Palace strikers saved by Wolverhampton defenders – but something needs to change

The most difficult decision for Crystal Palace this summer was the decision to replace Michael Olise. Or is it worth replacing?

Ultimately, they made the decision to sign different striker profiles rather than try to replace the Frenchman directly.

This solution has not yet brought results. Palace are second in the Premier League in scoring with eight goals, alongside Manchester United, and just one more than Southampton. A significant reason for this is the shortcomings of their “ten”.

Eberechi Eze missed Wolverhampton Wanderers with a hamstring injury in the 2-1 League Cup win over Aston Villa on Wednesday night. He will be out for at least one more game, possibly more. While Eze’s performances this season have not been impressive, he remains an important and creative part of the Palace team and showed that in the 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

However, Eze has taken 53 shots in the Premier League this season (he has taken 37 shots and created 16 chances) – only Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer (54) have more shots and chances created combined. Of these contributions, he only scored one goal. Despite this record, the 26-year-old is not the main problem; It was who was chosen as his partner for the No. 10 role that caused problems.

In his place, Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr started together against Wolverhampton Wanderers, either side of Jean-Philippe Mateta. Both have worked hard this season. Nketiah was sharp in the first two games but has since slowed down considerably. Sarr also offered little to convince anyone that he was the answer to Palace’s goalscoring problems.

Sarr may be offered mitigation measures due to his time spent traveling with the Senegal national team, which is clearly harmful. But that doesn’t justify his terrible goal against Wolves. Palace’s expected goal total of 2.89 was their highest away goal since a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United under Roy Hodgson in April 2023 (3.15 xG) and their highest since appointment of Oliver Glasner in February.

But against Wolves, Sarr had the opportunity to effectively win the game for Palace with two tempting chances. In the 61st minute, with Palace leading 1-0 at Molineux, Tyreeke Mitchell played for Nketiah to cut the score short. However, Sarr leaned back and fired over the crossbar. Throughout the first half, he was bullied by Wolverhampton defenders and lost time after time.

Four minutes after that miss, Sarr missed another good opportunity after a poor pass from Nelson Semedo. From the edge of the penalty area, he fired a shot wide of the goal.

But it was poor decision-making that caused further problems. Nketiah, who also showed little ability to beat a defender, played the ball deep into Wolves’ half with a weak pass, opting for a more difficult option. The Wolves responded and equalized the score.

Palace have consistently struggled in the closing moments of this season. Against teams better than Wolves, they won’t have as many opportunities – it’s vital that they take advantage of them when they arrive. But that’s not happening this season. Defender Trevo Chalobah’s opening goal from a difficult position showcased the terrifying performance of the two number 10 players.

Glasner doesn’t seem too concerned about the setbacks. He cannot be expected to publicly criticize his players, but his comments appear to absolve the players of any responsibility.

“We didn’t decide the game when we could have,” he said at the post-match press conference. “We had momentum and the crowd booed our chances. This is something we could and should have done better. Nobody did this on purpose – this happens in football; people miss chances. It’s important that we play in our own way with confidence.”

The question for Glasner is whether to continue to use one of Sarr, Nketiah and Daichi Kamada to complement Eze when fit, change his system as he did against Forest (albeit without much success) or continue the rotation dozens of them. His problem is that no one has yet demonstrated that they can change the situation. Sarr was a big threat in the 1-0 win over Tottenham with his direct strike but was inconsistent. However, he has shown more promise in the role than Nketiah and it appears that this is the best option at the moment.

It’s difficult to throw Nketiah out. He became the summer’s top earner, receiving £25 million from Arsenal. It’s not something Palace can easily afford to give up, but he has proven ineffective and appears more suited to the role of a committed striker.

Glasner appears undecided on his preferred lineup, but often talks about the need for his players to get to know each other better. If he continues to change his front line, the chances of finding a successful formula are limited. There is no obvious solution, but at least for now, it appears that everyone involved has failed to recruit.

There is no problem with having different striker profiles – it gives alternative options and the ability to change the system. But Glasner showed little desire to do anything other than work around the edges.

Unless Palace correct their mistakes in attack, their games will continue to be unjustifiably even and the pressure on their defense will be greater than necessary.

(Header photo: Sebastian Frey/MB Media/Getty Images)