Crystal Palace Suffers Defeat Against Lyon in Europa League Play
The Premier League side experienced a difficult match following a slow start on the pitch.
Crystal Palace endured a tough encounter in the UEFA Europa League, suffering a 3-2 defeat away against Lyon following another poor first-half display. The English club struggled to find their rhythm early in the match, leaving them with an uphill battle against the French side.
The recent European setback compounded a difficult week for the Eagles, which also included a heavy domestic loss to their rivals Brighton. Speaking about the challenging stretch, summer signing Quinten Timber reflected on the team's performances and the immediate need for improvement.
"It was a really bad game for us, after the game I just felt bad for the fans," Timber said following their recent domestic match. "We went to the fans after the game and we know how important this game was for them, it's a derby obviously, you cannot start like that in the first ten minutes."
Palace has faced a complicated campaign as a new team adjusting to a new coach under a congested schedule. The lack of a traditional pre-season and the absence of several starters due to international tournament commitments earlier in the year have noticeably delayed the squad's tactical progression.
"We felt bad, we still feel bad, we wanna do better obviously, we're still a new team with a new coach as well so we need time to improve, but at the same time we have to perform every week so there's not really time," Timber noted. "We know we have to do better and we will work everyday to get better, and hopefully we can show in the next game that we've learnt from this game."
Despite the disappointment of the defeats against both Lyon and Brighton, players have emphasized the importance of maintaining a forward-looking mindset. With a demanding fixture list requiring matches every three to four days, the squad recognizes that the pitch is the only place to correct course.
"We have to move on and whilst you can be negative, for us it's like, 'okay, we have to get better, it cannot happen again and there's a game on Thursday where we have to perform,'" Timber added.
As the club prepares for its upcoming fixtures, including matches in Istanbul and domestic league play, management and players alike are focused on bouncing back quickly from this testing period in their European and domestic campaigns.