To rotate or not to rotate? That was the question Palace fans were asking prior to the Newcastle game on Sunday. With eyes on securing a European semi-final on Thursday, possibly against his nature as a coach, Oliver Glasner made five changes to the starting line-up – one forced by injury.
The Conference League dynamic is certainly leaving players with plenty to play for in terms of places, even in the Premier League, where mid-table is a certainty.
Perhaps there was no greater beneficiary than Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was gifted the start against Fiorentina due to a suspension and had the chance to capitalise on a tiring Newcastle as a substitute.
The debate now is whether the Frenchman has already put himself back in pole position to be Glasner's starter, ahead of record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen, with his three goals in two games, albeit two from the spot. Even if it is perhaps too soon to conclude that battle either way, Palace have landed in a very strong situation up top after toiling with one available option for most of the campaign.
In a wider context, Mateta's goalscoring return to the team has added to his historical accolades. With 59 goals, he's now the 16th highest scorer in the club's history, across all competitions.
Having netted his ninth and 10th Premier League goals this season, he is now the only player other than Wilfried Zaha to have scored 10 or more goals in a top-flight season on three separate occasions. The club have only had 19 such individual tallies across the Premier League and the old First Division – those two players make up 31.5% of them.
It's unclear whether Mateta has been fully accepted back into the fold by all fans after his failed move to Serie A in January, but he has already won back the vocal majority at Selhurst Park, if Sunday was any measure.
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