In the first half of the 2025/26 Premier League season, Crystal Palace performed actively in both European competitions and the Premier League, winning frequently. However, at the time of writing, Palace’s last league win came on December 7, and a historic FA Cup defeat to Macclesfield marked the current negative perception of Palace’s form.

Crystal Palace showed excellent form against Macclesfield

In an early kick-off of the FA Cup on Saturday 10 January, Crystal Palace travel to Macclesfield, currently in the National League North. The game proved to be one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history, with the biggest disparity between teams in the football pyramid, with the lowest-ranked team prevailing.

Many noted that Crystal Palace showed good form in this game and although the home team narrowly won, some felt their victory was well deserved. Although most were left out of the starting lineup, Oliver Glasner made use of experienced Premier League players, including Will Hughes.

In addition, England internationals Mark Gay and Adam Walton started. However, the current state of Crystal Palace makes many players lack confidence, and coupled with the fatigue of the schedule, the performance against the Silk People was somewhat lackluster.

Macclesfield’s win also added an emotional element to a tightly contested game following the recent death of 21-year-old forward Ethan McLeod in a car crash.

Crystal Palace’s form hit a new low heading into this game, with manager Oliver Glasner saying their performance “lacked everything”.

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Why are the Eagles in trouble?

After such a long period without a win, many are wondering where Crystal Palace’s form has changed after such a strong start to both the league and European football.

One point of contention at Crystal Palace relates to recruitment. Oliver Glasner has previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the club’s summer recruitment, saying it resulted in a limited squad.

However, Glasner has also underutilized a number of players in his squad, providing another potential reason for Palace’s form. The Crystal Palace manager seems unhappy with the likes of Bona Sosa, giving them limited game time and increasing the workload on the likes of Tyreke Mitchell.

The two factors highlighted above lead to another factor in Crystal Palace’s form. Some players, including Jean-Philippe Mateta, are not currently setting the standard expected of them. Mata himself also missed many opportunities that might have scored before.

Furthermore, Crystal Palace’s form, like that of AFC Bournemouth, may be partly due to the lack of clarity over the future of head coach Oliver Glasner, with several clubs bidding for his services and Glasner currently unwilling to sign a new contract.

With games against Wolves, Burnley and Nottingham Forest looming, fans will be hoping for a positive turn in Crystal Palace’s form. If results continue to not improve, further investigation into how to improve may occur.

Crystal Palace’s form is also likely to improve in the coming weeks due to the January transfer window. The club may make further additions to strengthen the squad following the arrival of Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur.

Eagles fans are completely dissatisfied with the current state of affairs and rightfully so, with the Eagles having quality in their ranks but no performance on the field. The next few weeks appear to be key for the team to turn their form around and fans will hope they can do just that in order to climb up the table.

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Credit: IMAGO/Professional Sports Photos

Record date: January 7, 2026