City loss invites criticism, but Glasner Palace win shows money isn't everything

Crystal Palace's triumph is a reminder you don't always need the biggest chequebook if you're smart on player and managerial recruitment.

Manchester City will take flak for losing at Wembley — their wingers didn't risk the ball enough to feed Erling Haaland — but you can't overstate the work Oliver Glasner has done with Palace.

I can't tell you how difficult it is to keep a team that disciplined and focused for 90 minutes. Creative players such as Eberechi Eze want to express themselves. When they put in as much work tracking back and staying in shape as getting on the ball, it's about belief in the coach.

Palace were so well-drilled everyone knew their jobs even after captain Marc Guehi went off. A lot of bigger clubs will now be looking at Glasner with envy but let's allow Palace to celebrate before they think about that!

As for the Palace players, signed for fractions of what has been spent at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, it shows you don't need hundreds of millions if you do your research properly in the transfer market.

Credit is due to the departing sporting director Dougie Freedman. Palace signed Daniel Munoz for £8.5million, having sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka for £50m. Munoz was immense in defence and attack, the main reason Jeremy Doku struggled to make any sort of impact.

Munoz could play in any Premier League side. So could Adam Wharton, who cost £23m and is worth treble that now.

Last summer, the Eagles signed Maxence Lacroix for £18m, less than they received from Fulham for Joachim Andersen. Lacroix would be valued at double what Palace paid at least.

I could go on because I haven't even mentioned Jean-Philippe Mateta (£15m) or Eze (£17m). It's no coincidence that clubs such as Palace, Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth have established themselves in the Premier League by finding a winning formula in recruitment.

So next time it's suggested by fans or managers that their club need to break transfer records, it's an excuse for not identifying the right players.

City didn't play badly — they forced some good saves from Dean Henderson — although the penalty they were awarded and missed wasn't justified.

But Haaland will be frustrated by the ball not getting into the penalty area enough. There was a brief period at the start of the second half when Savinho showed intent but that was all.

It's hard to criticise City in a sense because their style brought them four league titles in a row but now the wide men aren't at the same level as Riyad Mahrez or Raheem Sterling, the obsession with possession at the expense of risking the ball to feed the strikers looks a frailty.

It didn't help either that the full backs, Manuel Akanji and Nico O'Reilly, are either unused to or not proficient at crossing.

Imagine if Liverpool's wingers were stifled. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson would be backing up to hit quality balls into the box.

The great Manchester United team of the 90s were the same. If Ryan Giggs and David Beckham couldn't get crosses in, they'd tee up Gary Neville and Denis Irwin. City didn't have the same options and Palace's brilliant organisation shut them out.

My biggest takeaway is Palace put on a defensive masterclass rather than City badly fluffing their lines. It's great for English football that you can still find bargains and a relatively unknown manager — and lift the FA Cup.