RabiuWhy Crystal Palace’s Conference League Win is Bad News For 4 English Clubs
Crystal Palace celebrate after winning the Conference League
A fascinating thread has emerged explaining why Crystal Palace’s UEFA Conference League victory is bad news for four English clubs in particular.
Crystal Palace took on Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on Wednesday evening at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany.
Oliver Glasner was looking to end his stint at the south London club on a high and that’s what he did as his side triumphed 1-0.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal of the game in the 50th minute as Palace won just the second major trophy in their history and their first European title.
Four English Clubs Impacted By Palace’s Victory
Crystal Palace celebrate with the Conference League trophyPalace’s triumph has impacted how next season’s Carabao Cup will operate, with four English clubs affected, as explained by BBC Sport rules expert Dale Johnson.
Palace were due to enter next season’s competition in the second round after finishing 15th in the Premier League. However, their victory, which has seen them qualify for next season’s Europa League, means they will now enter in the third round, alongside the other eight English clubs that will compete in Europe.
To ensure there are 23 teams that qualify for the third round of the Carabao Cup, Crawley Town, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers and York City must now play a preliminary round. These matches will take place a week before the first round.
Because the first and second rounds are regionalised, two of these sides must be placed in the southern half and two in the north.
However, this could cause an issue. Crawley are in the south, while the other three teams are based in the north of England.
Tranmere, based in Merseyside, are the most southern team of the trio, but their position close to the west coast does not make it more accessible than Rochdale or York to most.
Johnson theorises that the EFL could now hold an open draw to see which of Tranmere, Rochdale and York play Crawley – and thus must feed into the southern section of the draw.
The whole scenario is set to cause serious logistical problems with some teams having to travel great distances for their matches.
Dean Henderson Pays Tribute to Oliver GlasnerOliver Glasner with the Conference League trophy
Palace captain Dean Henderson was full of praise for Glasner after their triumph. He said, per Palace’s official website: “There’s a mixture of emotions,” Henderson added. “It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders, obviously, because you want to deliver when you’re under pressure. I had no doubt that the boys would do that today.”
I felt that we missed a few chances, but thankfully it went our way. The best team deserved to win and I think we were on the night. We’ve got back what we deserved from last season. It’s a fairytale.
“The manager has been incredible. He deserves his send-off and I think this is how it should have ended. I’m so happy for him as well.”
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