Oliver Glasner has very rarely got it wrong at Crystal Palace but he may be ruing his in-game decisions after his men suffered a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday (October 26).
The Eagles' defeat came courtesy of an inevitable Eberechi Eze winner as the English attacker scored in his first game against his former club. This is a frustrating period for Glasner, whose side ignited Liverpool's recent slump in late September but is now encountering one of their own.
Glasner has transformed Palace into one of the Premier League's toughest teams to play against, and they may well have been worth a point today had they had their shooting boots on. They ended the game without a single shot on target, and their manager has to be questioned as a result.
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace: Glasner Little Too Late
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Glasner turned to his bench five times but to no avail, and that may have been a consequence of his timing. While he was prepared to bring Eddie Nketiah on in the 59th minute, he left it late with other substitutions to try and change the game.
The Austrian has a tendency to wait until the dying embers to try and make drastic changes that stun the opposition. But having introduced Bora Sosa, Jefferson Lerma and Christantus Uche in the 90+1st minute, there was little time for them to have any real influence.
Other than Nketiah, the only other sub made before stoppage time was Will Hughes, who came on for the tired Daichi Kamada in the 74th minute. The Japanese midfielder should arguably have been brought off earlier, as he began to show signs of fatigue in the middle of the park.
The defeat to Arsenal means Palace are now without a win in their last four outings, a problem that Glasner will need to rectify with some massive games on the horizon. He first turns his focus to the Carabao Cup on Wednesday (October 29), when his side travels to Anfield to face a Liverpool team in crisis.
Glasner Arteta
It was at home to Arne Slot's Reds when the Eagles were flying highest this term, coming away with a famous 2-1 win at Selhurst Park. Glasner got it right on that occasion when he brought Nketiah on with 15 minutes left and he came up with a memorable last-gasp winner.
Though it feels like Glasner isn't too fond of rotation, as seen when he barely made a change in a 0-0 draw with Sunderland, and that's something he'll have to keep in mind with his squad competing in four competitions this season. He's learned just how problematic midweek European football can be after the shock 1-0 home loss to Cypriot outfit AEK Larnaca.