Palace team vs SC Freiburg

Based on today there is a huge amount of work to do. The disjointed pre-season with key players not present obviously hasn't help but there's barely a resemblance of any clear patterns of play or coordinated pressing. There were times when we attempted to press but were so far off the pace that Freiburg could make a couple of passes and bypass our entire attack and midfield. That's a concern whoever is playing.

We desperately need some quality in the spine of the team. Lacroix's pace and leadership must be replaced and we desperately need more energy and guile in midfield.

I struggle to see how JSL is going to do anything for us, he's the weakest 'big lad' I've ever seen. Nothing sticks up top and then it's hard to get anyone else involved.

A huge week on the training pitch and it was interesting to hear Sage say that we will return to more familiar ideas that the players are used to.
Pre-season matches are a waste of time these days, especially in a World Cup summer where players are coming back In drums and drabs and there’s a big turnover of players, which will carry on even after the season has started.

No-one will know how we’re going to shape up properly until the competitive games start and we’re well into September, even October

The only consolation is we’re not the only ones, for the above reasons no one is fully ready for the start of any season these days
 
I’ve been in Freiburg working all week and decided against going to the game today simply because of the heat. It’s 36 degrees here and, believe me, the heat is something else. The UK can be hot, but it’s absolutely stifling out here.

No one’s going crunching into challenges or busting a gut in those conditions, particularly in what is essentially a pre-season friendly when Sage already pretty much knows what the first XI will be.

I’m not going to read too much into the intensity in that heat.

If they s*** the bed in the first game of the season, though, then we’ve got problems.

But today was not a day for busting a gut.
 
I’ve been in Freiburg working all week and decided against going to the game today simply because of the heat. It’s 36 degrees here and, believe me, the heat is something else. The UK can be hot, but it’s absolutely stifling out here.

No one’s going crunching into challenges or busting a gut in those conditions, particularly in what is essentially a pre-season friendly when Sage already pretty much knows what the first XI will be.

I’m not going to read too much into the intensity in that heat.

If they s*** the bed in the first game of the season, though, then we’ve got problems.

But today was not a day for busting a gut.
Fair enough, but all we wanted was a goal of two. They managed it - we couldn't. A tad concerning I reckon.
 
I’ve been in Freiburg working all week and decided against going to the game today simply because of the heat. It’s 36 degrees here and, believe me, the heat is something else. The UK can be hot, but it’s absolutely stifling out here.

No one’s going crunching into challenges or busting a gut in those conditions, particularly in what is essentially a pre-season friendly when Sage already pretty much knows what the first XI will be.

I’m not going to read too much into the intensity in that heat.

If they s*** the bed in the first game of the season, though, then we’ve got problems.

But today was not a day for busting a gut.
The heat might have hit Palace,but it didnt seem to get at Freiburg,.It looked like a go through the motions job for Palace, whereas Freiburg, played as if there was three points in it. If fringe players were trying for a starting place it didnt really show. Not until the last 10 minutes did the attack create anything like a threat, and the back three were all over the place at times and could have shipped more goals.
It’s only pre season but it highlighted what many see as our weak spots. Freiburg, pressed us for the whole 90 minutes just as any decent Premier side will do, the only certainty is we will need to be considerably better , I live in hope we will be.
 
The heat might have hit Palace,but it didnt seem to get at Freiburg,.It looked like a go through the motions job for Palace, whereas Freiburg, played as if there was three points in it. If fringe players were trying for a starting place it didnt really show. Not until the last 10 minutes did the attack create anything like a threat, and the back three were all over the place at times and could have shipped more goals.
It’s only pre season but it highlighted what many see as our weak spots. Freiburg, pressed us for the whole 90 minutes just as any decent Premier side will do, the only certainty is we will need to be considerably better , I live in hope we will be.
Agreed!
 
You know how it works🤣

Brian Bason
Steve Ketteridge
Phil Barber
Alan Pardew
Darren Pitcher
Dean Austin
Craig Foster
Craig Harrison
Wayne Andrews

You always have to have a whipping boy, I suppose if they were any good, they wouldn’t be the whipping boys

Gary Stebbing
Leif Andersen
 
Relax, it was a pre-season friendly against a very good team. They were better than us on the day, which given that they were Europa League finalists only a couple of months ago, have a settled coach and a settled team and were playing at home, is only to be expected. It’s disappointing that we didn’t play a little better but not entirely unexpected. We are going to have to grow into this season and develop under Pierre Sage. In reality the loss means no more than the win over Fulham. The real test starts next Saturday (but even that’s just the start). COYP!
 
In defence of Gary Stebbing - he’s a Mate of mine - I played against him in junior football - he was different gravy. He was not a RB - but a CDM.

Just goes to show the gulf - between being exceptional at junior level and pro.
Often the way. A friend of mine played with Jerry Murphy somewhere round Whitechapel way and said he was just so much better than everyone else it was ridiculous.
 

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