Let's talk about the Premier League for the first time today: Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United!
On the surface, there is a big gap between the two sides: Crystal Palace look hopeless, while Newcastle look looking to qualify for the Champions League.
But the question is: do Newcastle really want European qualification?
At the moment, the difference between 6th and 9th places in the Premier League is not large, and generally speaking, the top 6 to 7 can go to European competition, so the competition still looks quite fierce.
But here's the thing: Newcastle probably don't want to play in Europe at all.
First, games like the Europa Conference League and Europa League are of little significance to the Premier League powerhouses.
The Europa League may still be a bit of a chicken rib, and the Europa Conference League is a pure drag.
In fact, as the Premier League becomes more and more valuable.
Even a top-level competition like the Champions League has lost its charm in the eyes of some Premier League title contenders, and even just fooled around twice and went through the motions.
Second, Newcastle may not dare to play in European competitions either.
Newcastle coach Eddie Howe's "black magic" tactics are indeed strong, but because the intensity of the confrontation is too high and the physical load is too great, it is difficult to withstand the two-front battle.
For example, they finished fourth in the Premier League last season, their best result since Sir Robson's time.
But this season, since the start of the Champions League, Newcastle have missed double-digit injuries in almost every game.
In fact, Newcastle have been the team most affected by injuries this season.
They have a total of 32 injuries and a total of 1,426 days out of the game, both of which are the highest in the Premier League.
To make matters worse, Newcastle did not dare to bring in reinforcements for fear of the PSR bill, and did not sign anyone in the winter window to make up for the loss of injuries.
As a result, some of their players were forced to play with injuries.
For example, Longstaff, who was sprayed by fans recently, actually played with an injury, and even had a closed injection, and he was fighting with an overdraft of his professional life.
Newcastle's injury profile continues to be serious today: 10 injuries are struggling, eight of them confirmed, with only Kieran Trippier and Wilson likely to feature.
Eddie Howe may need to think about whether to continue to overdraft his players to fight for a Europa League qualification, or to be less utilitarian and better for the players?
Crystal Palace is different.
They are in their honeymoon phase after the change of manager, and they are in very good spirits.
It's worth noting: they're very similar to the Lazio we talked about yesterday.
Let's say that Lazio just started to play three central defenders after playing in a back four formation for three years and 139 games.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, began to transform into a three-centre-back after playing in a back four formation for seven years and 276 games.
Therefore, when I first changed the formation, I played very poorly, and I had 2 draws, 3 losses and five consecutive wins.
But recently they have rebounded, played two good wins, and the team's confidence is not the same, and this kind of team that is on the rise may play beyond market expectations.
So, although the first meeting between the two sides was a big win for Newcastle, it seems that there is a big difference in strength.
But this time, what do you think of whether Palace will be able to satisfy the home fans?
Well, for today's other competitions, Xiaojiu will still send you text analysis in the evening. If there is anything unclear, you can ask me, "Watch the ball and see clearly", we will see you soon!
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