Why have Crystal Palace not won a league game after an international break under Glasner?

The international break might offer some degree of respite for Premier League squads, but it also carries a warning for Crystal Palace.

Their 12 call-ups during this break will be welcomed and celebrated as a measure of the club’s increasing stature, strong recruitment and impressive performances cultivated by manager Oliver Glasner.

Eight of the 11 starters in their most recent Premier League match — the goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion — earned recognition from their national teams during the November break. Only Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Tyrick Mitchell remained behind.

From their substitutes’ bench, a further three call-ups were received, with Walter Benitez (Argentina), Yeremy Pino (Spain) and Justin Devenny (Northern Ireland) travelling to join their national teams.

Marc Guehi was with England before a bruised bone in his foot that kept him out of the squad for the Brighton game prompted his withdrawal. Richards would have earned recognition from the United States’ men’s national team but his calf issue is being carefully managed.

Palace will be proud of the progress. Their players will test themselves not just domestically against the best, but on the world stage, too.

There is, however, a caveat to the celebrations and the recognition may come at a cost. Palace have found it challenging to return to Premier League action after international breaks since Glasner took over in February last year.

Only once have they won after the break, in the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham last season. That was an impressive victory, but in the league, they are without a win in six attempts — drawing on five of those occasions and losing 1-0 against Nottingham Forest in October last year.

Those games were ones Palace might have expected to emerge victorious in. A 1-1 draw against Forest followed the first break under Glasner, followed by a 2-2 draw with Leicester City in September last year. Then came that defeat against Forest a month later, and a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa in the November break, before the Fulham win in March. This season, they drew 0-0 with Sunderland in September and then drew 3-3 against Bournemouth last month.

Palace thrive on momentum and rhythm, aspects Glasner has spoken about repeatedly. His side relies on a settled system, with everyone knowing what is required and implementing that game after game. As tiring as the packed schedule can be, it offers familiarity and Palace tend to benefit from that.

Interrupt their flow and it becomes more of a challenge. His sides typically start seasons slowly, as evidenced by Palace’s record-breaking winless run last year. Once they become accustomed to Glasner’s demands and learn to work within his system, they can build consistency. Avoiding too much change is crucial.

However, there can be a drop-off, too. Training sessions are physically demanding, not to mention their rapid, transition-heavy style in matches. Without rotation, there is a psychological toll as well, a need for a reset back into club football.

Palace are simply not accustomed to having so many players away. Even after 12 full seasons of Premier League football, they are still adapting.

Four of their 12 regulars are frequently travelling to Colombia (Daniel Munoz and Jefferson Lerma), Japan (Daichi Kamada) and the U.S. (Richards). Palace have never needed to contend with this problem before, even if it reflects positively on their progress.

Daniel Munoz in action for Colombia last month (Matthew Visinsky/Getty Images)

The summer of 2024 highlighted that, and when combined with the player turnover and it being Glasner’s first pre-season, there was huge disruption. Eight of their squad were involved deep into international tournaments and did not return until late in the summer, leaving them unprepared for the new campaign. They subsequently suffered from their slow start.

Many of those same players have been involved again on international duty over the last week. Lerma and Munoz, who were losing finalists in Copa America with Colombia that summer, were away. So too was Kamada. Jean-Philippe Mateta was with France.

The England trio of Dean Henderson, Adam Wharton and Guehi, who were Euro 2024 runners-up, were also back with their country. Pino, who joined in the summer, was with Spain. Jaydee Canvot, who deputised for Guehi against Brighton, was away with France Under-21s.

But there is some good news. Those who have remained behind were rested for the first week of the break. Glasner, unlike earlier in his managerial career, tries to afford his players time off wherever possible to allow them to recharge. Not just physically, but psychologically — something on which he places great emphasis.

Once this break is over, there is a run of uninterrupted domestic fixtures until March, when players will once again go away on international duty. Palace will hope that allows them to build momentum again.

Next up is Saturday’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Premier League’s bottom side. They are without a win this season, but have just appointed a new manager, Rob Edwards. In theory, this should be the most winnable game for Palace, even with the number of players who have been away.

But their post-break history suggests that it would be unwise to take anything for granted.