"I can't explain it, we gave the game away too easy," Palace boss Glasner said to TNT Sports after his 100th game in charge of the club ended in disappointment. "Maybe it was too easy. There was a lack of intensity and we didn't defend well. "We are not showing a consistent performance over 95 minutes very often. Once it's this [reason], once it's that - and you get punished.
The Spaniard described Paris St-Germain's defeat at Sporting in the Champions League last week as their best away performance since he took over as manager in 2023. That is a bold claim, given the European champions have won in Barcelona and scored seven in Leverkusen this season alone. But the statistics do not necessarily contradict his assessment, even if the PSG boss may have been looking to shield his players from increased criticism.
We had a couple of bad breaks go off our guys, but at the end of the first period, we turned the puck over, and they scored. At the end of the second period, it is a shot from the point, but we don't have our guys in front of the net, and they score. That is the difference in the game for me.
The coach's irritation is justified, because these lapses in form in March will have a different meaning, especially in the intense race for the Champions League. The second problem is the defensive situation. Yes Milan have conceded only nine goals in 11 league games, but they let in six against the aforementioned trio. The team seem rock solid in big matches, then distracted against lesser-rated opponents. An ability to perceive danger is needed.
Askarov's second-period giveaway against the Utah Mammoth on Friday that resulted in a go-ahead goal by Liam O'Brien was no doubt the game-changing play that led to a 6-3 Sharks loss at the Delta Center. But that was hardly the only reason why the Sharks lost their fourth straight game to start the season. Askarov finished with 28 saves as the inconsistent Sharks headed into their home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night as the last remaining winless team in the NHL.
We were leading 2-1. What makes me angry is the way we conceded the second goal. We were open, we were high when we had just scored. We are positioned very high, badly positioned. And it was very quickly after taking the lead. So maybe it's a bit of a slackness, but it shouldn't happen to us. It prevents us from winning this match.
"We played a really good game," said Guardiola. "We always try to create more chances and concede few and that's what happened. "They have fast players with their physicality so strong, but we conceded few and we created a lot of chances, considering it is the Champions League and I'm really pleased for that. "Of course, we were closer but, in the end, we could not defend a free kick well and we conceded the penalty."
Here we pride ourselves in trying to play a high line, it is something the boss has instilled since he first came. We didn't quite get it right. Things have not been good for us so far this season. But there are blips in the season and we are going through that now. Hopefully we can move on.
