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The Glasner revolution is in full swing at Selhurst Park

The Glasner revolution is in full swing at Selhurst Park

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Oliver Glasner arrived at Crystal Palace back in February with the Eagles stagnating under Roy Hodgson. Although the 49-year-old has had minimal time to stamp his authority on Selhurst Park, the progress they’ve made already under his tutelage is significant, with the supporters in the capital undoubtedly excited to see what’s to come next season.

By Matthew Smith

Since Palace were promoted to the Premier League after winning the Championship play-offs in the 2012/2013 campaign, the London-based club have become established in the top flight. In their first season back amongst the big guns, the Eagles finished 11th, which is more than the fans at Selhurst Park could have dreamed of. However, over the last 10 years, they’ve struggled to break into the top 10.

Glasner’s system needed minimal adaptation time

Under Hodgson, Palace predominantly played with a four-at-the-back system, sometimes switching to five in defence in certain games. The experienced manager is well-known for having his sides organised defensively, but that often hindered their attacking output. When Glasner arrived through the door, he quickly altered Palace’s setup, implementing a 3-4-2-1 system. The opening few weeks of his tenure might have had supporters slightly worried, but the complexities of his style were always going to take time to resonate with the Palace squad.  

Since the string of poor results, everything has started to click for the Eagles, and they’re currently one of the most in-form sides in the Premier League. The results on paper are admirable, but Glasner’s ability to get the best out of individual players who have previously struggled at Selhurst Park is second to none. 

Over the last five matches, Palace have won four and drawn one, with only Manchester City scoring more in the league during that time. Since their 4-2 loss at home to Pep Guardiola’s men, which increased their run without a victory to six games, the Eagles are now unbeaten in their last six. 

There will be plenty of teams hanging around in the middle of the Premier League table who will be looking forward to seeing the season end so they can regroup and start afresh next term, but Palace fans might be disappointed that the campaign draws to a close in the coming days. 

Mateta and Glasner are a match made in heaven

It’s no coincidence that Jean-Philippe Mateta has started to ooze confidence and find the back of the net with ease under Glasner, and the impact he’s made in recent months has been nothing short of sensational. The French striker has felt the effects of a new manager bounce, but it’s more than just an arm round the shoulder from Glasner. Although Mateta’s finishing ability may have been questioned at times, increasing the number of chances Palace create is bound to see the 26-year-old score more goals.

In his last 10 games, Mateta has struck nine times in the Premier League, while only scoring 13 goals over the course of the whole season – meaning only three of his strikes came under Hodgson, despite the former England manager being in charge for the majority of the campaign. The system chosen by Glasner has helped get the best out of him, with Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Muñoz providing the width as wing-backs as Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze tuck in centrally to get into dangerous areas.

The impact of Eze, Olise, and Mateta has often grabbed the headlines in recent weeks, but Muñoz and Mitchell have been crucial for Palace. The defensive duo ranked second and fourth for touches inside the opposition box during their emphatic victory over Manchester United earlier this month, with Palace managing 35 touches in their box overall.

Meaningful possession the aim of the game

Glasner isn’t the type of manager to keep possession for the sake of it, with Palace often having less of the ball than the opposition under him. Against United, they completed more passes in the opposition half than their own, looking to get the ball into advanced areas as quickly as possible. The 3-4-2-1 system ensures they have plenty of width through the wing-backs, their strongest creative outlets – Eze and Olise – in central positions, and plenty of defensive cover with three centre-backs. 

On the defensive side, Palace stayed compact, rarely allowing United inside their penalty area. Their solidity at the back is made even more impressive by the fact traditional full-back Nathaniel Clyne has predominantly been used as a central defender, while Marc Guéhi has barely donned a Palace shirt since Glasner took over.

Once again in their most recent game against Wolves, Palace only had 38 per cent of the possession, but managed to create 2.70 expected goals compared to the opposition’s 1.57.

In the 12 games Glasner has been in charge, the Eagles have scored 24 goals, picking up 21 points in the process. The results on the pitch will be all that matters to the fans watching on at Selhurst Park, but the exciting, easy on the eye, and free-flowing attacking style of play will bring some joy to go alongside the regular victories.

It’s easy to forget that Glasner was plunged in at the deep end when appointed as Palace boss, joining late in the season with little to play for. Although there was a lack of pressure with the Eagles likely to be safe from relegation, he’s been afforded hardly any time to work on his setup with new players. It will be interesting to see how Palace fare with a full pre-season of Glasner under the belt, but the supporters have every reason to be optimistic heading towards the 2024/2025 campaign.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every Premier League game with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

The Glasner revolution is in full swing at Selhurst Park

Oliver Glasner arrived at Crystal Palace back in February with the Eagles stagnating under Roy Hodgson. Although the 49-year-old has had minimal time to stamp his authority on Selhurst Park, the progress they’ve made already under his tutelage is significant, with the supporters in the capital undoubtedly excited to see what’s to come next season.

