Dean Henderson quickly became a beloved figure in south London, notably after his penalty save secured Crystal Palace’s FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City last season. The England international further endeared himself to fans by visiting a local pub, where he bought £1,000 worth of drinks, as supporters celebrated August’s Community Shield penalty shootout victory against Liverpool.
Now captain, following Marc Guéhi’s January transfer to Manchester City after Palace’s FA Cup humiliation by non-league Macclesfield, Henderson might be perplexed by the swift decline in fortunes at Selhurst Park. Last week, during the initial leg of the Conference League playoff against Zrinjski Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fans turned on manager Oliver Glasner, demanding his dismissal after an unconvincing 1-1 draw.
At the start of Sunday’s 1-0 win against Wolves – only Palace’s second victory in 16 matches – a banner displayed in the Holmesdale End criticized the club’s board, lamenting “missed opportunities” since their inaugural major trophy win at Wembley last May. It also declared Glasner as “finished” after his earlier advice to fans to “stay humble.”
Glasner maintained a composed demeanor as he looked ahead to Thursday’s second leg against Zrinjski, having reportedly forged another uneasy agreement with Palace chairman Steve Parish to complete his contract until the season’s end, leaving Henderson to deliver the team’s call to action.
“Unity is crucial, I believe,” Henderson stated. “It has been a challenging period, and I feel the players bear significant responsibility, as we must perform better, above all else. For various reasons, we faced too many injuries and simply couldn’t manage the fixture congestion and the caliber of opponents in the Premier League over the past couple of months.”
He continued, “Now that everyone is back and we have a full squad, we’ve started achieving some positive results, so hopefully, that can invigorate the club. We’re competing in European football… and this should be a moment for everyone to unite and savor it.”
Henderson also urged, “It’s time to alter the narrative and truly appreciate these moments, as they are rare, instead of focusing on negativity.”
A concern Glasner expressed after the first leg was that some players might be looking ahead to future transfers – a sentiment many Palace supporters may feel applies to him as well. Jean-Philippe Mateta, whom Glasner anticipates returning soon from a knee injury that prevented his January move to Milan, along with Adam Wharton, Daniel Muñoz, and the expiring contract of Daichi Kamada, are among those linked with summer departures. Henderson, expected to serve as Jordan Pickford’s understudy at the World Cup, issued a stern warning to any player not fully committed.
“If you don’t perform well, you won’t secure the move you desire, so they must be very cautious,” he cautioned. “I’m not privy to any of that, but I would advise them to be careful if such thoughts are on their minds.”
Wharton’s performance has noticeably declined recently, but Glasner highlighted that the England midfielder has already logged over 1,000 more minutes than he did last season, largely due to Palace’s participation in the Conference League.
“Players are adapting to an entirely new phase in their careers,” he explained. “I recall discussing this with Eddie Howe at Newcastle when they first competed in the Champions League. They struggled significantly, and I consulted him about his experiences. Yet, we currently boast the second-highest points tally ever [at this stage for Palace].”
“We have European competitions, and we faced substantial injury issues late last year. We had Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations], and there was considerable speculation in every transfer window, so when I consider the broader context of everything that has transpired, it’s truly remarkable where we stand right now.”
Palace trails eighth-placed Bournemouth by three points in the Premier League, and Glasner maintains that his successor could find the team in Europe again next season. He previously led Eintracht Frankfurt to a Europa League victory in 2022 before a falling out with the club’s hierarchy the subsequent season, despite reaching the German Cup final; he now aims for a fourth final in five seasons. However, perhaps prudently, given Palace’s struggles against defensive opponents, he refrained from boldly predicting that Palace could win the competition before Zrinjski’s upcoming visit.
“For 120 years, Crystal Palace has entered every cup competition with the intention of winning it,” he remarked. “This current group of players achieved that last year. Every team will compete, but only one can claim the trophy in the end, so it’s pointless to discuss it now.”