Crystal Palace academy prospect Jesurun Rak-Sakyi was substituted at half-time in the 3-0 loss to Manchester United and Roy Hodgson has explained why he made the early tactical change.
He shared his reasons after the game.
So, why did Roy Hodgson take Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi off early in the match? Let’s take a look…
Roy Hodgson reveals why Rak-Sakyi was subbed vs Man Utd
Roy Hodgson handed Palace prospect Rak-Sakyi a start in the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday night before he was pulled off at halftime.
The substitution was one which would have worried Palace fans as it was an opportunity for Rak-Sakyi, who has excited Palace fans, to show what he could do.
Speaking to LondonNewsOnline after the game, Hodgson shared why Rak-Sakyi was taken off early. He said: “If it was a question of taking people off who had not had a good first half, he wouldn’t have been alone, so it wasn’t a question of that at all.
“It was a question of deciding that the best way for us to stem the tide of some of their attacks and maybe give ourselves a slightly better chance of putting the pressure on from the front was to play with two front players.
“That meant playing with the three midfield players and adding an extra centre-back. Jes was the one who had to be sacrificed as a result. Can he take something from the game? Of course he will.
“He’s a young player and it’s really tough ask for him to come into a team that’s already several changes in the team and then to be asked to perform here in front of the Man United crowd against a very good Man United team.”
Crystal Palace could regret Jesurun Rak-Sakyi decision
It feels like the man management of Rak-Sakyi in yesterday’s Carabao Cup fixture was not the best. The 20 year-old is highly-rated by many but is not Premier League level at this current time.
So far this season, the winger has been barely used. He has now managed 100 minutes in the Carabao Cup but in the Premier League, he has only been on the pitch for seven minutes this season.
With the Eagles now out of the Carabao Cup, it is really hard to picture Rak-Sakyi getting many minutes until January.
With the Eagles losing 2-0 at half-time it does make sense to change the team, but it felt cruel that Rak-Sakyi was the one who had to be sacrificed.
During the summer transfer window, the player had lots of interest. Reports suggested that many Championship sides wanted to take him on loan. With Palace not making many attacking signings and Michael Olise injured, Rak-Sakyi has suffered.
Instead of finding a winger ready for the division, the Eagles have blocked the loan move of the youngster and it has really backfired. Now, he is getting barely any game time. Being subbed off at half-time will not help his confidence.
A loan move would have been ideal as it would have helped his growth. We saw his quality on loan in League One and he needed to be tested in the Championship to see what he was capable of.
