Oliver Glasner admitted his Crystal Palace side were unable to produce the peak performance required in Wednesday night’s EFL Cup loss at Arsenal, writes Alex Pewter.
A 3-2 scoreline possibly made the game look closer than it was in a challenging battle in north London.
Jean-Phillippe Mateta’s goal in the fourth minute and an Eddie Nketiah header with five minutes to go sandwiched a matchwinning hat-trick from
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus. There were question marks over offside with his second, but in a VAR-less game, the linesman’s on-pitch decision stood.
Glasner was pragmatic about the defeat but disappointed with the team’s execution. He said: “We played too slow, or we didn’t demand the ball. That’s how it needs to be so you can escape their press.
“I mentioned before the game in the press conference that we need a performance at a top level, then it is possible to win here. It was not a performance at our best.
“It was the perfect start, but already in the first half, it looked like we played with too much respect. We were too cautious in pressing them, and in possession we lost the ball too easily.”
However for a team that has often struggled for goals, Palace found the net twice against strong opposition.
“It is positive that we scored two goals, it’s not too easy to do that here,” said Glasner. “So it’s a bit frustrating that when you score two at the Emirates, it should have at least forced a penalty shootout. Overall, it’s a deserved win for Arsenal today.”
2YY20C3 Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta (left) scores their side’s first goal of the game during the Carabao Cup quarter-final match at the Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Wednesday December 18, 2024.
Glasner felt Jesus’ second goal was offside.
But the Austrian boss added: “They had too many chances in the second half. When you give them so many clear chances, and Dean Henderson saves two or three, it’s just a question of time before they score. Every goal was quite similar when they found the gaps we shifted too slow \[to stop them\].”
Palace have the odd situation of facing Arsenal and Mikel Arteta again on Saturday.
“We can’t influence it, and Mikel Arteta won’t ask me who he should play, so it’s nothing that I’m thinking about,” said Glasner.
“They have a great squad. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to compete in the Premier League last year. That’s why they can compete in the league and Champions League, and we have different circumstances.
“I know we will do our best. We will analyse this game, learn from it, and try to beat Arsenal in three days. It’s not that easy, but we will try.”
Having survived the infamous threat of Arsenal corners routines in this first match, Glasner and his coaches decided to leave three players forward to force the home team to remove players from the area.
When asked about this approach and the thoughts behind it, the Austrian manager joked, “Ask me after Saturday.”
PICTURES: ALAMY