“Should’ve stayed home”- Glasner Blasts Underperforming Palace Player
Glasner Frustrated by Lack of Commitment in Palace’s Draw at Liverpool
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner expressed disappointment with the effort shown by some of his players during their 1-1 draw against Liverpool on the final day of the Premier League season.
The Eagles started strongly at Anfield, taking the lead within the first ten minutes. Tyrick Mitchell intercepted a loose pass from Connor Bradley and threaded a sharp through ball to Ismaila Sarr, who calmly slotted past Alisson to give Palace the advantage. At that point, Palace briefly climbed to tenth in the table.
Despite threatening on the counterattack throughout the match, Palace couldn’t capitalise on several promising situations to extend their lead.
Liverpool were reduced to ten men with 20 minutes remaining after Ryan Gravenberch brought down Daichi Kamada while recovering from a miscontrol. Nevertheless, the home side maintained momentum and eventually equalised when Mohamed Salah finished a swift counterattack, punishing a poor decision by Palace’s Romain Esse.
Following that error, Glasner substituted the 19-year-old and remarked post-match, “He knows why he was subbed and that’s enough.”
The Palace boss voiced broader concerns about the lack of collective effort from some of his squad.
“I’m not happy with parts of our performance,” Glasner said. “Not everyone played fully for the team or stuck to how we want to play. There were moments of selfishness, and that cost us a win.”
He drew parallels to the team’s inconsistent start to the season, attributing missed opportunities then — and now — to lapses in focus and determination.
“We can always come up with excuses,” he added. “But if we keep doing that, we’ll end up near the bottom and in a relegation battle.”
Glasner made it clear that any lack of commitment is unacceptable, especially in a high-profile match at Anfield.
“We prepared properly and arrived a day early. If anyone didn’t feel like playing, they should have stayed in London. When you come to Liverpool in front of 60,000 fans, I expect full focus and commitment.”
He continued, “We’re talking about raising standards. What I saw today didn’t meet them. If we approach next season with this mindset, we’ll struggle — and I won’t let that happen.”
Glasner praised Mitchell’s role in the goal and highlighted the tactical execution leading up to it, saying, “We’ve scored many goals like that — quick counter-press, fast ball movement, and awareness. Tyrick was excellent, but not everyone had that level of focus today.”
He emphasised that the issue wasn’t a lack of individual skill, but a lapse in concentration. Still, he acknowledged the team’s progress.
“Despite today’s frustration, it’s been a fantastic season — unbeaten in our final run, a club-record points tally, and an FA Cup win. Hopefully, we’ll learn from this and come back stronger in pre-season.”
The draw at Anfield took Palace’s total to 53 points, their highest-ever Premier League tally, securing 12th place in the table.
