To say Crystal Palace have made an underwhelming start to their busy run of festive fixtures would be an understatement after their 4-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday.
To say Crystal Palace have made an underwhelming start to their busy run of festive fixtures would be an understatement after their 4-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Roadon Saturday.
The Premier League defeat - their second in a row - came only 48 hours after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Finnish champions KuPS in the Conference League which added an additional two-legged play-off tie to their already packed schedule.
Oliver Glasner had decided to heavily rotate his squad for the two fixtures with him fielding a mixture of fringe players and youngsters in the must-win match in Europe.
But it has not gone to plans for the Palace manager as they were well beaten by a resurgent Leeds side despite him making 11 changes to revert to his first-choice starting line-up on their Premier League return.
The Eagles will have very little time to regroup as they play their third game in five days - a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday - before going back to league action against Tottenham next Sunday.
With them scheduled to play eight matches in the space of 23 days, it is a period where the strength in depth of Glasner's FA Cup holders will be thoroughly tested.
And the Austrian tactician's ability to balance squad rotation with maintaining competitiveness could be critical as the Eagles look to juggle domestic ambitions while also challenging for a title in Europe.
Category: General Sports
