Rio Ferdinand says it was “a bit strange” seeing Crystal Palace attempt to get their 3-0 loss to Tottenham postponed on Boxing Day.
Patrick Vieira was not in the dugout in north London after testing positive for coronavirus, one of a number of cases in the Palace camp which saw them try to get the Boxing Day game called off.
The Premier League refused their request and Spurs piled on the misery as goals from Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min made it an easy afternoon for the hosts.
Prem clubs are moaning but tough sh*t – play the reserves
Palace, who saw Wilfried Zaha needlessly sent off in the first half, only made one change to their starting line-up but fielded a weakened bench with a number of players absent.
And Ferdinand thought their application to postpone the match was bizarre but is sure Palace had good reason to make the request.
“I think looking at the faces that are coming back from injury, and players that won’t necessarily be in the starting XI, especially this season, it was a bit strange to see them make an application to have the game postponed,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport.
“I’m sure it will come out in the wash at some point down the line, as to why and what the reasons were. They’re very professional there. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes.
“In this period now, I think they’re in a good position in terms of having the personnel that’s been there consistently to play. They’ve made the least changes out of the two sides.
“Making the application to change baffles me, but I don’t think they’ll be too bothered that it hasn’t been green-lighted.”
Fellow BT Sport pundit Peter Crouch feels sorry for the fans who could’ve made a wasted journey if the match had been called off last minute.
Crouch said: “In these situations, you need clarity. I was looking at social media, people were travelling from Ireland and other places. I think the decision needs to be made quicker.
“It was made too late today for everybody travelling and going to the game. There was a huge rumour it was going to get called off. If we know earlier, it would be a lot better, a lot clearer.”
The post Ferdinand ‘baffled’ by Palace’s ‘strange’ attempts to call off Spurs clash appeared first on Football365.