By Matthew Smith

Since Palace were promoted to the Premier League after winning the Championship play-offs in the 2012/2013 campaign, the London-based club have become established in the top flight. In their first season back amongst the big guns, the Eagles finished 11th, which is more than the fans at Selhurst Park could have dreamed of. However, over the last 10 years, they’ve struggled to break into the top 10.

Glasner’s system needed minimal adaptation time

Under Hodgson, Palace predominantly played with a four-at-the-back system, sometimes switching to five in defence in certain games. The experienced manager is well-known for having his sides organised defensively, but that often hindered their attacking output. When Glasner arrived through the door, he quickly altered Palace’s setup, implementing a 3-4-2-1 system. The opening few weeks of his tenure might have had supporters slightly worried, but the complexities of his style were always going to take time to resonate with the Palace squad.  

Since the string of poor results, everything has started to click for the Eagles, and they’re currently one of the most in-form sides in the Premier League. The results on paper are admirable, but Glasner’s ability to get the best out of individual players who have previously struggled at Selhurst Park is second to none. 

Over the last five matches, Palace have won four and drawn one, with only Manchester City scoring more in the league during that time. Since their 4-2 loss at home to Pep Guardiola’s men, which increased their run without a victory to six games, the Eagles are now unbeaten in their last six. 

There will be plenty of teams hanging around in the middle of the Premier League table who will be looking forward to seeing the season end so they can regroup and start afresh next term, but Palace fans might be disappointed that the campaign draws to a close in the coming days. 

Mateta and Glasner are a match made in heaven

It’s no coincidence that Jean-Philippe Mateta has started to ooze confidence and find the back of the net with ease under Glasner, and the impact he’s made in recent months has been nothing short of sensational. The French striker has felt the effects of a new manager bounce, but it’s more than just an arm round the shoulder from Glasner. Although Mateta’s finishing ability may have been questioned at times, increasing the number of chances Palace create is bound to see the 26-year-old score more goals.

In his last 10 games, Mateta has struck nine times in the Premier League, while only scoring 13 goals over the course of the whole season – meaning only three of his strikes came under Hodgson, despite the former England manager being in charge for the majority of the campaign. The system chosen by Glasner has helped get the best out of him, with Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Muñoz providing the width as wing-backs as Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze tuck in centrally to get into dangerous areas.

The impact of Eze, Olise, and Mateta has often grabbed the headlines in recent weeks, but Muñoz and Mitchell have been crucial for Palace. The defensive duo ranked second and fourth for touches inside the opposition box during their emphatic victory over Manchester United earlier this month, with Palace managing 35 touches in their box overall.

Meaningful possession the aim of the game

Glasner isn’t the type of manager to keep possession for the sake of it, with Palace often having less of the ball than the opposition under him. Against United, they completed more passes in the opposition half than their own, looking to get the ball into advanced areas as quickly as possible. The 3-4-2-1 system ensures they have plenty of width through the wing-backs, their strongest creative outlets – Eze and Olise – in central positions, and plenty of defensive cover with three centre-backs. 

On the defensive side, Palace stayed compact, rarely allowing United inside their penalty area. Their solidity at the back is made even more impressive by the fact traditional full-back Nathaniel Clyne has predominantly been used as a central defender, while Marc Guéhi has barely donned a Palace shirt since Glasner took over.

Once again in their most recent game against Wolves, Palace only had 38 per cent of the possession, but managed to create 2.70 expected goals compared to the opposition’s 1.57.

In the 12 games Glasner has been in charge, the Eagles have scored 24 goals, picking up 21 points in the process. The results on the pitch will be all that matters to the fans watching on at Selhurst Park, but the exciting, easy on the eye, and free-flowing attacking style of play will bring some joy to go alongside the regular victories.

It’s easy to forget that Glasner was plunged in at the deep end when appointed as Palace boss, joining late in the season with little to play for. Although there was a lack of pressure with the Eagles likely to be safe from relegation, he’s been afforded hardly any time to work on his setup with new players. It will be interesting to see how Palace fare with a full pre-season of Glasner under the belt, but the supporters have every reason to be optimistic heading towards the 2024/2025 campaign.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every Premier League game with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.