Oliver Glasner has shown he can be a ruthless figure at Crystal Palace.
The Austrian has commonly come across as a friendly face since arriving at Selhurst Park in February, although he has proven himself to be quite brutal when it comes to doing what he feels is right for Crystal Palace.
For example, the man from Salzburg turned Jordan Ayew from a regular starter into bench fodder after replacing Roy Hodgson – as the Ghana international did not fit his system – before selling him to Leicester City in an £8m deal.
Now, another Crystal Palace player could face the axe under Oliver Glasner…
Will Hughes could now struggle to make the starting XI
We believe Will Hughes may now face a lengthy period out of the starting XI after Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea.
The £6m man struggled to deal with Chelsea throughout his 50 minutes on the pitch, watching Noni Madueke easily race beyond him in the buildup to Nicolas Jackson’s goal, unable to foul the England U21 international having already been booked in just the 13th minute.
Hughes was then fortunate not to be sent off after dragging Cole Palmer down in the 48th minute, before Glasner realised his No.19 was walking a tightrope and hauled him off for Cheick Doucoure in the 50th minute.
However, it is not so much a case of what Hughes did wrong, but more a case about the many things Doucoure did right.
Cheick Doucoure transformed Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge
The Mali international was playing his first substantial chunk of game time in the Premier League since that severe achilles injury against Luton Town back in November – having only been given six minutes in the clash against Brentford and left out vs West Ham – but performed like a man who had never been away.
Doucoure transformed Crystal Palace into a side who were frequently being split open by Chelsea, to a team who suddenly bossed the midfield battles.
WhoScored shows that the Malian made two successful tackles, one interception, one clearance, one dribble and zero fouls in his 40 minutes of action. In stark contrast, Hughes committed three fouls, made just one tackle and one interception, but recorded no dribbles or clearances.
It speaks volumes that both the Crystal Palace No.28 and Adam Wharton were involved in Eberechi Eze’s stunning equaliser, as the pair of holding midfielders felt comfortable enough to push forward, knowing they had Chelsea where they wanted them.
All of this goes without mentioning that Jefferson Lerma is also fighting for one of the two central midfield spots.
Hughes even seemed to be aware of his fate when coming off, putting his head in his hands as he trudged towards the bench – where he may now be staying for the considerable future unless Wharton or Doucoure suffer injuries.
