Palace 1-1 Brighton: Experience earns point for young Albion

Another season, another 1-1 draw between Crystal Palace and Brighton at Selhurst Park. For the fifth year in a row, nothing could separate Eagles or Seagulls when they met in the glamorous surroundings of Croydon.

Are we now at the stage where the Premier League should just allow the two clubs to make a cricket-style declaration before kick off that the game will finish 1-1?

This could give both teams 90 minutes valued rest and save Albion fans the time and effort of going to Selhurst, risking catching TB and every other disease from the 1800s and getting treated like cattle by the Metropolitan Police.

Those across the nation with nothing better to do with their evening four nights out from Christmas would have tuned into their televisions expecting fireworks between the two rivals.

Instead, Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton was pretty dull for the neutral with the most interesting aspect coming afterwards from Roberto De Zerbi in his post-match interview.

Before the game, De Zerbi publicly revealed he had told the Albion board that he wanted three or four new signings in January. This was a theme the seemingly frustrated Brighton head coach returned to at Selhurst.

“We concede another bad goal and we can play better and we can’t lose the ball in that way. We have to accept the policy of the club is to play with many young players,” De Zerbi said. “With the young players, you have to give them time to make mistakes.”

The phrase “policy of the club” was used a number of times. You can of course always read too much into these things and De Zerbi is a passionate bloke speaking in the heat of the moment after a frustrating draw with his club’s arch rivals.

But it sounded very much like De Zerbi would like a slightly different approach in January. That rather than signing players with potential, he would like some ready-made, more experienced individuals to strengthen his squad.

Within a couple of weeks of De Zerbi’s appointment, we wrote about the similarities between him and Gus Poyet. This interview felt very Poyet-esque, a manager wanting greater financial backing from Tony Bloom to improve his team.

Poyet and Mauricio Taricco once went so far as to turn around from the dugout to the director’s box and make a give-me-money, finger rubbing gesture at Bloom.

How far are we away from De Zerbi doing that? And what happens with this new contract he is apparently in talks with the club over, but will only sign if he feels the Albion and his own ambitions are aligned?

Ambitions which clearly involve regularly challenging for the top six and fighting to win trophies with a squad deep enough to allows that to happen.

Bloom is a man notoriously against January transfer window business; yet this January window leading into the summer has the potential to start shaping De Zerbi’s future at the Amex.

It will be fascinating to see whether Bloom values De Zerbi enough to change his approach and make those three or four signings the Albion head coach wants and needs.

Watching Palace 1-1 Brighton and you could see why De Zerbi wants more experience. The Albion gave away a dreadful goal as De Zerbi readily admitted and then needed their two elder statesman in Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck to combine for a late, deserved equaliser.

Carlos Baleba spent most of the first half running around like a headless chicken, highlighting just how much Brighton miss Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.

The Albion were never going to find like-for-like replacements for either of their world class midfielders sold in the summer.

But could they have done more than sign a raw 19-year-old with only six Ligue 1 starts based on his potential to be very good in five years time? De Zerbi probably thinks so, judging by those after match comments.

Baleba played his part in the Palace opener, simply watching Bart Verbruggen as the Albion goalkeeper had the ball at his feet rather than making a suitable angle for a pass.

Had Baleba become an option, Verbruggen might not have found himself passing straight to Michael Olise. That being said, it was a woeful attempt at playing out from the back from Verbruggen.

Olise duly made the most of the early Christmas gift, crossing to the back post for Jordan Ayew to head Palace into the lead.

Verbruggen has now made mistakes leading to goals attempting to play out from the back against Palace, Arsenal, Liverpool and Plucky Little Bournemouth.

Is Verbruggen suited to the type of football De Zerbi wants to play? Or are these errors because he cannot get into a groove, being rested to the bench every two games due to De Zerbi’s continued policy of goalkeeper rotation?

For all the Albion head coach has had to say about the January transfer window, he is the one making the decision to rotate his goalkeepers.

Steele and Verbruggen are good players yet both have not been near their best this season. It is hard to draw any conclusion other than the constant switching and swapping is the reason. Pick a number one and stick with them please, Mister De Zerbi.

The first half had been lacking in action before the goal. The second half was a different story with Brighton much improved following De Zerbi introducing Facundo Buonanotte and Welbeck for Baleba and Simon Adingra.

Buonanotte had probably his best game in an Albion shirt, which again kind of backed up De Zerbi’s point about needing more experience.

The 18-year-old Argentinian has been wildly inconsistent this season with many Brighton fans writing him off as a result.

He is though a very talented player; his tribulations have come from being a teenager adapting to a new life in a strange country thousands of miles from home.

The likes of Baleba and Buonanotte are going to be hit-and-miss at their respective ages. That is why De Zerbi wants older, wiser additions – so he can introduce the youngsters more slowly and not have to rely on them so much to win games for the Albion.

Plenty of chances came for Brighton in a second half in which they were utterly dominant. You can understand why Palace fans are frustrated with results and the football being served up at Selhurst this season.

It must be utterly demoralising to see your side handed a fluke goal by your arch rivals and then put 11 men behind the ball to try and defend a 1-0 lead – especially when you know said rivals are injury hit, down to the bare bones and potentially there for the taking.

Welbeck and Dunk had efforts blocked. Dean Henderson saved from Kaoru Mitoma and Billy Gilmour. Jack Hinshelwood skied over an opportunity crying out for the sort of clinical finish his dad provided when scoring THAT own goal from 30 yards against Colchester United on Boxing Day 2008.

As the game ticked into the final 10 minutes, it looked like Palace were going to escape with all three points. But cometh the hour, cometh the experience.

Gross curled over the sort of beautiful, curling, pinpoint cross only he is capable of in this Albion squad. The ball fell perfectly onto the head of Welbeck and he produced the sort of towering header perfectly placed into the top corner only he is capable of in this Albion squad.

Joao Pedro and Welbeck both came close to winning it but with it seemingly now a legal requirement that Palace against Brighton game must finish 1-1 at Selhurst, it came as no surprise really that further goals were not forthcoming.

The overwhelming sense afterwards amongst Albion fans was frustration at not winning mixed with relief at not losing. For De Zerbi, it just seemed to be frustration at another game without a win in which his squad was stretched to the limit.

Time to back the manager in January.