Crystal Palace Fans Vent Frustration Over Player Performance Against Southampton
On the night of April 2, 2025, Crystal Palace fans found little to cheer about as their team faced Southampton in a Premier League clash at St. Mary’s Stadium. While the result of the match—a hard-fought 1-1 draw—kept Palace’s mid-table aspirations alive, the performance of one player in particular drew the ire of the Eagles’ faithful. That player was Daichi Kamada, the Japanese midfielder whose lackluster display left supporters fuming and quick to voice their discontent on social media.
Kamada, who joined Palace from Lazio in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer, has struggled to find his footing in the Premier League. Against Southampton, a side battling relegation and desperate for points, fans expected the 28-year-old to seize the opportunity to prove his worth. Instead, his performance was marked by misplaced passes, a lack of urgency, and an inability to influence the game in any meaningful way. With Palace trailing early after a Tyler Dibling goal, Kamada’s failure to spark a comeback—despite Trevoh Chalobah’s second-half equalizer—only amplified the frustration.
The reaction on X was swift and scathing. One fan posted, “Kamada was shocking tonight. Lost the ball every time he touched it—offers nothing to this team.” Another supporter echoed the sentiment, writing, “I’ve seen enough of Kamada. He’s not cut out for the Prem. Southampton ran rings around him.” A third went as far as to call for his exit, stating, “Kamada needs to be shipped out in the summer. Absolute passenger against Southampton.” The consensus was clear: Palace fans felt let down by a player they had hoped would bring creativity and dynamism to Oliver Glasner’s squad.
Kamada’s stats from the match paint a grim picture. In 72 minutes on the pitch, he completed just 78% of his passes—a subpar figure for a midfielder tasked with linking play—and lost possession 12 times. He won only 2 of his 6 duels, was dribbled past twice, and failed to register a single key pass or shot on target. For a team that prides itself on tenacity and flair, as embodied by stars like Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta, Kamada’s tepid showing stood out like a sore thumb against a Southampton side that, while limited, showed more fight.
This isn’t the first time Kamada has faced criticism this season. Signed as a versatile attacking midfielder with a proven track record in the Bundesliga—where he scored 40 goals and provided 33 assists in 179 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt—his transition to English football has been rocky. With just one goal and one assist in 22 Premier League appearances by early April, his output has fallen well short of expectations. Fans point to his lack of physicality and apparent discomfort with the league’s pace as reasons for his struggles, and the Southampton match seemed to crystallize those concerns.
The context of the game only heightened the disappointment. Palace, sitting 12th in the table with 10 matches left, are in a position to push for a top-half finish—a rare achievement in their Premier League history. Southampton, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom with just nine points from 30 games, making them a side Palace should have dominated. While the draw wasn’t a disaster, Kamada’s inability to impose himself against such opposition left fans questioning his role in Glasner’s plans.
Manager Oliver Glasner, known for his tactical acumen, substituted Kamada in the 72nd minute for Will Hughes, a move that drew applause from the traveling supporters. Post-match, Glasner was diplomatic but pointed in his assessment: “We needed more energy in the middle. Daichi is a quality player, but tonight he didn’t find his rhythm.” For fans, though, the performance was less about a single off-night and more about a pattern of underwhelming displays.
As Palace look ahead to their next fixtures—including a daunting FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa—the pressure is on Kamada to turn things around. With Eze and Mateta carrying the attacking load, the midfield needs a spark, and Kamada was brought in to provide it. For now, however, Crystal Palace fans are making their feelings known: against Southampton, he fell short, and they’re not afraid to call him out. Whether he can silence the critics in the weeks ahead remains to be seen, but on this night, the Eagles’ faithful made it clear—they expect more.