Many Crystal Palace fans are wondering why Jean-Philippe Mateta took our penalty against Leicester City on Saturday instead of Ebere Eze.
The Frenchman kept his composure admirably to secure a point after Ismaila Sarr did well to win the spot kick from Conor Coady, although some Crystal Palace fans were puzzled, as the England international usually steps up to take the responsibility from 12 yards.
So, why did Jean-Philippe Mateta take the penalty ahead of Ebere Eze? Let’s see what Oliver Glasner said on the matter…
Why Jean-Philippe Mateta took the penalty, not Ebere Eze
Mateta, who showed his appreciation for Jordan Ayew during Saturday’s clash, had only previously taken two penalties for Crystal Palace before the 2-2 draw against Leicester City.
The Frenchman netted from the spot in last season’s 2-1 defeat against Liverpool at Selhurst Park and the 3-0 win over Burnley at the same venue, in the same campaign, although Eze was not on the pitch in either of those fixtures.
When asked why the Crystal Palace No.10 was not the one to step up against Leicester City, Glasner told Edmund Brack of the South London Press: “We have two (penalty takers). We always talk about it before. It’s between JP Mateta and Eberechi Eze. We say, you decide on the pitch, talk together. Whoever feels better takes the delivery (penalty) and scores the goal. That’s what they did today.”
We must admit, there were visions of that squandered penalty from Christian Benteke, after the Belgian took the ball away from Luka Milivojevic in the dying stages of a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth back in December 2017 as Mateta stepped up.
Fortunately, the 27-year-old was calmer than the 33-year-old at the same end of Selhurst Park on Saturday, and slotted beyond Mads Hermansen to secure our second point of the season.
Crystal Palace fans must be patient
Of course, some fans are understandably feeling a bit underwhelmed, after a run of games against Brentford, West Ham, Chelsea and Leicester saw just two points won from a possible 12.
However, context is needed.
The summer transfer window saw a lot of upheaval, as Michael Olise, Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew all departed, while most of the new recruits arrived on deadline day just before international break, so there has not been much time for them to gel on the training ground at Copers Cope.
Hopefully, with a few more sessions on the grass under Glasner, everything will soon click for Crystal Palace.
