Crystal Palace open crucial season in Community Shield vs. Liverpool as uncertain European campaign awaits

Trophies can be forever, but the same cannot be said for the teams who win them, especially those who beat their weight to collect the medals of winners.

These are the teams that are usually picked apart by parties that score higher than them in the proverbial food chain, which accentuates the wave between the super clubs and the rest in a certain competition. During a summer in which the historic double -winning season of Bayer Leverkusen was really a thing of the past and Bournemouth separated with a series of talented players for the simple performance of the ninth, Crystal Palace were not ready to be saved. The name of Ebereechi Eze was thrown into the rumor mill and was the same for Marc Guehi and Jean-Philippe Mateta. While the Eagles is preparing for the FA Community Shield against Liverpool, however, each of those players will wear the blue and red striped shirt that they were wearing last season – and it seems unlikely that one of them will soon do an outfit change.

Instead, a different season of Primeurs in Palace awaits. The ownership debacle that, awaiting a legal statement, has kicked them out of the UEFA Europa League and sent them to the UEFA Conference League, the Eagles will play in the European competition for the first time this season, a new series of experiences in ringing for the Palace Faithful and the players who have earned the reward. It also offers a brand new opportunity for a team that is only a few months away from their very first trophy-a chance to prove themselves under some of the European top teams and to collect the performance and glory that should collect. The fact that manager Oliver Glasner will also work with his core group again means that Palace can really leave their mark in Europe this season and add some freshness to a series of competitions that have rewarded the usual suspects.

Mapping an upward route

The players of Palace have taken a good deal about Glasner’s attack -oriented playing style, one in which the team travels to their opponents and at the same time prioritizes the second balls. Eze remains the striking player of Palace and last season set a career-best campaign together with 14 goals in all competitions, and he has not been the only-Mateta, perhaps the largest beneficiary of Glasner’s tactics, scored 30 goals because the Austria was linked in May 2024 with the FA Cup passing. An unfinished product.

Last season, the Palace of Glasner only scored 51 league goals, a mid-table output for a MidTabil team and about average for them in terms of their general goals per campaign since return to the Premier League in the 2013-14 season. However, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic – Palace was in the top 10 of the Premier League last season in a handful of attacking statistics, including the expected goals. The Eagles are in seventh place for expected goals with 61.22 in the 2024-25 campaign and were arranged fifth for shot at the target percentage, which demonstrates efficiency that makes them one of the most fascinating teams in England. It is a strong base on which Glasner and the company can build, especially considering Eze and Mateta, including Selhurst Park -Stam guests.

However, there are questions that should be asked if the current team of Palace is strong enough to end only their second top half since they returned to the Premier League for the 2013-14 season. The uncertainty of ownership probably has Palace’s ability to make additions to the Roster, the team probably only added goalkeeper Walter Benitze and left -wing wing -back Borna Sosa this season and Glasner publicly admitted that he “promised” more. SOSA will be counted to add another dimension to the attack of Palace, just as Daniel Munoz has on the right, but the 27-year-old has not made a name for himself, despite experience in the Bundesliga and Serie A.

Palace’s European Hope

Palace may have their imperfections, but if a competent Premier League team is a meaningful run in Europe. Just as it is for every other team in the competition, Palace wants a favorable competition to set up a successful first European outing, but the opportunities are already in their favor. Most heavyweights in Europe earned a place this season in the UEFA Champions League and Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League win and Chelsea’s Conference League Triumph show that paths to the top are quite clear for English sides.

However, the side of Glasner is the rare Midthable Premier League team that gets the chance to measure itself against other European enemies. It is easy to attract the argument that for the richer and historically successful teams of England, deep runs in European competition is expected; That is less the case for Palace, especially because new ownership is accompanied by its inherent uncertainties. The Eagles will also have to compete for the first time in the club’s history with the balance between European competition and domestic game, which can decrease, even if Glasner and some of his players may have experienced it elsewhere. This applies in particular to those who are detained in the Europe or Conference competitions, held on to the rapid reversal of the Thursday-Sunday schedule.

Even with layers of uncertainty, however, Palace may no longer be a normal mid -table Premier League side. The signs are clear that Glasner could build the next rising side of England, who will make potential matchups against their more striking European enemies of exciting litmus spests for the foundation that the manager has built in the past year and whether there is actually room for the group, as it currently exists, to grow.