How Has Oliver Glasner made Crystal Palace So Good?

Oliver Glasner is an Austrian manager, previously in charge of Frankfurt in Germany, managing in the Champions League and Europa League whilst in charge of the German side.

The Austrian made the switch to London in February last year, and since then, Crystal Palace have looked like a completely different side, and have the chance to finish in the top half of the Premier League table once again.

Style of play

Oliver Glasner sets Palace up in a 3-4-2-1, prioritising his wingbacks getting up and down the flanks in order to create counter attacking opportunities.

In buildup, Glasner uses his goalkeeper as an extra outfielder when playing out from the back, as the goalkeeper can step up to create an overload against the pressing opposition, making it easier for them to play around.

As the ball moves further up the pitch, Palace shift into a 3-2-5 formation, which helps with dominating the midfield. The flat back three spread wide creating more passing options, whilst two holding midfielders drop deep to receive, whilst they have two attacking midfielders in front of them, who can pick up the ball in the midfield, whilst having a front three ahead of them in two wingbacks and striker.

Oliver Glasner gets his player profiling spot on. Olise leaves so he alters the system from 3-4-3 to more of a 3-4-1-2 to give Eze more of a free central role with Ismaila Sarr joining Mateta as a speedy threat on the last line of the attack. And after playing as a wide CB in a… pic.twitter.com/w6GmXyHHOX

— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) April 26, 2025

The two holding midfielders along with the two attacking midfielders ahead of them creates a box midfield, which creates an advantage in the midfield, making it easier for Glasner's side to keep possession high up the pitch, whilst also shortening distances between players making passing easier and quicker yet tougher for opposition to win back.

The holding midfielders of Palace will look to find passes into either of the attacking midfielders, who will be in a pocket of space. The fact they have four in the midfield makes it harder for each player to be marked, and one of the attacking midfielders will be in a position to receive the ball and drive at the defence.

Having players like Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze are the dream players for Glasner and how he wants his team to play. Wharton is so calm and composed on the ball, and he is able to maintain possession easily for Palace, and can break opposition lines with his quality of passing.

Eze is a superb player on the ball, and his overall dribbling makes him perfect in the attacking midfield, as he has the ability to pick up the ball in a small pocket of space and turn and run at defence, before either utilising his clinical shooting or threading a pass through to another attacker.

Out of possession, Crystal Palace have a high line, as they want to keep the game kept in the opposition half. Keeping defenders high doesn't allow opposition to play out and counter due to being swarmed by Palace players. The high line also allows for Palace to counter quickly, as they win the ball so high up, and the short distance between the players make the counter attacks quick and tough to stop.

What Do Stats Say?

When looking at Fbref, you can see how well the high line can work for Crystal Palace when they are out of possession.

Stats via Fbref

The side are fourth in the league for tackles in the middle third of the pitch and their defensive third of the pitch. This shows that the high line pays off for Palace, as they win the ball a lot in the middle third, which is exactly what Glasner wants from his team.

Glasner sets his team up in a way that doesn't necessarily guarantee his side lots of possession, but it still allows them to dominate the game through positional play.

Positionally, the highline of Palace and allowing one of the defensive three to step up into midfield whilst in possession allows Palace to have greater chance of keeping the ball.

With a defender stepped up into midfield, it means that holding midfielders can push further up whilst in possession, creating advantages in attack, with extra passing options.

As well as this, it also means if Palace were to lose the ball whilst on the attack, oppositions who attempt to launch counter attacks will find it harder, as there will be an extra Crystal Palace player in midfield, making the middle of the pitch very compact, which will make passing harder for oppostion, which can result in a turnover of possession, meaning Palace can win the ball back and have a potential counter attack of their own due to the short distance between players.

Palace have averaged 43% possession throughout their games this season, showing that Glasner isn't worried about keeping the ball and having a bunch of possession, but rather wants to be effective when they do have the ball, and still dominate the games through the way the team set up.

Glasner understands that whilst being in the Premier League, games can be difficult to dominate through lots of possession, and keeping possession is difficult due to the sheer intensity and quality of teams in the biggest league in world football. However, the Austrian knows that with the right setup, his teams can still play high intensity football, whilst dominating the spaces in the pitch, in order to unleash dangerous counter attacks.

Although, when looking at Palace this season, there has been changes in Glasner's side compared to when he first took over.

Stats via Fbref

Palace now rank towards the bottom five for short and medium distance passes in the Premier League, yet they rank seventh in the league for attempted long passes.

A reason for this could be because of their star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Mateta has been in top form since Glasner took over at the London club. The frenchman has been unstoppable, and his huge frame and strength means he is able to hold of opposition defenders, and presents himself as a good passing target for Palace players.

With Mateta, Palace can go long and direct to Mateta, meaning they avoid the press of the opposition, and the striker can win the ball and play to his teammates, who can move higher up the pitch and have higher chance of winning the loose balls due to the art of their compact midfield.

SIMPLY SUBLIME FROM MATETA! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/01YNTJ6d54

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 23, 2025

What Is Next For Crystal Palace This Season And Beyond?

Crystal Palace are currently 12th place in the Premier League table this season, with four games left to play in their Premier League season. Whilst they are unable to reach European Football places, they are only five points away from the top half of the Premier League.

Achieving another finish in the top half would show good promise for Palace, and can set them up to keep on pushing themselves up the Premier League table.

The Eagles will need to hold on to their key players such as Eze, Wharton and Mateta, whilst also adding to their side with a good transfer window.

Glasner has also been linked with some other jobs, such as RB Leipzig, so it is key for Palace to do what they can to hold onto their manager if they want to get closer to them European places.

🚨 Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is tempted to leave the club this summer to take the top job at RB Leipzig.

(Source: Football Insider) pic.twitter.com/lQVIQntQrY

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 9, 2025

Although, key board member Dougie Freedman has left the club in order to go to Saudi Arabia. Freedman was behind many top signings at the club, such as Eze, Michael Olise and Adam Wharton. Crystal Palace will need to replace Freedman properly, as they need to find other top players to sign who they can then sell on for money and generate revenue for the club.

🚨🇸🇦 Dougie Freedman leaves Director role at Crystal Palace after excellent work in the recent years to start new chapter in Saudi Pro League.

Freedman will sign in as new Al-Diriyah director soon, in second division — as @JacobsBen reports. pic.twitter.com/9dcO1zqdbZ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 18, 2025

It will be interesting to see where Palace could take themselves, and with Glasner in charge, with the right signings, they could soon be in the battle for European Football.