Wake up and smell the coffee - Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is walking on thin ice
Oliver Glasner needs to wake up and smell the coffee at Crystal Palace. The team’s performance in the opening games of the Premier League season is a sharp contrast to what we witnessed in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.
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Hide AdThe Austrian coach took over a struggling Palace from legendary Premier League manager Roy Hodgson, who had to step down due to reported health issues.
When Hodgson left the Eagles in February 2024, they were 16th in the 20-team league, just two spots above the relegation zone. Oliver Glasner managed to turn their fortunes around, guiding them to a 10th-place finish.
The team played attractive football that brought home positive results, but the same can’t be said for this new season. The 0-0 draw against Manchester United was largely due to the heroics of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, rather than a solid team performance. They made the Red Devils look far better than they have been this season.
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Hide AdAfter five Premier League games, Glasner is yet to secure a win, and Palace currently sits 16th in the league table—the same position they were in when Hodgson departed.
Of course, Glasner lost a key starter in Michael Olise, who joined Bayern Munich, but the club’s owners did back him in the summer transfer window. They retained their most prized asset, Marc Guehi, and bolstered the midfield with Daichi Kamada, a player Glasner knows well from their time together at Eintracht Frankfurt. Additionally, they signed Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal to strengthen the attack.
The squad at Glasner's disposal is far better than their current position suggests, and it's time for him to recognise the urgency of the situation.
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Hide AdCrystal Palace will travel to face an equally struggling Everton this weekend, and anything short of a win will increase the pressure on the 50-year-old tactician. Sean Dyche’s side has lost four and drawn one of their opening five games in the 2024/25 season. If Glasner fails to secure a victory on Saturday, Palace's winless streak in the Premier League will extend to six games.
After facing the struggling Toffees, Palace’s next fixtures are even more daunting: a clash with Liverpool, a trip to Nottingham Forest, and a London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Europa League-winning coach must get a result at Everton to kickstart the team's bounce back. Otherwise, pundits may start attributing the club's resurgence when he took over in February to little more than a temporary “new manager bounce.”
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