The Eagles have enjoyed a strong first half to their 2025/26 season to cap off a memorable 2025 calendar year, but have struggled to turn chances into goals, costing them points in recent weeks.
That being said, Wharton asserted to Premier League Productions that there have been plenty of promising signs of late – and is confident his team can bounce back against Fulham at Selhurst Park to get 2026 off to the best start possible.
“We’re just sort of going through one of those tough times, like a little period in the season,” Wharton explained. “I think all teams have to go through it.
“Liverpool had it at the start of the season, Villa had it at the start of the season… all the top teams go through it as well. It's just about trying to grind out results. To be fair, the performances have been good, we're just not getting the right results.
“But if it was the other way around and we were playing terribly and winning, then you'd be a bit worried, because when the luck runs out and you're still playing bad, it's very difficult to win.
“We’ve just got to stick at it, try and stay positive and stick together, and I'm sure we'll come out with wins.”
Palace’s last Premier League win, ironically, was away to Fulham just shy of four weeks ago, but Wharton noted: “I don't think it really changes too much [playing them recently]. We’ve had six games since.
“They've had three in the Premier League, and they've won them. We were the last team to beat them in the league, so it's one of them. I think they'll be confident coming off the back of that.
“Obviously, we've not had the best run, but performances have been there. It'll be a difficult challenge again, like it was at their place, but hopefully we can get the job done.”
