Crystal Palace’s pre-season goal drought requires attention, although it is too early for serious alarm.
Palace have scored this summer. Matheus França hit a hat-trick and Eddie Nketiah scored twice in a 5-1 victory over Swindon Town on 18 July.
However, Pierre Sage’s side have since failed to score across 180 minutes of football. Palace lost 3-0 to Bromley and RC Lens before drawing 0-0 with Famalicão at the Como Cup.
Crystal Palace pre-season goal drought is not about chance creation
The results suggest a team struggling to attack, but Palace have created enough opportunities to score.
Against Lens, Eddie Nketiah escaped his marker before an important recovery challenge prevented him from shooting. The striker also released Brennan Johnson, whose effort was pushed over by Hervé Koffi.
Charlie Walker-Smith headed wide from the following corner. Those chances arrived before Lens had fully taken control of the match.
Palace produced another major opening against Famalicão. David Ozoh regained possession high up the pitch and released França, but the Brazilian was denied by the goalkeeper. França also had a goal disallowed during the goalless draw confirmed by Palace.
The concern therefore centres on execution. Palace have entered promising areas without consistently selecting the correct pass or producing a composed finish.
Nketiah has made intelligent runs but spent long periods isolated. Johnson provided energy against Lens, while França continued to find useful positions. None delivered the decisive action required inside the penalty area.
Pierre Sage’s system is still taking shape
Sage is asking Palace to play with an aggressive defensive line and advanced wing-backs.
ReadCrystalPalace reported that Sage repeatedly instructed his players to move higher against Famalicão. He maintained that approach even after Lens had exploited the spaces behind Palace’s wing-backs.
The system can eventually place more players around the opposition penalty area. During its early stages, it has sometimes left the front three disconnected from midfield.
Palace have also used heavily rotated teams. Sage selected two separate line-ups for the consecutive 45-minute Como Cup matches, limiting the opportunity for attacking combinations to develop.
That context reduces the significance of the results. Palace are assessing academy players, restoring fitness and introducing a new tactical structure rather than preparing one settled starting XI.
There are still warning signs. Sage’s approach demands quick passing after possession is recovered. Too many promising transitions have slowed down before Palace can exploit the available space.
When should Palace supporters become concerned?
The current run is a minor concern rather than evidence of a major attacking problem.
Palace created several clear chances against Bromley, Lens and Famalicão. ReadCrystalPalace’s Como Cup reporthighlighted opportunities for Johnson, Nketiah, Walker-Smith and França across Tuesday’s two matches.
The assessment will change once Sage begins using a stronger and more settled attack. Palace should then expect better combinations around their centre-forward and more composure inside the box.
Another goalless display would not define the season. A continued lack of goals once the likely Premier League starters receive extended minutes would provide greater reason for concern.
Sage needs his wide attackers to move closer to the striker, while the midfield must release the ball earlier after turnovers. Palace must also improve their finishing after creating enough opportunities to avoid three consecutive blanks.
For now, the problem is conversion rather than creativity. It is an early issue for Sage to address, not a reason for supporters to panic.
