Former Crystal Palace defender Joel Ward believes the Eagles have the squad to bounce back from a tough start in the Premier League, and to go deep into the Europa League.
Joel Ward says it’s a “privelege” for Crystal Palace to be playing in Europe for the second season in a row, and believes the Eagles can once again enjoy a long, successful campaign in the Europa League.
Palace are coming off the back of two hugely successful seasons, having won the 2025 and thereby qualifying for the 2025-26 UEFA Europa Conference League. They went on to win that competition last season, beating Rayo Vallecano in the final.
They are now playing in the Europa League, and are priced at 16/1 to win Europe’s second tier cup competition.
“The fixture schedule is congested, so it’s not easy for a club like Palace who wouldn’t have as big a squad as an Arsenal or a Manchester City, but playing in Europe and having those extra games is a result of being successful, so it’s a privilege,” Ward says in our exclusive interview with the former Palace defender.
“The hardest thing as a player is not only being fit for every game, but also be able to perform at your highest level when you have so many games in a short period of time. The players have all the necessary help around them in terms of recovery between games, but it does take its toll on the body, and other clubs such as Sunderland are finding that out as well. You have to be robust to be able to play week in, week out, but I think once everybody is fit, Palace have the depth and quality to handle it.”
Palace are currently in the Premier League’s relegation zone after losing six of their opening nine matches of the season. Pierre Sage’s side lost 2-0 to Tottenham last weekend but Ward believes they can put together a run of form once their key players return from injury.
“It’s been a really slow start, but it was a similar situation a few years ago after the World Cup,” he says. “So many of the players were involved, and a few of them came back late and were at different stages in terms of fitness and injuries, so it’s not easy. Ismaila Sarr and Mateta are two massive players for Palace, so to be without them early on was a massive blow.
“Having said all that, it only takes one or two good results to shift the momentum, so hopefully we can get back to where we need to be. We definitely have the squad to do it, so it’s just a case of finding that cohesion and consistency and cutting out the errors at the back, which seem to be leading to goals of late.
“I’m not overly worried, though, because I know how hard that group of players are working to turn things around, and the quality is definitely there to start winning games and be moving forward again.”
Key to Palace’s fight against relegation will be defender Tyrick Mitchell. The English left-back was singled out for praise by Ward, who believes he is the best one-on-one defender in the Premier League.
“Tyrick Mitchell goes under the radar for me at times, and he’s a hugely important player for Crystal Palace. His ability gets overlooked in my opinion because I don’t think there’s a better one-on-one defender in the Premier League,” Ward says. “He shuts up shop against some of the trickiest and most dangerous wingers in world football, and I do think he can get even better, particularly going forward.
“Tyrick is somebody who is relentless in terms of how he looks after himself, and as a result, he’s robust and can play a lot of games. It’s no surprise that a few of the top teams are looking closely at him, but hopefully Palace can keep hold of him because I think he has even more to come.”
