Sport
Where it’s all gone wrong for Crystal Palace from failed signings and moody strikers to struggling England stars
CRYSTAL PALACE are the most surprising member of the four clubs yet to win a Premier League game this season.
The Eagles won six of their last seven matches to finish 10th last season after beating the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
But they have fallen flat on their face this term, leaving Austrian boss Oliver Glasner having to front up to question marks over his future.
He has a reputation for falling out with chiefs at previous clubs but staff and players haven’t noticed a shift in his mood yet. And despite the terrible start Glasner has credit in the bank.
SunSport’s JACK ROSSER looks at a few reasons why things are not as they should be at Selhurst Park…
DEFENSIVE ISSUES
CRYSTAL PALACE were not only devastating going forwards once they hit their stride at the end of last season, they had a solid foundation — using three centre-backs — to build from too.
But there appear to be one too many cracks at the back so far this season — few of the Eagles’ own making.
Joachim Andersen was sold to Fulham in a £30million deal, breaking up the successful pairing of the Dane and Marc Guehi.
Although, due to Guehi’s knee injury last season, the duo only played in the same Glasner team once and the England man was used in central midfield in that game on the last day of the campaign.
Guehi, 24, himself had a hectic summer, first starring at Euro 2024 with the Three Lions before a drawn-out pursuit by Newcastle ended up with him staying put.
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Whether it is fatigue or distraction, Guehi has not looked his usual self this term.
Spanish-born Morocco centre-back Chadi Riad, 21, was signed from Barcelona to add depth but picked up a knee problem in the Carabao Cup second-round, while USA ace Chris Richards, 24, has also had fitness issues.
STRIKER STRUGGLES
JEAN PHILIPPE-MATETA’S transformation into a lethal striker was key to Oliver Glasner’s early success with Crystal Palace.
The 27-year-old French striker scored 13 goals in as many games under the Eagles boss to end last season.
But a summer spent playing at the Olympics and frustration over contract negotiations have marred this season.
Mateta has just two Prem goals this term — both against Leicester — with relations between him and the club threatening to turn sour after he was offered a deal with wages well below where he feels they should be.
Palace signed Eddie Nketiah, 25, for £25million from Arsenal, though the former England Under-21 international is yet to net for his new club in the Premier League.
WHARTON HAMPERED
ADAM WHARTON’S rise from the Championship to the England squad was one of the stories of the second half of last season.
The midfielder, signed from Blackburn in January for an initial £18million, was an instant hit in South London and was at the heart of Crystal Palace’s superb finish to 2023-24.
However, after not getting a single minute in Germany with the Three Lions, Wharton, 20, sustained a groin injury during his short pre-season which has continued to niggle and impacted his form.
He has still been playing games but has required injections and painkillers to do so while it is expected he will need surgery.
There has been some frustration that after withdrawing from the England U21s squad this month and then not being involved against Nottingham Forest that the operation was not done during the last international break.
A fit Wharton at the top of his game would make a world of difference.
OLISE’S ABSENCE
CRYSTAL PALACE accepted early last season that it would almost certainly be their last with Michael Olise on the books.
His electric form earned a £50million move to German giants Bayern Munich and the Frenchman has been sorely missed as talisman.
Oliver Glasner points out that Olise, 22, was not even fit for half of his games as Palace manager last season, which is true, but he was involved in five of the seven wins that they picked up.
The lack of a like-minded presence appears to have hit Eberechi Eze’s form too.
While he has gone close on many occasions and had a perfectly-good stunner ruled out against Brentford, the mercurial midfielder has not been at his best.
The man brought in to effectively replace Olise, Daichi Kamada, has struggled to adapt.
Japan international Kamada was one of Glasner’s stars at former club Eintracht Frankfurt but has looked out of place in the Premier League so far.
The 28-year-old, one of the top earners following his arrival on a free transfer after a year at Lazio, has struggled to compete deeper in midfield and has not been able to create enough when played further forwards.
Motorsports
Ferrari “hasn’t changed anything” amid flexing front wing suggestions
Ferrari’s senior performance engineer Jock Clear says that the team “hasn’t changed anything” despite murmurings over internal changes to its front wing to benefit from greater flexing.
The Italian squad had been one of the teams to lodge a query with the FIA over the front wings of Mercedes and McLaren, under the belief that these were flexing beyond a permissible amount despite passing the governing body’s rigidity tests.
After the FIA offered clarification, it opened the door for other teams to pursue a similar design, with Ferrari understood to have pressed its own version into service. This was considered as a potential contributor to the team’s dominant 1-2 at the United States Grand Prix last weekend.
But Clear stated that it was “questionable” to discuss how the other teams were progressing with their own designs, and that the FIA was happy with Ferrari’s adherence to the regulations.
In response to a question about lead times for flexing front wings following the FIA’s clarification, Clear said: “I think that what you’re talking about there is specifically a fairly questionable discussion.
“We don’t know what other teams are doing. We only know what we’re doing on our car. We interpret the rules in the way that we think is the correct interpretation and the FIA have never questioned any of our interpretation of the rules.
“We continue to develop as much as we can and as fast as we can within the scope of the rules. We haven’t changed anything.
Jock Clear, Senior Performance Engineer, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Andreas Beil
“If we look at what other people do, we can only guess what actually is going on. We can’t do physical tests on it. We could only work on our own car and we are comfortable with the development, pretty much since Austria.
“And since the summer break, we’ve really got a grip of what direction to go in, both on the development and on the set-up.”
