crystal palace They had gone a miserable 12 games without a win before they broke into the Amex and walked away with the spoils.
It was one of the most bizarre rivalries in English football and while it was by no means a classic, Ismaila Sarr’s second-half goal against Brighton put Palace back in the win column. Premier Leagueeliminating people’s concerns about failure to relegation.
It’s been a turbulent time for the Eagles, whose good form and title success last year now feel worlds apart, with Mark Gueye joining Manchester City mid-season. Oliver GlasnerBy his own admission, this season will be his last at Selhurst Park, which is one of the reasons for his recent poor form.
But new forwards such as Brennan Johnson, Evan Gersang and Jorgen Strand-Larsen have been signed, creating an offensive structure for the future.
Hopefully one (or more) of these players will grow into a talismanic role, emulating the likes of Wilfried Zaha and god bless you in front of them.
How Palace replaced Eze & Zaha
Objectively speaking, Eze is Crystal Palace’s greatest attacking midfielder of the modern era. He scored the winning goal in the 2025 FA Cup final, which was, after all, the Londoners’ first major victory in history.
Eze was a stunning talent at Selhurst Park, scoring 40 goals and providing 28 assists in five years and was hailed as “superstar” So said analyst Ben Mattinson before his £67m move to Arsenal last summer.
However, many Crystal Palace fans still view Zaha as the absolute superstar that he has been in recent years, almost a lifelong servant whose rise in the Premier League has coincided with the team’s rise. In that respect, he is synonymous with Palace’s success and without him Eze would not have lifted the FA Cup.
Of course, Zaha leaves the club when his contract ends in 2023. A mercurial, forward-thinking striker who scored 90 goals and provided 54 assists in 458 games for the Blaugrana, Joel Ward, speaking following the England international’s departure, described his influence as “unparalleled“.
Whether one of the new boys will grow into a star of equal stature remains to be seen, but it will certainly be difficult to achieve.
|
Wilfried Zaha – favorite opponent |
||
|---|---|---|
|
they will object |
app |
Goals + assists |
|
brighton |
15 |
8+0 |
|
Leicester |
twenty two |
8+3 |
|
waterford |
twenty one |
6+3 |
|
Wolves |
12 |
5+1 |
|
west ham united |
No. 17 |
5+2 |
|
southampton |
twenty two |
5+2 |
|
give away transfer market |
||
Johnson scored 18 goals for Tottenham in the 2024/25 season, including the winner in the Europa League final. Perhaps something similar to Eze was found there. However, the Wales international has had plenty to do after a lackluster start to the new season.
In Geisan, Glasner has found a player who has been carefully scouted by Crystal Palace, even though he is only a loan player and has not fully made an impact since joining Aston Villa last year.
However, that’s not to say the Londoners haven’t found their superstar yet.
Glasner finds new talisman for palace
While Strand Larsen (and Jean-Philippe Mateta, when he was still here)) is the main goalscorer, Palace are actually developing another player who can become a first-team regular.
that man is chooseA beautiful Spanish star joined Crystal Palace from Villarreal last August for a fee of £26 million. Talent scout Jacek Kulig marveled at “excellent“He has shown promise in his homeland, scoring 17 goals and providing 20 assists in four full La Liga games.
We’ve seen glimpses of his quality this season, but Pino has yet to live up to the much-touted potential that prompted the move to Crystal Palace when Eze left for the Emirates Stadium. But maybe it doesn’t matter.
There is a tendency in football to label new recruits as losers in the short term, relegating them to a category they fled once they settled in and grew into new roles at new clubs in new countries.
Eze joined Crystal Palace when he was 22 years old. He scored 4 goals and provided 6 assists in his first season. Although it was good, it was not outstanding.
If Pino looked at any of the criticism he’s received this season, he might find comments directed at his physical condition. The Premier League is a ruthless league and the new style shift requires a certain resilience, something the Spaniard is still working on.
But his talent is undeniable and he’s still young. If the Eagles trust their rising star and allow him to develop, they’re bound to win big.
And, his creativity has often been hampered this season. Mateta has served as Crystal Palace’s No. 9 for much of the season, and while he has scored eight goals in the Premier League, he has also missed 16 great chances.
Pino did create nine big chances and he averaged three key passes every two games. That said, he’s been instrumental in a very good organization, especially in the early stages of the season.
|
Most chances created for Crystal Palace (25/26 Premier League) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
player |
Create opportunities |
every 90 |
|
choose |
35 |
1.9 |
|
Adam Walton |
26 |
1.3 |
|
Tyrik Mitchell |
18 |
0.7 |
|
Will Hughes |
No. 17 |
1.3 |
|
Ismail Sarr |
14 |
1.0 |
|
give away fiery thug |
||
Known as “unique talent“Journalist Antonio Mango reports that Pino could become Crystal Palace’s new leader and a source of inspiration for them. In fact, like Liverpool interested in making move In 2022, Pino emerges from the water in a yellow submarine.
Is he still there? No, but we saw talent, quality moments and the ability to maintain a creative level throughout the event.
While Palace have a talented squad of players at their disposal, Pino may prove to be the best option of the bunch given his future potential.
With a reshaped frontline ready to lead a new chapter, perhaps Pino will now begin to spread his wings and become a focal point for Eze and Zaha to be proud of.






