- Richards’ injury a potential cause for concern
- Brentford injury crisis
- How to approach Arsenal
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has provided an update on USA international Chris Richards. Richards played the full ninety minutes despite picking up an injury which looked to have ended his game.
Palace drew 2-2 with the Bees, after taking the lead through Ismaila Sarr. Dango Outtara pulled one back before Adam Wharton scored his first Palace goal.
It looked as though Palace were set for three points but Outtara popped up again late on and forced Palace to settle for a point.
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Richards’ Injury
Richards collided with Igor Thiago midway through the second half. As Richards jumped and won the header, Thiago pushed through his back, causing the Palace man to fall awkwardly, turning his ankle with Brentford’s striker also landing on it.
Richards looked to be in a lot of pain, and it was a surprise to see him come back on to the pitch and evidently play through the pain, despite the game being of little significance to the club.
Oliver Glasner spoke to the media after the game and confirmed that it was in fact an ankle injury, and that he was unable to confirm the exact severity, a worry for Palace fans.
“Chris, I think twisted his ankle. I think Thiago landed on his ankle and then it twisted. It’s quite swollen, so we have to assess it further… Hopefully he can return midweek.”
Glasner confirmed that the players would be given two days off following the draw at the G-Tech, and would return to training on Wednesday ahead of the visit of Arsenal to Selhurst Park.
Whilst the prognosis for Richards’ injury is not yet clear, a rolled ankle can either be a temporary, extremely painful injury, or cause further issues, ligament damage and fracturing which can result in an extended recovery time.
Time to be risk-averse
Not only did we see Richards collect an injury, but defensive teammates Maxence Lacroix and Chadi Riad were also withdrawn, Richards replacing the former in the 60th minute.
With both the draw at Brentford and Palace’s upcoming fixture against Arsenal holding little importance with the Conference League final on the horizon, Glasner needs to make some decisions regarding where he is willing to take risks.
The final is just three days after Sunday’s Premier League finale, and Palace simply don’t have anything to play for in terms of the league.
The focus has to be on Leipzig and ensuring that all players are fit and ready to play in what will be Palace’s biggest game to date.
