Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner has bought back the ‘happy everything’ factor – but will it last in the 2024/25 Premier League season? |Football News

When Crystal Palace is at its finest, Selhurst Park comes alive. The stands cheered, Dave Clark 5’s “Glad All Over” was sung just like the nationwide anthem, and followers pledged their allegiance to the Eagles.

This has change into the norm within the remaining quarter of the 2023/24 season – a welcome break from the earlier months.

As Crystal Palace edged right into a relegation battle, followers have been as soon as once more disillusioned with the path of the membership beneath Roy Hodgson. Regardless of producing a number of the brightest younger expertise, Selhurst Park nonetheless lacks the spark of creativity that folks crave.

Hogson was then changed by Austrian Oliver Glasner. “He is an underrated coach, he is a tactical planner, he has his personal concepts,” stated Philipp Hinze of Sky Germany.

The Europa League-winning coach took some time to settle in, needing time to implement his manner of working and adapt to a brand new league – one thing soccer managers not often get the possibility to do.

However as soon as Glasner and his gamers hit it off, issues obtained thrilling.

Glasner Palace improve

They’re unbeaten of their final seven video games, profitable six of them, together with video games in opposition to Liverpool and Manchester United. Solely Fulham took factors from them within the 1-1 draw.

General, Glasner managed 13 Premier League video games and misplaced simply three. Even in defeats or attracts, there have been indicators of enchancment – a brace in opposition to Manchester Metropolis, for instance, which is not any imply feat.

Glasner has scored extra objectives, created extra massive probabilities and stored the identical variety of clear sheets in his 13 video games for Palace in comparison with his earlier 25 video games.

The Eagles’ offense was stuffed with intent, confidence and creativity, resulting in a plethora of objectives. Throughout that point, even with out the injured Mark Guerhy, solely 4 objectives have been conceded.

As you’ll be able to see from the comparable warmth map, Crystal Palace have definitely gone additional within the shadows of the opposition half beneath Glasner.

Matetta emerges as massive winner from Glasner’s arrival

Jean-Philippe Mateta is among the gamers who has benefited enormously from Glasner’s arrival.

It is exhausting to imagine he has been on the membership since January 2021. Generally it really works, generally it does not.

However final season, he began 25 video games within the Premier League, and the arrival of Oliver Glasner allowed Matata to enter the shape.

In these 13 video games, he has scored extra league objectives (13) than Roy Hodgson (5 in 35 video games) or Patrick Vieira (6 in 44 video games). Need extra. That included back-to-back doubles and a hat-trick in opposition to Aston Villa on the ultimate day.

He additionally continued his type into the summer season, enjoying for France on the 2024 Olympics and scoring 5 objectives as Thierry Henry’s aspect gained the silver medal. It completely illustrates how confidence drives sports activities.

Glasner agreed, saying in April: “When forwards rating objectives and believe, their decision-making is healthier.

“He will get probabilities in each recreation and makes nice runs. He places in quite a bit and works very exhausting. 10 instances he made runs with out getting the ball, however he did it [anyway]. This helps the group create area and create alternatives.

Returning to Crystal Palace after such a profitable summer season must be improbable for followers and employees alike. The expertise of being coached by one of many best strikers in Premier League historical past is certain to be an added bonus too.

Sunday, August 18, 1:00 pm

Begins at 2:00 pm

How will the ins and outs have an effect on the brand new season?

Palace is not going to need the season to finish. However nothing lasts ceaselessly, and the query now’s can the Eagles proceed their type into the 2024/25 season?

This has been a summer season filled with modifications. Not solely is that this the primary switch window for Glasner to form his aspect, a few of his star gamers have additionally been linked with exits.

Somebody has already left Michael Olise joins Bayern Munich for £50.8m. Glasner’s success to this point has largely hinged on the well being and enjoying time of Olise and Eberechi Eze.

Each have been stricken by accidents over the previous few years and have been sidelined in direction of the top of Hodgson’s tenure, however they have been a formidable duo who led Palace to an unbeaten run. Their link-up play behind Mateta allowed Palace to play with fluidity and creativity.

Now, Glasner should discover a option to change not solely Aulis, however Eze as nicely. Whereas there aren’t any concrete hyperlinks simply but, it would not be stunning if the England midfielder finds himself on the hook for a big-money transfer this summer season.

Geshe’s high-profile Euro 2024 marketing campaign has additionally attracted consideration Newcastle and Liverpool. One other participant who thrived at Crystal Palace, there isn’t any denying he will probably be an enormous loss, however the group have confirmed they’ll survive with out him.

As a result of a knee harm, Gersh solely made three appearances beneath Glasner, beginning solely within the remaining recreation of the season. Daniel Munoz and Joachim Andersson type a superb centre-back partnership, and this summer season they signed Chady Riad from Barcelona for £14 million.

However Anderson can be topic to presents from Fulham – the place he spent the 2020/21 season on mortgage – and shedding two first-choice centre-backs in a single window can be a tall order.

Then there’s Jordan Ayew. He has typically been the silent anchor of the group and has been linked with a transfer away consequently. Crystal Palace have introduced in Ismaila Sarr, who might restrict Ayew’s minutes on the correct.

Sarr isn’t a direct alternative for Olise, though that isn’t to say that he can not carry different qualities, however the membership is eager to herald one other winger. certainly one of them could also be Wilfried Zaha only left Crystal Palace for Galatasaray last summer.

Whereas it is going to definitely evoke nostalgia, Crystal Palace’s switch technique has lengthy been about discovering younger expertise and creating them into prime gamers – and we have seen it in motion time and time once more.

The newest instance is Adam Wharton, whose meteoric rise has seen him named in England’s Euro 2024 squad. He solely joined Palace from Blackburn Rovers within the January switch window, however his intelligence and technical means shortly made him a must-start participant.

There are different golf equipment within the 20-year-old this summer season, though Crystal Palace is arguably the very best place for a participant of his age group to develop additional.

Glasner hopes that, regardless of shedding some actual expertise, he nonetheless has the correct gamers on his group to execute the sport plan that labored so nicely late final season.

There are nonetheless a number of weeks till the window closes. It will achieve success to retain some key expertise whereas additionally making different trades to strengthen the group.

However in the end, it is a window that might go a good distance towards Palace’s success this season.

The Eagles should now proceed to have extra success

Followers are cautiously optimistic that the “blissful the whole lot” issue can proceed. They’ve a wise and dynamic supervisor on the helm and have taken steps to exchange gamers who’ve left or are about to depart the membership.

Glasner will probably be nicely conscious of the switch cycle at a membership like Crystal Palace and he has confirmed his credentials as a coach. Now we’ll see if he could make the identical changes within the Premier League and, most significantly, assist the Eagles go additional.

Any relegation battle is out of the query. Maybe a extra sensible objective for the Eagles must be to make vital progress within the cup competitions, the place they’ve had some success in recent times.

It has been a profitable pre-season, however the actual proof will come on Sunday, when Crystal Palace kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season with a visit to Brentford, dwell sky sports activities.