Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner knows there is work to do after watching his team take the lead but eventually get well beaten by Manchester City at Selhurst.
The Eagles have never failed to record at least 10 league wins in their 10-year stay in the Premier League. They are currently stuck on seven.
They have never finished below 14th, which is their present league standing and have never failed to reach the 40-point mark. In all those metrics, there is work to be done and Glasner has won only one in his first five games as Palace boss.
Against Manchester City, they started well but once they conceded the Kevin De Bruyne equaliser, their heads dropped and they never really looked like getting anything from the game. The Eagles manager will know that is not a good sign.
At this level, you have to stay in games to stand a chance of getting something from it and even though Odsonne Edouard scored later to make the results respectable, The Eagles were just not in it.
Glasner said after the game at Selhurst: “It’s difficult today because we lost 4-2 and I’m never satisfied with that result, but I could see many positive things today from our game.
“We scored an excellent first goal but the equaliser [came] too fast. We could see their [City’s] dominance in possession but we always looked to be dangerous.
“I’m a little bit sad for the players because they invested so much today. Our challenge is to keep this physical and mental level top for 95 minutes. The result is disappointing again and results are important, but it’s good for me to see the players progressing.”
Also, the goal at the start of the second half was absolutely pivotal for Manchester and a devasting blow for the Eagles. It tells the manager about the concentration levels of his players. They have conceded games at crucial times in games including the Tottenham one when they looked really good for large parts before collapsing late on to lose.
The Austrian manager has come to the best league in the world and he’ll get time to transmit his ideas. The positives are that performance levels have lifted, they are running more compared to under Roy Hodgson and they are keeping the ball better, what has to improve though, is how they stay in games and win them.
It is worth pointing out that striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is looking like a new signing under the Austrian manager and his strike against Manchester City was his fourth since Glasner was appointed in February.
Palace fans will know that it will take time to get the team firing on all cylinders, but winning games or turning defeats into draws will go a long way in putting trust in the team.
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