In a season full of despondency for Crystal Palace, the mood is suddenly transformed.
Optimism abounds, Selhurst Park is vibrant and enjoyable again. Palace are a pleasure to watch and for the first time in just over a year have won three successive games.
The performances in those games as much as the results may be a taste of what is to come under Oliver Glasner. They were excellent in shocking Liverpool 11 days ago, rampant against West Ham United on Sunday, and disciplined against Newcastle United in this 2-0 victory on Wednesday night.
Everything has clicked neatly into place. A transformation which first began to show against Manchester City earlier this month, albeit in a 4-2 defeat, has continued and evolved.
It was under Roy Hodgson that Palace last won three in a row last April, but those came against the three relegated sides — Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton. As impressive as they were and for all the relief they generated, something feels different this time around.
Under Glasner the wins have come against top-half sides, something Palace have struggled to do before. If defeating Liverpool came with a hefty slice of fortune given the hosts’ profligacy in front of goal and West Ham contributed to their own downfall with their ponderous attitude, the win over Newcastle was almost exclusively a result of their own strengths.
Palace pressed Newcastle intensely and for much of the match, pushing high up the pitch to compress the space (a point underlined by the position maps in the dashboard below), and looked comfortable against difficult opposition.
It was a coherent, disciplined performance which demonstrated the best of what Glasner has sought to instil in his side. Everyone is contributing, with players working together instead of relying on moments of brilliance. Only Manchester City (one) have restricted Newcastle to fewer shots on target this season than Palace did here (two).
“It was a collective performance, not in ones and twos,” said Will Hughes. “It was the whole team defending as a unit, and that’s what the gaffer has drilled into us over the eight weeks that he’s been with us. You can see it on the pitch, it’s working.”
That was a view echoed by Glasner. “We won the ball back four or five times in the opposite half (for the first goal). We were working together. It’s the quality of the players, being connected, playing as a unit. It was teamwork.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta applies the finishing touch to a fine team goal (Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Relief has washed over Selhurst Park with Premier League safety now mathematically confirmed. Had victory not come at Anfield then this might have been a season-defining week, with nervous looks at Luton Town’s position. But two excellent wins to complete three in a row – the same number as in their previous 20 matches – have brought excitement about what could come next season.
Glasner made it clear from the moment he arrived that he had no desire to rely on individual excellence. Jean-Philippe Mateta may have scored a fine brace against Newcastle but both his goals were a product of work from all areas of the pitch by Palace players.
Eberechi Eze was a nuisance and Michael Olise showed his quality after being introduced for the final 18 minutes. Finding a way to replicate these performances without those two next season should they leave in the summer, which is a strong possibility, will not be easy. Yet the fact that neither Eze or Olise scored or directly assisted Palace’s goals last night should be cause for optimism.
The focus under Hodgson was on being defensively strong and cohesive, relying heavily on the talent of the attacking players. That had its merits, but Glasner has shifted to something more aspirational which has taken time to implement but is now bearing fruit.
Oliver Glasner has Palace working to a cohesive plan (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
“It’s about staying ambitious,” he said. “Everyone knows how good it is to win. Since the Liverpool game we are flying on a cloud and it’s so nice because it’s sunny and not raining like below the cloud. We want to keep this feeling until the end of the season.
“It’s a lot of effort, discipline and hard work and the players are doing it. Four or five players had to win the ball back to stay in their half and JP can stay in the box. It’s all about that we are a unit on the pitch then the strikers are in the position where they can score.”
It is easy to get caught up in the excitement. Glasner is keen to repeat that he is “no magician” – the message from his first press conference in February – and is wise to stay focused on the present, refusing to say he has been given encouragement for next season from these performances. He is, instead, focused on Palace’s remaining four fixtures. “We hope for four wins.”
Palace’s squad has been riddled with fitness problems this season and the lack of depth has been exposed. There have been false dawns before even accounting for managerial failings — Patrick Vieira was not provided with sufficient quality for his second season and Hodgson was short of what was required this term when injuries bit deep.
This summer will likely see a squad overhaul and Glasner must be provided with one capable of competing with top-half teams throughout. Consider the potential loss of any of Marc Guehi, Eze and Olise and everything becomes more difficult.
Even then, Glasner’s determination to focus more on the whole team’s attacking potential should give hope that Palace can maintain their momentum.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
