Crystal Palace finally got their Premier League season underway, but it didn’t go quite to plan for Oliver Glasner and his side.
The Eagles made the short trip across London to take on Brentford, in search of three points on the opening weekend.
It was the Bees who made the quicker start though, with Bryan Mbuemo’s curling effort beating the outstretched hand of Dean Henderson.
Controversy struck as Eberechi Eze’s free-kick effort was disallowed for a foul in the build-up, though VAR couldn’t overturn the decision due to an early whistle blown by the referee.
Palace did eventually hit back in the second half as Ethan Pinnock turned the ball into his own net.
But it was Brentford who got the last laugh as Yoanne Wissa tucked the ball home in the final 15 minutes to win the match.
It ended in far from ideal fashion for Oliver Glasner, as the Crystal Palace boss looks to pick his side back up.
Supporters got their first glimpse of new signing Daichi Kamada from the tie, which brought about mixed feelings on his debut.
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Daichi Kamada debut verdict
Kamada made his debut for Crystal Palace against Brentford, where he showed signs of quality but struggled to impact the overall game.
It left some of the supporters torn over the star signing, who has reunited with Glasner over the summer.
“Kamada’s off-the-ball movement was better than anyone else’s,” one supporter said. “Other players are not using Kamada well. Anyone who doesn’t understand how good Kamada is doesn’t understand football.”
Another fan was hopeful that the Japanese international will be found more regularly by his teammate, saying: “Kamada’s attacking game will come when the team learn to find him, his movement is unreal. However he’s also not up to the pace of the league, he’s not a worry to me.”
Others from the Crystal Palace faithful were less than pleased, with one fan stating: “Kamada isn’t the answer, slows everything down.”
“We’d be so much better with Rak-Sakyi there than Kamada,” said one fan, while another claimed: “Wow Kamada was absolutely horrendous.”
It leaves the Selhurst Park faithful torn over the impact of Kamada, though there is plenty of time left for the attacking midfielder to show his best qualities for the club.
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Crystal Palace will grow into the season
It’s far from ideal start from Crystal Palace, but the reality is that a slow start may be expected as they look to grow into the season.
With so many players away during the off-season, with some key stars arriving late to pre-season, it may take more time to get up to speed.
Add to that the loss of Michael Olise and the new signings added to the mix, it will be a situation where Palace grow into the season rather than picking up where they left off under Glasner.
