As the current Premier League season enters its final three matches, Crystal Palace sits comfortably in 12th place—an outcome that is solid but not exceptional.
Fulham resides just above them, boasting a five-point cushion, while Wolves trail by the same margin below them.
Alongside an FA Cup final clash against Manchester City, the Eagles have upcoming Premier League fixtures against Tottenham, Wolves, and Liverpool. Barring two losses for Palace and two wins for Wolves, it seems likely that the club will settle for a 12th-place finish in the 2024/25 season.
While this may be disappointing for some fans, reflecting on the team’s start to the season reveals the impressive job Oliver Glasner has done to turn things around.
The club did not secure their first victory until their ninth game when they faced Tottenham, and it took another five matches to register their second win against Ipswich Town.
At that juncture, they found themselves languishing in 16th position in the league with just 12 points, a mere three points clear of Ipswich, who were second from the bottom.
No one would’ve been surprised if Parish had axed Glasner
It’s safe to say that nobody would have batted an eyelid had Palace owner Steve Parish chosen to part ways with Glasner during that tough patch, although that option appeared never to be on Parish’s agenda.
“Oliver plays a vital role in our success. There are those who speak positively but don’t embody it; Oliver genuinely does. He has shifted our mindset—this is what he brings to the club,” Parish remarked back in February, as the team was recovering from their sluggish start.
“He has injected a sense of positivity and a fresh mentality towards our matches, which has redefined our perspective on football and our club.
“Regardless of tactics, the players need to carry them out, and that’s where he excels. He knows how to get them to implement his vision. He is tactically sharp and a talented manager. The credit goes to the players and staff; they’ve accomplished an amazing feat.”
A series of heavy losses to Arsenal within a three-day period in December, one in the Premier League and the other in the Carabao Cup, might have deflated a struggling squad, but it seems those matches were the catalyst for a resurgence in Palace’s form.
Glasner pointed to a vital away victory against Brighton—an unbeaten run that included five games before the encounters with Arsenal—as the pivotal moment, emphasising the key contributions of defenders Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Guehi.
Retaining England international Guehi was undoubtedly a shrewd move by the club, given that accepting Newcastle’s approximately £65 million bid would have significantly benefitted them; Palace’s refusal demonstrates their ambition.
Decent record in the Premier League after a poor start
In all competitions this season, the South London squad has achieved a respectable tally of 16 wins, 13 draws, and 11 losses out of 40 games, with the majority of their setbacks occurring before mid-November.
With eight wins at Selhurst Park and eight on the road, the team has shown that opposition clubs need to put in considerable effort to secure points against this emerging side.
Of the 56 goals scored by Palace, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa has proven to be particularly accommodating opponents, with the Eagles scoring four against them at the end of February and netting three more in their FA Cup semi-final.
Considering how highly regarded Emery and his side have become, Glasner’s dominance over them is a notable feat.
This season, Palace has also managed to avoid defeat against teams like Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brighton, and Tottenham.
With all four of those managers gaining praise for their progressive tactics in the past year, it’s high time Glasner found himself included in that conversation as well.
Within touching distance of their highest-ever Premier League points total
Taking into account the limitations of their budget compared to the top clubs, achieving a quarter-final spot in the League Cup and an FA Cup final, with a pathway to European football pending an FA Cup triumph, is nothing short of remarkable.
Moreover, the team is on the brink of matching their highest-ever points tally in the Premier League. Currently, Palace has accrued 46 points with three matches remaining, leaving the target of 49 points, a record they established at the end of the 1992/93, 2018/19, and 2023/24 seasons, well within reach.
Fans of the Eagles will no doubt be grateful that Steve Parish opted to retain Oliver Glasner, even when it may have seemed a straightforward decision to let him go during challenging times.
His patience has yielded dividends, and the club is now experiencing the benefits of the Austrian’s tactical expertise.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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