Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson says “everything went wrong” after they lost two key players to injury after their 4-1 defeat to Brighton.
Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi have all been ruled out for considerable time after picking up long term injuries. Eze missed the Brighton defeat, whilst Guehi and Olise both picked up knee and hamstring injuries respectively during the match.
Pressure continues to mount on Hodgson and the Palace owners after yet another defeat, which leaves the Eagles only four points off the relegation zone.
Hodgson, who subbed on the Olise before the Frenchman pulled up injured again, refused to get caught up in what the decisions behind subbing on the winger were having just returned from a long lay-off:
“It was one of those strange things where everything went wrong that could’ve gone right,” Hodgson said. “But we don’t have hindsight that’s the problem.
“It’s also be exacerbated by the fact that it’s Michael Olise there and it’s possible he could be on the bench and make an impact because you don’t want to leave your best players out. It’s damaged us.
“Secondly that’s suggesting he was carrying an injury, that was just fatigued. The medical staff have done well to get him back playing. We strode blindly ahead but it’s not easy when you have a player like Olise on the bench, there was no indication from us.”
The 76-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season, also said he understands the noise surrounding his position at the club because “it’s part of football”.
“There’s always speculation when there’s a bad run, so why should I be any different? It’s not in my control, it doesn’t affect my daily work or selecting the team and tactics.
“It’s from the outside and one has no option but to let things go by and accept it as part of football life.”
