- Palace’s limited preparation pre-Bournemouth
- Wharton on impact of European football
- Mental toll more noticeable
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has spoken about the intensity and pressure the players are under as Palace continue to compete on two fronts. Should Palace win on Thursday against Shakhtar, the Eagles will play their longest ever season, the final in Leipzig being the 60th fixture of 2025/26.
A 3-0 loss to Bournemouth epitomised Palace’s struggles in the Premier League this season, where Oliver Glasner explained that there was simply “nothing left in the tank” after the first leg in Krakow last week.
Palace’s priorities are now dead set on the Conference League, and with a 3-1 advantage going into the second leg, the odds are well in the Eagle’s favour to reach that final.
Wharton speaks on schedule
Speaking to the club’s website, Adam Wharton opened up on the difficulties that the squad has faced playing in their maiden European season. “It’s a lot different to usual, we’ve not had Europe before, and we’ve had 15 games in the Conference League, it’s been hectic.”
“It’s been difficult, but also a good thing. We want to be involved in these competitions. We want to get far in the domestic competitions if possible as well. It’s a positive thing, but definitely something new for a lot of players.”
Whilst Palace have seemingly struggled with the physical workload imposed on them through this campaign, he also noted the impact the number of games have had on the side’s psychology.
“A lot of players at this level can definitely play two, three games a week physically, but mentally it’s tough, especially when you get back in the early hours, getting back Friday morning and then playing Sunday.”
“If you’ve got an away game, you’re travelling on the Saturday. It’s about trying to get the right amount of sleep.”
He also noted the difference in recovery between this campaign and a normal one for this squad. “Your body clock is a bit messed up. I think that part’s difficult…trying to figure out the best way to recover in the short amount of time that you’ve got.”
Preparation limited
Palace’s form, especially in Premier League games following midweek fixtures in Europe, has been dismal this season. Wharton hinted at why that might be.
“We’ve not had a lot of preparation with the game in Europe,” he said ahead of Palace’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
“…but it’s part of football. We played Fiorentina in the Conference League a couple of weeks ago in the home leg and won 3-0, we didn’t create that many chances; not as many as we did against Liverpool, but there we scored three and against Liverpool we scored one.”
Of course, there is a disparity in quality between many of the sides Palace have faced in Europe and their domestic clashes, but there has been a clear difference in the levels of focus on fixtures in the knockout rounds of the Conference League and those games in the Premier League.
“One day you can be very clinical and the other just might not be going for you. It’s just about keeping on going. We know that we’ll get the chances and hopefully when we get chances, we take them.”
Whilst Palace’s reaction against Bournemouth was far from ideal, it felt like a turning point in the mentality of the squad. It was the first time that it looked obvious that the players were not focused on a game, instead choosing to prioritise the second leg on Thursday.
