Crystal Palace have gotten their Europa League campaign off to a flying start after brushing Polish Champions Lech Poznań aside. Despite a bright start and a flurry of opportunities for the visitors, Palace took the lead early on, before striking twice before the halftime whistle.

A controlled second forty five with a whole host of changes saw Palace see out the victory, scoring a fourth goal shortly after Lech went down to ten men. Whilst the scoreline looks great for Palace, as to their second place standing in the league phase after the conclusion of matchday one, there were a handful of key learning points. 

Pierre Sage will undoubtedly be pleased with the result, but maintain the stance he’s had throughout the opening weeks of the season that there is always room for improvement, so let’s discuss those areas. 

Whilst Palace managed to keep just their second clean sheet of the season, Walter Benítez was very much responsible for that, and had it not been for his six saves, Palace may well have conceded at least once. 

The overall quality, or lack thereof in Lech’s finishing let Palace off the hook, but where were these chances coming from and how can they be minimised. 

Almost all of Lech’s shots came from in front of the goal, with 8 of their 17 attempts coming from outside the box. Lech’s quality in their finishing was virtually non-existent, meeting the target with just six efforts, all of which Benítez was equal to. 

The spaces between the central defenders and equally between them and the midfielders have caused issues for Palace, which we highlighted in a deep dive earlier in the week. 

Palace were bypassed through the centre of the pitch far too easily in the opening minutes of the game, which led to a glorious chance for Ishak to put the visitors ahead. 

The relationship and fluidity between Quinten Timber and Adam Wharton improved as the game developed, and those spaces became more limited for Lech, but there is still work to do to build the fluidity in defensive transitions. 

When he was signed in the Summer, many fans took the view that Palace were resorting to a final option after missing out on Mamadou Sangaré and Lamine Camara. However, in just four games, he’s proven his worth and some. 

The energy that he brings to the midfield is something that Palace potentially didn’t know they were missing, and it’s added a huge amount to Palace both on and off the ball.

The way he wins the ball back consistently, but crucially maintains possession when tackling. His speed and reading of the game sees him play a great role in the counter press, as he’s able to step high and consistently win the ball from the opposition. 

Timber stands out in games because he covers so much ground, and he always seems to be at the centre of play whether that is defensively or when Palace are attacking. If he can continue to build his relationship with Wharton, the pair could become a really well balanced midfield duo. 

Under Oliver Glasner, Palace often channeled the majority of their attacking play down the right hand side, utilising the attacking endeavour of Daniel Muñoz and Ismaïla Sarr just ahead of him to create chances and score goals. 

That trend has carried into Glasner’s time at Nottingham Forest, where Muñoz has become the Red’s main attacking creator. 

At times, this meant that Pino was often struggling to impact games, but under Sage, that has changed. The Spaniard put in a confident performance against Lech, demanding the ball and consistently threatening a backline which had shown that it could be got at. 

He took his goal with superb composure, and was vital in the way that Palace attacked their opponent, showing his technical flair as he danced beyond the defence to win the penalty that led to the third goal which killed the game. 

He took 91 touches, second only to Adam Wharton with 97, both considerably higher than the rest of the squad. That demonstrates his importance to the side, but also how Sage is potentially encouraging play to channel down the left hand side. 

A consistent criticism of Pino’s play is that he gives the ball away too often, and whilst that trend did continue last night, the eye test tells us that this is down to the passes and movements he attempts more so than a lack of technical finesse. 

What stood out in this game was the license and freedom that he had to step forward and stay forward. Pino’s heatmap shows that the majority of his work was done in the final third, staying high and close to Strand Larsen, who he appears to have an excellent relationship with both on and off the pitch, despite his frustrations that he wasn’t allowed to take the penalty he won. 

Despite this, Pino continued to create for the side, and was far and away the best player on the pitch. If he can continue to put up that level of performance, he’s going to play a vital role for Palace this season. 

The criticism that the new manager faced when he made the call to drop Jaydee Canvot from the squad last weekend was loud, suggesting that he was making an error in punishing a young player for mistakes he’d made that had cost the side. 

However, given the nature of the performance that Canvot put in when he came onto the pitch, it’s fair to say that it worked a treat. Sage had never suggested that the dropping of any of his squad was a punishment, but more so a way for him to show the players that he wants more from them. 

Palace are in unfamiliar territory with a larger squad than fans are used to, and this means that players will inevitably miss out on occasion. What it does do is raise the standards, as players have to fight for their places in each matchday squad, whereas in the past the starting eleven and bench effectively picked itself. 

This improvement was also seen in Dwight McNeil’s cameo too. He entered the game and demanded the ball, showing attacking intent and creativity. He was unlucky not to assist Eddie Nketiah just moments after coming on, but later played the pass which opened the Lech defence for the fourth goal.

What we can read into this is the players who are willing to step up and fight for their place in the side, and those who are not. Evann Guessand wasn’t selected for the squad, which could show that he lacks the same perseverance and willingness to fight for a position that McNeil and Canvot have. 

The overall learning point from this is that Sage is by no means a bad man manager, but in fact his expectations and demands of his players can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the side.