Crystal Palace finished last season as one of the Premier League’s form teams under new boss Oliver Glasner.
Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze were firing at the top end of the pitch while Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen formed an impressive backbone in defence. Those four were the jewels in Palace’s crown.
Palace rejected close to £70million from Newcastle for Guehi in the summer but lost Olise to Bayern Munich for around £50m after the German giants triggered his release clause.
Allowing Andersen, who started Palace’s first league game of the season, out of the door too was a big gamble. He was a pivotal player for Glasner and missed only three minutes in the league last season. It doesn’t surprise me that Fulham haven’t lost a game he has played in since he joined the club.
Andersen was a leader and his range of passing was key. He could ping a ball in to striker Jean-Philippe Mateta or send a diagonal ball out wide. I don’t believe they have anyone who can do that now.
The departure of a key player has increased the pressure on Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner
Michael Olise's move to Bayern Munich hit Palace hard but another departure was costly
There is a balance to be struck between allowing players to leave while retaining enough quality to stay in the Premier League. In that regard, Palace are far from comfortable right now.
Glasner is a connoisseur of his preferred three-at-the-back system. Full backs Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Munoz fly down the wings but their end product in the final third hasn’t been good enough so far. Mateta ended last season on fire, scoring 13 goals in as many games. But with one of Palace’s chief creators in Olise gone, the goals aren’t flowing any more.
Glasner will want to see more of a contribution from Eze. He and Olise were a formidable duo on the flanks, but Eze seems a bit lost without his partner in crime. He’s scored one goal in the league this season, and is yet to register an assist.
Eze has the skillset to kick-start Palace’s season. He should be setting targets for himself in terms of goals and assists between now and Christmas. He can also use his omission from the England squad this week as an incentive to get back to the levels he was performing at last year.
Palace haven't looked the same since the departure of Joachim Andersen to Crystal Palace
Palace play in a very functional and safe manner. They need more spark and imagination. After no wins and three defeats so far this season, Eze can be the man to bring the good times back.
If they get anything against Liverpool on Saturday it will be seen as a bonus. It could be a case of damage limitation against Arne Slot’s side, but Nottingham Forest proved Liverpool are not infallible in their shock win at Anfield last month.
Glasner will have been part of a collective plan this summer between Dougie Freedman, the sporting director, and owner Steve Parish.
Some of the signings proved Glasner has tapped into his own knowledge, as Palace brought in Daichi Kamada and Maxence Lacroix, two players he has worked with before in Germany.
But ultimately it is the manager who gets the chop if the results aren’t up to scratch and Glasner will be aware of the history Parish has in this area. Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson both went into double figures for games without a win and paid for it with their jobs. There’s no need to panic just yet, but the pressure will mount on Glasner if that winless start is not brought to an end soon.