Alious
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has addressed the surprise decision to withdraw Jean-Philippe Mateta at half-time during their 5-2 loss to Manchester City—revealing it was purely tactical, though one he now regrets.
The Eagles had arrived at the Etihad riding a strong wave of momentum, having won four of their last five league fixtures. Their confidence showed early as they surged to a shock 2-0 lead within the opening 21 minutes. Eberechi Eze opened the scoring, and Mateta played a key part in the second by disrupting Ederson’s positioning, allowing Chris Richards to capitalize from a corner.
However, the early advantage quickly unraveled. Manchester City struck back with two goals before the break, and continued their dominance in the second half with strikes from Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, and Nico O’Reilly, handing Palace their second-biggest Premier League defeat of the campaign.
Despite Mateta’s red-hot form—nine goals in his last ten Premier League outings—he was replaced at half-time by midfielder Will Hughes, a move that puzzled fans and pundits alike. Glasner later clarified that the change wasn’t due to injury or fitness, but a shift in tactics that ultimately didn’t pay off.
**“Not the Sub, But the System”**
“It was a tactical decision,” Glasner told reporters post-match. “Looking back, I must admit, the system change was the mistake—not the substitution of JP. We switched to a 3-5-2 to try and gain better control in the midfield, but it didn’t work as planned.”
While the Austrian manager didn’t shy away from critiquing Mateta’s display, citing lost duels and misplaced passes, he stopped short of pinning the defeat on the forward’s performance.
“JP can play better than he did in the first half. He lost too many balls and didn’t win enough challenges, so we thought it best to make a change. But if there was an error, it was the change of formation, not taking him off.”
**Mateta Eyes Return Despite Setback**
The 27-year-old striker only recently returned to action after suffering a nasty head injury in an FA Cup clash against Millwall, which required 25 stitches and left him donning a protective mask.
With another key fixture looming against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park midweek, Mateta will be eager to prove his worth once again and reclaim his place in the starting XI. Glasner’s honest reflection may offer him that chance.
Alious
