Crystal Palace fans have been put through the wringer this season, whether in the form of humbling defeats to bitter rivals, mounting injury lists or turgid football that resulted in Roy Hodgson's dismissal last month.
However, there is cause for optimism in the arrival of Austrian coach Oliver Glasner, who guided Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory just a couple of years ago.
The 49-year-old's tenure got off to a brilliant start with a draw at Goodison Park and a comfortable win over Burnley at Selhurst Park, but the last game against Tottenham Hotspur was less than ideal.
The Eagles managed to take the lead through the brilliance of Eberechi Eze but found themselves 3-1 down within the space of 11 minutes toward the end of the game.
No one player is to blame for the result, but Jean-Philippe Mateta was notably poor, and Glasner could use his performance as an excuse to start one of the academy's most exciting gems in the next match.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's performance in numbers
The former Mainz man has been in reasonable form this season, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in 28 games for the south Londoners. Still, he's only scored twice in nine appearances since the turn of the year, and while he's provided one assist as well, he's hardly been prolific.
That said, at 6 foot 4, he does bring a physical component to the side's attack, but in the game against Spurs, he was totally suffocated by the Lilywhites backline, and while he helped to play Eze through to win his free-kick, he was essentially a spectator and was given a 4/10 by 90min's Sean Walsh for this very reason.
While that may feel like a harsh rating, it's backed up by the Frenchman's numbers from the game.
For example, in his 97 minutes on the pitch, the 26-year-old registered a paltry expected goals figure of just 0.09, failed to register a shot on or off target, made just six accurate passes, took 25 touches, lost 11 of his 14 duels, lost possession 12 times, committed three fouls, and was offside once.
Minutes
97'
Expected Goals
0.09
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
0
Accurate Passes
6/9 (67%)
Touches
25
Duels (Won)
14 (3)
Lost Possession
12
Fouls
3
Offside
1
In all, it was a dreadful performance that could provide Glasner with the perfect excuse to be bold at home against Luton Town on Saturday and hand a debut to a youngster who looks destined for great things.
Why Zach Marsh should be given a chance
The youth player in question is 18-year-old Zach Marsh, who has been a part of the Eagles' academy since joining in February 2022 when he was just 16 years old.
Since then, he has been unreal for the various youth teams and was rewarded with his first professional contract in October of the same year before signing an extension in October 2023, with Academy Director Gary Issott claiming the youngster had gone from "strength to strength" since joining the club.
It's not hard to see why Issott would think that either, as in Marsh's two years in the academy, he has played 40 games between the U18s and U21s, in which he has scored 29 goals and provided 16 assists, meaning he is averaging 1.12 goal involvements per game at the moment.
Appearances
40
Goals
29
Assists
16
Goal Involvements per Match
1.12
With such a spectacular rate of return, it's no surprise that Palace content creator HLTCO has described Marsh as an "absolute monster" and an "outrageous" talent, which are statements that do not feel hyperbolic considering the 18-year-old had racked up his fifth hatrick of the season in late November.
Now, there is an argument that he is too young and inexperienced to be given a game in the Premier League, and while that might be true, Glasner and his staff won't know unless they give him a chance.
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Ultimately, with how poor Mateta was against Spurs and the apparent reluctance to start Odsonne Edouard up top in his place, it seems there is nothing to lose and everything to gain by handing Marsh his debut on Saturday.