Stalemate At Selhurst With All To Play For In Cyrpus

On a grim evening in South London it was a familiar story for the Eagles who could not break down a stubborn Larnaca side.

MATCH INFORMATION

PLAYER RATINGS

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES; 8 Jefferson LERMA, 17 Nathaniel CLYNE, 19 Will HUGHES, 24 Borna SOSA, 31 Remi MATTHEWS, 42 Kaden RODNEY, 44 Walter BENITEZ, 55 Justin DEVENNY, 59 Rio CARDINES

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES;  35 Christodoulas THOMAS, 36 Christos LOUKAIDIS, 37 David GERASIMOU, 41 Mathias GONZALEZ, 51 Andreas PARASKEVAS, 99 Demetric DEMETRIOU

POST GAME QUOTES

OLIVER GLASNER

“It’s being patient and going to Larnaca, learning from this game. We didn’t know how the new manager would play, but he played the same style as in the first game and I expect him playing the same way, so maybe we have to adapt.

It’s now to try to find areas where we can create overloads. I think we did well with Brennan Johnson in the second-half, having a few good crosses, breaking the lines, and the same as the first-half.

In the end, if you have three clear chances – we had three clear today – then score one, and you win. We couldn’t do this today – so it’s time in Cyprus.”

BRENNAN JOHNSON

“The overall feeling is one of disappointment. We had chances. It’s 0-0. We can’t have our heads held too low because next week we have another big game.

We’re in the exact same position as we were going into this game. It’s 0-0, all to play for, we know what we can do, we’re confident, we have to execute that.”

MATCH STATISTICS

TEB VERDICT

Yet again, Palace fail to beat a side that is stubborn in defence and play the low block with most of their players behind the call. It appears to be kryptonite for Oliver Glasner as it continues to the one of several themes of the campaign.

The Eagles head to Cyprus next week for what is effectively a one-off cup tie with the winners progressing. Perhaps that will prove to be a better scenario for Palace but that remains to be seen.

While this game was a difficult watch in horrid wet and swirling wind conditions at Selhurst, it is all to play for in Cyprus next week.

With the absence of Daniel Munoz, who will hopefully be fit again for the second leg, Glasner opted for Brennan Johnson as right wing-back who did a decent job to be fair, but he did not have to do an awful lot of work facing his own goal.

This was a story of missed chances once again and a struggle to find a way past a low block with Adam Wharton struggling to find his radar, Dean Henderson did not have one save to make all game, Diachi Kamada trying desperately to work a way through, as did Evann Guessand, but Jorgen Strand Larsen and Ismaila Sarr were feeding off scraps even though he battled well throughout.

The season rests on the second leg next week and perhaps it is unfair to judge too much until then, but Glasner will have to mastermind a way through the stubborn Cypriots on their own turf.

UPCOMING FIXTURES

*fixture subject to change