On 4 November 2026 in London, Crystal Palace captain and goalkeeper Dean Henderson, 29, said the club were full of confidence going into their next games and believed they could turn around a difficult start to the Premier League season.
Palace sit 18th after nine matches with seven points, two wins, one draw and six defeats, having conceded 21 goals.
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The side have struggled for consistency since Pierre Sage succeeded Oliver Glasner in the summer. Henderson has recently returned from an ankle injury that sidelined him for several weeks.
He pointed to a demanding run of fixtures, including a long trip to Besiktas in the Europa League followed by a league match against Newcastle United, as contributing to some flat performances, though he stressed this was not an excuse.
“Look at Tottenham. Were they bottom or a couple places off bottom a few weeks ago? Things can change really quickly. We’ve been here before, we know what it takes,” Henderson said.
“As I say, full of confidence that we’ll turn it around sooner rather than later. We were here a couple of seasons ago and we’re probably in a worse position. You take the rough with the smooth and then we’ll hopefully laugh about times like this in a few months’ time.
He also offered strong backing to Sage, describing him as a brilliant manager whose ideas the players were still absorbing.
“It’s like anything with new teams, new coaching staff coming in, you don’t always see instant results. Things don’t just gel together straight away, it sometimes takes time. My thoughts are, we’re just going to keep getting better, stronger and stronger throughout the season,” Henderson said.
He added that the squad were properly behind the manager and looking forward to putting a productive training week into practice.
Palace face Liverpool at Selhurst Park on 8 November and continue in the Europa League.
Henderson, who joined the club permanently from Manchester United in 2023 and has since lifted the FA Cup and Conference League, remains the established first-choice goalkeeper when fit.
Supporters will hope the experienced England international’s optimism proves well founded as the campaign reaches its next decisive phase.
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The next few results will show whether the confidence expressed at the training ground can translate into the points needed to climb the table.
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
