in games even if we go behind, as apposed to all that turgid stuff with hardly an effort at goal

There’s no panic, we’ve got two easily winnable games to go, that’s the beauty of this format
Larnaca at Home was deemed to be an 'Easily winnable game'.I am certainly not going to engage in 'counting chickens'.
 
Agree 100% Like the Wolves match we missed chances and had our bad moments as last night but this time we got beaten by a team better than Wolves. If we had taken our chances for which there were many we would be singing the team’s praises and forgiving the not so good parts of last night’s game
Ifs buts and may haves, but we didn't and therein lies the problem.
 
In the final analysis it should be acknowledged that we missed so many chances to put the game beyond the opposition, irrespective of how well we did or didn't play. And it's not a one off, it keeps happening.
Anyone who has played one a full size pitch knows that missing a full size empty goal takes some doing, I would imagine it's really something if one was a full time professional getting paid tens of thousands.
So what is the solution? Over to you Mr Glasner.
The solution?
As Glasner said in his post match interview , ‘more goalscorers.’
The issue then becomes whether these can be found from the existing crop of players or from new players.

In my view it won’t be from the former.

For example Wharton is a great young talent but doesn’t have the attributes of a goalscorer.
Look at his effort towards the open goal yesterday.
Head up, the ball struck upwards as opposed to head down and knee over the ball as we were taught as youngsters when striking the ball towards goal.
Pino has the uncanny knack of finding the keeper rather than the back of the net when facing the keeper.
Row Z is in more danger than the opposing goal when Lerma shoots.
Hughes gets a nose bleed when in the opposing penalty area.
Kamada is the ‘nearly man’ always just missing the target.

They are all good players, but not goalscorers and their career records support this assessment.

Mateta and Sarr will chip in with a few goals and after that Munoz looks to be the most reasonable bet.
Nketiah doesn’t get enough game time to make a reasonable judgement.

We’ll be fine and are set to have a good season, but if we want to have a very good season we have to convert more chances.
 
The solution?
As Glasner said in his post match interview , ‘more goalscorers.’
The issue then becomes whether these can be found from the existing crop of players or from new players.

In my view it won’t be from the former.

For example Wharton is a great young talent but doesn’t have the attributes of a goalscorer.
Look at his effort towards the open goal yesterday.
Head up, the ball struck upwards as opposed to head down and knee over the ball as we were taught as youngsters when striking the ball towards goal.
Pino has the uncanny knack of finding the keeper rather than the back of the net when facing the keeper.
Row Z is in more danger than the opposing goal when Lerma shoots.
Hughes gets a nose bleed when in the opposing penalty area.
Kamada is the ‘nearly man’ always just missing the target.

They are all good players, but not goalscorers and their career records support this assessment.

Mateta and Sarr will chip in with a few goals and after that Munoz looks to be the most reasonable bet.
Nketiah doesn’t get enough game time to make a reasonable judgement.

We’ll be fine and are set to have a good season, but if we want to have a very good season we have to convert more chances.
A depressing but completely accurate summary of our goal scoring prowess.

It's a mental thing IMO but hopefully the embarrassment of how bad it's got will drive our lot on to improve.
 
A depressing but completely accurate summary of our goal scoring prowess.

It's a mental thing IMO but hopefully the embarrassment of how bad it's got will drive our lot on to improve.
It’s certainly a mental thing with Mateta…I don’t think he has been quite the same player since Millwall but give him time.
Ollie needs to be coaching more goals from the midfield, other than Pino all our current crop are too scared of missing. He isn’t having much success but at least Pino is having a pop.
 
Tbf to Sarr, he actually aimed straight for the middle of the goal, the ball just had so much spin on it, Whartons miss was definitely worse, he should be keeping that down.

It’s impossible to defend either player here. Any player knows you aim right of centre if you’re hitting it right footed, to allow for the swerve. It was an appalling miss and probably cost us the win.
 
It’s impossible to defend either player here. Any player knows you aim right of centre if you’re hitting it right footed, to allow for the swerve. It was an appalling miss and probably cost us the win.
It should have been 3-0 and the game done and dusted by half time as sitting back would have totally destroyed their counter attacking threat. We could have gone 5-4-1 and seen out the game whilst resting Pino, Sarr and Mateta by bringing on Kamada, Devenny and Nketiah.

So many bad things come out of failing to take our chances, not the least of which is the opposition thinking it’s their night, as it proved to be.
 