Clear explained that Ferrari’s form at Austin came from its own understanding of how it missed the mark at the Austrian Grand Prix in June, noting the similarity between the two venues.
He added Austin also proved that Ferrari’s upgrades at the end of the European season had worked to alleviate its mid-season slump following a misfiring Barcelona update package.
“There were things we did on the set-up; I think we got it wrong in Austria, which is a very similar circuit to Austin, funnily enough.
“Not absolutely true, but the aspects of Austin that worked for us were a result of what we didn’t get working in Austria.
“So effectively, the package was very similar. Obviously, we brought upgrades in Singapore, we brought upgrades in Italy that were generic [not track-specific].
“I think Austin was a proof of that package. But more than that, what we did correctly in Austin was correcting the errors we made in Austria in terms of set-up.”
Sport
'I love this game to the death of me' – why Tua has returned
BBC Sport looks at why Tua Tagovailoa has chosen to keep playing after his latest concussion, while the NFL’s chief medical officer explains the league’s stance.
Football
Liverpool: Trent Alexander-Arnold wants to be first full-back to win Ballon d’Or
Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos, who played at left-back, was second in the 2002 Ballon d’Or, which was won by Brazil team-mate Ronaldo after their World Cup triumph that year.
England’s Lucy Bronze, a right-back, came second to USA’s Megan Rapinoe in the women’s award in 2019.
Two full-backs have been nominated for the men’s 2024 award – Spain and Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal and Spain and Bayer Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo. The ceremony takes place on Monday.
Real Madrid are reported to be interested in signing Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract at the end of this season.
He has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup at Liverpool, his boyhood club, and made more than 300 appearances.
Former England manager Gareth Southgate occasionally played Alexander-Arnold in midfield, including during Euro 2024.
Asked how he wants to be remembered after he retires, Alexander-Arnold said: “A legend of football, someone who changed the game.
“That is the main thing that I have – ‘don’t play the game; change the game’. I want that legacy of being the greatest right-back to have played football.
“I have got to reach for the stars and that’s where I believe my ceiling can go.”
Sport
Adilson ‘Maguila’ Rodrigues dead at 66: Former boxing world title contender dies after multiple health complications
BRAZILIAN boxing legend Adilson “Maguila” Rodrigues has died aged 66.
The former heavyweight contender passed away in Sao Paulo after suffering from multiple health complications.
In 85 fights, Rodrigues won 77, lost seven, drew once and scored 61 career knockouts.
He held various Brazilian and South American titles, facing some of boxing’s best during his time.
In 1989, he was beaten by American great Evander Holyfield and George Foreman a year later, losing both in round two.
But Rodrigues also beat former cruiserweight world champion and now Sky Sports pundit Johnny Nelson in 1995.
His last fight came in 2000, losing to countryman Daniel Frank.
After retiring – 13 years later – Rodrigues was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE is a neurodegenerative disease that affects many former fighters after years of head trauma.
Symptoms include memory loss and confusion, which intensifies over time.
In 2018, with his family’s consent, Rodrigues decided to donate his brain to scientific research after his death.
It will allow researchers at the University of Sao Paulo to study the impact of repeated trauma on the brain.
Rodrigues spent his last days at the Anjos de Deus Therapeutic Center in Itu receiving specialised care.
MMA
UFC 308 cold open – MMA Fighting
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway are set to cap off UFC 308 with a generational clash for the UFC featherweight championship.
Topuria and Holloway will headline the promotion’s pay-per-view return to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. It will be featherweight champion vs. BMF champion, as Topuria defends for the first time against Holloway, a former 145-pound titleholder.
Check out the cold open for UFC 308, narrated by Ron Perlman.
Topuria captured the title with a sensational knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February to remain undefeated. Holloway delivered one of the most memorable moments in UFC history at April’s UFC 300 event, knocking out Justin Gaethje in the final second of their BMF title fight.
In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker looks to state his case for a title shot as he faces the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round matchup.
Motorsports
Wins won’t be enough to defend MotoGP title now against Martin
Francesco Bagnaia aired his frustration at suffering a slight but important loss to MotoGP title rival Jorge Martin with his run to third place in the Thailand Grand Prix sprint race.
Though the race itself went the way of Enea Bastianini, Bagnaia’s failure to defend against Martin for second place sees his rival ease his overall advantage out to 22 points with five races remaining.
It means Martin can afford to finish second in each of the remaining three grands prix and two sprint races to secure this year’s title, even if Bagnaia wins them all.
As such, Bagnaia doesn’t want to leave anything to chance in these remaining races but remained frustrated to have been overhauled by Martin in a straight fight having started from pole.
“My feeling wasn’t ideal as it was this morning,” he admitted.
“I struggled to be competitive on the braking, my fastest sectors during the weekend was sector one and three, today I was losing that.
“We luckily lost just two points and we have tomorrow to try to close this gap, because Jorge can just finish second and still be champion. We have to focus on the results and be more perfect.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Bagnaia also raised a view that Martin violated track limits enough to earn a penalty, claiming to have counted four occasions in which he strayed onto the green.
“I thought so and I started to count because when I saw it twice I thought one more is a penalty so I counted two more, but maybe I counted wrong.”
Bagnaia not seeking in-house Ducati help in title bid
Bagnaia isn’t prepared to count on other Ducati riders to side with him rather than stablemate Martin in his attempt to make it three titles in a row.
“I know it is hard to believe but I never had any help by anyone in Ducati. I always like a clean race and clean battle, I try to be as clean as possible and not touch anyone.
“Also, I don’t want any help and I will not ask for any.”
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