Conference League Performance Insights: Adam Wharton drives Crystal Palace into Leipzig final
Friday, May 8, 2026
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UEFA Technical Observer Haakon Lunov analyses the key contributions from Adam Wharton and the Crystal Palace wing-backs in the UEFA Conference League semi-final second-leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
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Crystal Palace are UEFA Conference League finalists, having booked their first European showpiece with a 2-1 semi-final second-leg win against Shakhtar Donetsk that secured a 5-2 aggregate success.
Yet if the victory was no great surprise given Oliver Glasner’s team are tournament leaders in various metrics including most goals, assists, ball recoveries, tackles and distance covered, the manner of this second-leg triumph caught the eye of UEFA Technical Observer Haakon Lunov.
Working with UEFA’s game insights unit, Lunov identified the key role of Adam Wharton and how the English side harnessed the attributes of their midfield fulcrum within a winning strategy centred on counterattacks from a deep block.
Wharton makes the difference
Wharton’s influence was a recurring theme and the first video highlights the midfielder’s work in and out of possession. The clips showcase the all-round game of the 22-year-old Englishman, as outlined by Lunov.
“Wharton does everything and this was a complete display," Lunov said. "He balances the team, contributes to the attack, does defensive transition work and has a lot of awareness of when to press.
"In this style of play you need two all-rounders as your central midfielders and he executed this role very well alongside Daichi Kamada."
"Wharton is a young talent playing in the centre of a Palace team that's ready for the final. He had a good game and covered a lot of ground."
Palace’s No20 also figured prominently in the build-up to the opening goal with his ability to drive forward the transition. This forms the opening sequence of the next video and Lunov underlined his contribution, saying: “When they switch play in the first phase of the offensive transition, he executes a perfect first-time pass; then, in the second phase, it’s his energy and movement that enable the shot.”
The switch of play facilitated by Wharton connects Palace’s wing-backs Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Muñoz as the hosts’ direct but controlled transition culminates in Muñoz’s cross forcing an own goal. The analysis makes clear that the wing-backs were integral to the Palace counterattacks, providing an attacking option out of the low block, despite being in the lowest line of defence.
Lunov explained: “When defending low in a 5-4-1, it's very often the striker and wingers that get involved in the offensive transition, but with this Palace team the wing-backs were sacrificing themselves to be in the final moment of transition.”
Putting in the hard yards
The second clip also illustrates the pair’s lung-busting work as Mitchell crosses for Ismaïla Sarr’s match-winner after the Eagles counter following a Shakhtar chance and the ball is worked in from the left.
The end-of-night stats confirmed the hard yards put in by Muñoz and Mitchell, who covered 10.7km and 10km at Selhurst Park respectively. In addition, Muñoz made 100 high-intensity runs, and Mitchell 94.
The narrow game
From a coach and player development perspective, Lunov emphasised the contrasting styles of Palace and Shakhtar which regularly condensed the game into small areas of the pitch.
He elaborated: “You had Palace who were comfortable without possession, organised defensively in a low block and equally lethal on the counterattack, against a Shakhtar team comfortable on the ball, playing in the opponents’ half, with short distances and quick defensive transitions.
"Combined, these two styles of play led to spells where the game was very narrow, with lots of players in very little space. Often, you had around 16 players playing in a square of 20x20m."
Coaching reflection – Playing in tight areas
For Lunov, there are certain tools to help players deal with situations like the one Shakhtar faced in south London – and perhaps even to flourish as Eguinaldo did with his brilliant improvised finish in a congested area.
1. Players need a technical foundation to handle the ball under pressure and with little time to execute.
2. Players need to learn to attack with short distances to team-mates.
3. Players need to learn to position themselves in between lines and half-spaces.
4. To train players to play in such tight areas, it serves to have a degree of playfulness in relation to combination play to break through. Limiting the number of touches can help develop these skills but may also hinder creativity and instincts.
Coaches should take into consideration the numbers of players involved in proportion to pitch size and the level they are coaching to nurture these qualities. The higher the complexity, the higher the level.
During a well-travelled career spanning his native Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands and UAE, Haakon Lunov has worked as a first-team assistant as well as an analyst with several top-flight clubs. In addition, he has served as head of academy in the Norwegian top tier.
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