Dario Osorio’s absence from Crystal Palace’s starting lineup is something that is always headline news in Chile.
The 22-year-old is undoubtedly his country’s star man. So, when he’s being given his chance to shine in the Premier League, alarm bells ring loudly.
This is something we’ve already demonstrated. Just this week Sport Witness reported how Pierre Sage’s ‘significant decision’ had led to concerns about Osorio’s situation at Crystal Palace.
He joined the Eagles in the summer – despite offers from Saudi Arabia – but is yet to make his mark at Selhurst Park.
Absence concerns
To date, he’s managed a solitary one-minute appearance in the Premier League and a 59-minute appearance against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup.
Sunday again saw him missing out as he failed ot make Pierre Sage’s squad for the 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest. That was the third straight Premier League game he had missed.
But La Tercera, specifically their El Deportivo section, report that there is no concerns this time around.
Their information is that Pierre Sage left out Osorio because he was only able to train alongside his teammates from Thursday.
He had been on international duty with Chile during the international break, putting in several impressive performances despite a disappointing break for his nation.
And this meant he returned to Crystal Palace late. As a result, Pierre Sage decided to give him extra rest to avoid ‘overexerting him physically’. Thus, he ended up sitting out of the win over Nottingham Forest.
European opportunity
That victory was the Eagles’ second of the campaign and moved them up to 12th. They now have seven points on the board so far under Sage.
The hope for Osorio is that he can start contributing soon. That should be on offer with European football now filling up Crystal Palace’s schedule as well. They take on Lyon on Thursday in the Europa League.
Sage’s side sit joint top of the league phase after beating Lech Poznan 4-0 in their opening game last month.
They take on Lyon this week before clashes with Besiktas, Hoffenheim, Real Sociedad and Jagiellonia Białystok before Christmas.
That should mean plenty of opportunity for Osorio to get minutes. And, perhaps, for Chile to stop collectively panicking.
