After the Eagles’ club-record 19-game unbeaten run came to an end just shy of the October international break – a run which encompassed two major trophy victories at Wembley, and a first-ever qualification and win for European football proper in the club’s history – a new chapter begins when Bournemouth visit Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
Palace’s defeat at Everton arrived despite their general dominance of the game preceding it, but with seven games to play in the 22 days between the visits of Bournemouth and Brighton to SE25, the Manager believes everyone will grow from the adventure to follow.
“I think you don't learn it [the need to be clinical] in one, two or three games,” he said, in the embargoed section of his pre-match press conference. “You need to experience it.
“80% of our players, I don't know exactly, are not used to playing in this rhythm – also with international call-ups, because I remember when we started [in February 2024] we had 12, 13, 14 players here to train [during the international window] – now we have five.
“Our international players will have 16 weeks in a row playing every third day, so they are not used to have this. You can talk about it, whatever you want, but you have to experience it – and I know our players will learn through experiencing it, like all of us.
“You [journalists] have to write your first articles, and you get feedback and you improve by doing it. This is the same: the players will experience it. I know this group of players. They are always learning and listening, and they will get this done as well.
“This is the journey we are on. We want to play. We don't say ‘we want to throw away one competition’, this is not who we are or how we are. We want to compete in every single one, and it is for us to have this experience together.
“I will make a few mistakes, as I said, so for me, I'm always learning and getting new experiences, and then – as a group – we will improve, I'm 100% sure.”