Liverpool’s physicality a concern as Oliver Glasner looks to mend relationship with Crystal Palace fans – Premier League hits and misses | Soccer News

Liverpool’s physicality is still a concern

Arne Slot was right to praise Liverpool’s mentality in their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Alexis MacAllister performed. Dominik Szoboszlai showed tremendous composure. Rio Ngumoha made a big impression after coming off the bench.

But it will take even more than Mac Allister’s moment of magic in the 97th minute to shake off the memory of a first-half performance that Slot conceded was the worst he had seen at his side. There is the feeling that it exposed Liverpool’s flaws.

Physically outmatched by Forest, they were “monstered” in the words of Jamie Carragher and far too passive on the ball. Even amid the plaudits, it was a theme throughout Slot’s post-match press conference afterwards at the City Ground.

Ngumoha is learning to deal with the Premier League and its physicality. Florian Wirtz had to withdraw because “in this league he understands that it doesn’t matter how good you are on the ball, you have to be 100 percent” to be able to meet his demands.

Liverpool did turn the tide, but both managers agreed that Forest’s efforts were a factor in Turkey on Thursday night. Slot’s side had a free week. But with Liverpool still in the FA Cup and the Champions League knockouts to come, there won’t be many of them.

If this Liverpool side has to rely on such advantages to cope with the physicality of the opposition, while it was a welcome win, it may be too soon to call it a defining moment in their season. There is a long way to go and a lot for Liverpool to provide.
Adam Bate

Arsenal are a duel winning machine

What makes Arsenal such a relentless Premier League team, racking up points against a ratio similar to most title winners, is their ability to do the dirty stuff better than anyone.

They are not always a joy to watch, and play beautiful football, but this is a team that deserves the right to play with their level of conviction and tenacity out of possession. The victory over their North London opponents was all about winning that battle of physicality which then allowed their better players to take over in the final third. Arsenal won 58.3 percent of duels. A large figure. That’s what you need in a derby game.

Between Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, they won 28 of their combined 34 duels, with the standout Gabriel winning all 10 of his. It’s a phenomenal effort, especially against an opponent like Randal Kolo Muani, who played with great effort but couldn’t quite get the better of this Arsenal machine.
Lewis Jones

Glasner worked to repair the relationship with fans

A first Premier League home win since November and some welcome positivity for Crystal Palace, but based on events at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Oliver Glasner has been working to repair his relationship with the club’s supporters.

A banner reading “fans disrespected – Glasner done” told the story of the frustration among the home fans, who were told by the Palace boss to “be humble” after they turned on him during the Conference League trip to Bosnia in midweek.

Glasner offered an apology of sorts after Sunday’s game at Selhurst Park. But the main message, in another long press conference, was that he did not feel he had shown disrespect.

He didn’t back down, in other words. Palace got the result they needed thanks to Evann Guessand’s goal at the end of an unconvincing performance, but it’s fair to say we haven’t heard the end of Glasner’s battle with the club’s supporters.
Nick Wright

The curious case of Fulham – European contenders or not?

It is curious to find Fulham as high as 10th after a run of three successive league defeats, conceding eight goals in the process. But that’s how compact the middle third of the Premier League is, loaded with drivers and cancerers, all keen for their shot at Europe. Fulham remains one of them.

Marco Silva before breaking that losing streak at Sunderland about lifting the ambition of the club he has been in charge of since 2021, not just in terms of the table but also through the measure of reliable performances. What he watched during a comfortable first half at the Stadium of Light will not have done much to inspire him.

But the lifting in the second offers something to notice. Raul Jimenez was the hero in conventional style, scoring once with a header and once from the penalty spot to win the three points. Jimenez’s 100 per cent spot kick record of 13 taken is the best in Premier League history, while his four headers are also a league high this term.

The creative forces were also involved, with Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson combining devastatingly for Fulham’s third goal. Only Erling Haaland (17) and Bruno Fernandes (15) have been involved in more goals than Wilson’s 12 since November.

Silva has no shortage of quality to draw on, but to realize his ambition, Fulham need to find better consistency. Two wins in five is hardly European-worthy form. The Portuguese boss must find a formula that allows his side to win between now and May, hoping that those around them cannot go the full distance.
Laura Hunter

Xhaka returns in time for ‘sloppy’ Sunderland

Sunderland have been the Premier League’s surprise package this season, threatening to make an unlikely European charge after promotion from the Championship. A fourth loss in five put a big dent in those hopes and sapped the excitement.

This miserable run only reinforced that Granit Xhaka was the most impactful signing of the season. Sunderland’s captain has missed four of those games through injury – and was only able to play the final 20 minutes in Sunday’s defeat to Fulham.

His presence on the pitch lifted the Stadium of Light crowd and sparked Sunderland’s best period of the game, although their hopes were short-lived after Enzo Le Fee’s penalty ended Alex Iwobi’s elegant counter-attack goal.

Sunderland have lacked balance in possession and precision in the final third without Xhaka, whose four assists from line-break passes are more than anyone in the Premier League this season. Head coach Regis Le Bris is under no illusions about the dependence on his captain.

“We have his leadership, but also his quality as a footballer,” the Sunderland boss said after the game. “He fits very well in this position and gives us more confidence on the ball.

“When we settle in this part of the game, we can express ourselves properly and we can express our qualities. In the first half, we were too sloppy in the first half to impose our ideas. It was more of a chaotic flow than something more controlled.

“With Granit we have this opportunity (to be controlled), less energy is spent recovering the ball after a bad pass for example. Granit gives us this consistency.”

Restoring that consistency will be vital if Sunderland are to get their season back on track. There is a chance Xhaka will start Sunderland’s next game at Bournemouth, but his return from injury needs to be managed. Le Bris cannot afford to lose him again.
Zinny Boswell

Hope for Wolves only adds to the misery after the 20th defeat

Rob Edwards put on a brave face in his post-match interviews as he said Wolves can take positives from this loss – but it’s hard to see them from a neutral point of view.

The 17-point gap to Premier League safety remains and their relegation is all but sealed. Losing a game like this is just kicking a team while they’re already down.

For the vast majority of the game, Wolves were the better team. Tolu Arokodare’s penalty miss was a poor one, but they always looked the team most likely to break the deadlock.

A moment of madness – three minutes and 16 seconds to be exact – from Ladislav Krejci who received two yellow cards in quick succession meant that a promising performance would be quickly forgotten.

Twenty defeats in just 28 games is a miserable season, but defeats like today, which offered hope, will hurt a lot more.
Patrick Rowe