Many thought we would stroll through to the next round. Not realistic. What we saw was Glasner shuffling his pack in mind of the amount of games this limited squad has to play in a short space of time. One doesn't need a crystal ball to realise that we are being found out.
Nevertheless, miss the amount of good chances that we continue to miss doesn't make the game any easier.
Manchester United up next. I wonder if OG prioritizes the league, because not starting Wharton, and subbing Mateta and Guehi backfired badly. Perhaps he thought we could ride out the goal advantage. Perhaps he makes tactical decisions because he doesn't have much choice either way as he tries a delicate balancing act.
Pino finds himself in good positions but is another who shoots at the keeper, hopefully he will improve.
Uche and Esse are clearly not in Glasner's plans. Who remembers Franca?
Still got a signed shirt of Franca. I really hoped that would have worked out
 
I have cooled down since last night but I need to work out why we were so poor not only in finishing but also in our build-up play, such as it was.

I expected Wharton to be calmness personified but he was as bad as the others in frantic one touch passing. He has the ability to be a Barry Bannon type, holding the ball up with considered passing but he resorted to one-touch push and run. It was all so frantic that we frequently passed to marked men or straight to the opposition.

I thought the advent of Glasner would produce a reliable striker but, as he implied at his press conference, we haven't got one. Mateta is ungainly, a poor header and misses far more then he scores, Sarr is not much better and, worst of all, the best chances fell to Pino who is definitely not a goal scorer and still less an adequate replacement for Eze.

Somehow we have to find a new Glen Murray, Clinton Morrison or Andy Johnson to correct our chronic waste of chances - almost the worst in the Premier League by the statistics.

It would also help if we can find a new 'maverick' in the mould of Eze or Zaha. With one of those and a genuine striker we could go far. Until then we must stay way below our potential.
 
I have cooled down since last night but I need to work out why we were so poor not only in finishing but also in our build-up play, such as it was.

I expected Wharton to be calmness personified but he was as bad as the others in frantic one touch passing. He has the ability to be a Barry Bannon type, holding the ball up with considered passing but he resorted to one-touch push and run. It was all so frantic that we frequently passed to marked men or straight to the opposition.

I thought the advent of Glasner would produce a reliable striker but, as he implied at his press conference, we haven't got one. Mateta is ungainly, a poor header and misses far more then he scores, Sarr is not much better and, worst of all, the best chances fell to Pino who is definitely not a goal scorer and still less an adequate replacement for Eze.

Somehow we have to find a new Glen Murray, Clinton Morrison or Andy Johnson to correct our chronic waste of chances - almost the worst in the Premier League by the statistics.

It would also help if we can find a new 'maverick' in the mould of Eze or Zaha. With one of those and a genuine striker we could go far. Until then we must stay way below our potential.

I agree with the diagnosis Uphill, but not so sure on the solution.

I still don't think a maverick will go down well with Glasner as he wants players to fit his system (Uche/Esse for example). JPM has proved that he can score goals, albeit he is (naturally) prone to bad performances here and there.

I think our issue is goals outside of JPM. Sarr gets a few, albeit was equally horrendous as everyone else yesterday. Nketiah only ever really has cameos and is usually a replacement for JPM, but Pino/Wharton/Kamada/Lerma/Hughes etc??? Not many if many goals there. I think of Munoz as our next biggest attacking threat, with Mitchell getting our goal yesterday. Our two full backs.

We need goals from midfield. Without them, we've got a very limited supply and goals win you games.
 
I have cooled down since last night but I need to work out why we were so poor not only in finishing but also in our build-up play, such as it was.

I expected Wharton to be calmness personified but he was as bad as the others in frantic one touch passing. He has the ability to be a Barry Bannon type, holding the ball up with considered passing but he resorted to one-touch push and run. It was all so frantic that we frequently passed to marked men or straight to the opposition.

I thought the advent of Glasner would produce a reliable striker but, as he implied at his press conference, we haven't got one. Mateta is ungainly, a poor header and misses far more then he scores, Sarr is not much better and, worst of all, the best chances fell to Pino who is definitely not a goal scorer and still less an adequate replacement for Eze.

Somehow we have to find a new Glen Murray, Clinton Morrison or Andy Johnson to correct our chronic waste of chances - almost the worst in the Premier League by the statistics.

It would also help if we can find a new 'maverick' in the mould of Eze or Zaha. With one of those and a genuine striker we could go far. Until then we must stay way below our potential.
Perhaps, Zaha at 30+ can still play as a box opportunist poacher.
 

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