‘They did nothing’ – Roy Hodgson digs out youngsters for making Crystal Palace WEAKER in remarkable rant
Three young Crystal Palace players were brutally dragged out by Roy Hodgson after Friday’s Premier League loss to Tottenham.
In an attempt to invigorate his club, the seasoned manager started three of his young players, but he claimed that they “did nothing” following the side’s home defeat.
During the first half, the home team did have some promising moments. Guglielmo Vicario’s saves kept Crystal Palace players Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard at bay for Tottenham.
Joel Ward’s own goal, however, broke the scoreless draw immediately after the interval in the 53rd minute when he diverted James Maddison’s cross into his own net. Soon after, Spurs’ in-form skipper Heung-min Son made it 2-0.
Deep into stoppage time, Ayew eventually scored a consolation goal, but Palace’s tenacious effort in the first half was undone by a careless and lethargic display in the second half.
When Hodgson pulled young players Jes Rak-Sakyi, 21, Naouirou Ahamada, 21, and Matheus Franca, 19, off the bench, he was attempting to address that.
However, as the manager made evident in his press conference following the game, they did not have the desired effect and in fact rendered Palace “weaker.” Ahh…
Hodgson responded, “There was no disappointment today,” when asked if he was happy with his team’s effort following their 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle the previous week.
However, he went on to say, “Maybe the youthful replacements, in whom we like to assume we can put our faith and trust, didn’t demonstrate that.
£26 million summer addition Among the players who Hodgson picked out was Franca.
“I felt that our first half was quite controlled and aggressive, but obviously the first goal leads to a second,” he remarked.
“At that point, we started starting players—Jes, Ahamada, and Franca—who hadn’t really played with the first team, and we lost the energy we had in the first half.
“In the end, it became simple for Tottenham to win the match.”
Hodgson did, however, concede that he “feels sorry for Franca,” the attacker from Brazil who signed with the team in the summer after leaving Flamengo and was considered as a Wilfried Zaha substitute.
Arriving with a reputation as a “wonderkid,” Palace paid £26 million to buy him, which is the second-highest transfer fee in the club’s history, only surpassed by the £27 million paid for Christian Benteke.
Hodgson reiterated that the adolescent “needs to be given time” to get used to the London club, saying he felt the teenager has been “imbued” with attributes he doesn’t yet possess yet.