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New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Oliver Glasner, a 10-match unbeaten run, and why Crystal Palace must back their manager
Whatever happens with Oliver Glasner when his contract expires in the summer, he is established as Crystal Palace's most successful manager. While May's FA Cup win over Manchester City and August's Community Shield conquering of Liverpool will be first up on the highlights reel —both trophies claimed with the same starting XI — less heralded is the run of form Palace are currently enjoying. Advertisement The goalless draw with Chelsea in their opening Premier League game of the season on Sunday made it 10 games unbeaten in all competitions either side of the summer break. That number is impressive in its own right, but take into account the calibre of opposition — and their importance — and it becomes even more striking. Those victories over Manchester City and Liverpool were in high-stakes games in a particularly high-pressure environment to which Palace had yet to become accustomed. They were also against the Premier League champions of 2024 and 2025, respectively. Go back a little further and take into account a 1-1 draw on the final day of last season's Premier League season at Anfield, a 2-2 draw at Arsenal and a 2-0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur — albeit a team whose priorities were elsewhere at the time — and the run is put into perspective. Glasner has used only 19 different starting players across that sequence, and only 16 if one ignores the Wolverhampton Wanderers fixture, the last home game of last term and just three days after the cup final. It is a perfect tonic to combat the record eight-match league run without a victory at the start of last season. They enter this campaign in similar form to the manner in which they concluded Glasner's first few months in charge, when they won six of their final seven games. A point on the opening weekend at Stamford Bridge courtesy of a defensively astute performance bodes well, even with the possible departures of Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze on the horizon. They have adapted from how they once played. The departure of Michael Olise last summer to Bayern Munich influenced that, too. While there is ample attacking threat, and breaking rapidly in transition remains integral to the gameplan, they are slightly less powerful and rampant in their attacking play. It has perhaps become more efficient; even more tactically astute. That is a mark of Glasner's ability to change things up effectively where necessary, even if he keeps to his tried and tested way of playing at the core of the side's approach. Advertisement Should Palace avoid defeat in both legs of their UEFA Conference League play-off against Norwegian club Fredrikstad, and again on Sunday when they host Nottingham Forest, then they will equal their club record of 13 games unbeaten in all competitions while a top-flight side. The record has stood for almost 35 years, with Steve Coppell's charges — featuring the likes of Ian Wright, Mark Bright, Geoff Thomas, Nigel Martyn and Eric Young — enjoying 10 league games without defeat alongside three League Cup games between August and October at the start of the 1990-91 season. They finished that campaign third in the First Division. Glasner's team will have played one more cup game in their own run, but the difficulty of fixtures has been greater. These are heady days for Palace, but there is grumbling — understandably — that even more still could be achieved if the manager was sufficiently backed. Ambition is in Glasner's nature; he demands the best from everyone in every way and refuses to settle for anything less. Palace have an outstanding starting XI and a manager who has proven not only to be adept at bringing the best out of his team in his system, but also relatively adaptable within that system. With appropriate additions to replace any departures and strengthen the backup options, this Palace side surely could compete for a place in Europe via their league position. This feels like a club at a crossroads and the fear will be that success is not built upon. After Palace secured their highest-ever league finish in 1991, Coppell was granted leeway to add two defenders — a 21-year-old Chris Coleman and Lee Sinnott, 26, from Swansea City and Bradford City respectively, both of the third tier — to his ranks. So began a period of decline that saw the team relegated in 1993. This time the worry is that, if Glasner does not feel he is being sufficiently backed, he might well depart next summer when his contract expires — if not before. It would be a travesty to throw away the chance to push on. As always, some people will argue that demanding more is unreasonable, that Palace are already punching above their weight. Those arguments are valid in some respects, but if aspiring to be better is frowned upon and played down with excuses or reasons why that is difficult — it is not impossible — then Palace don't deserve a manager of Glasner's calibre or players with Eze and Guehi's ability. If that attitude becomes pervasive, Palace will struggle to improve on their current situation. Advertisement After the FA Cup final, chairman Steve Parish spoke of the need to match their manager's ambition. In his press conference before the Chelsea game, Glasner dismissed questions about whether those ambitions had been met, suggesting it wasn't important. That it wasn't about him. There are constraints within which Palace must work — having lost almost £200million over the past five years there is not huge scope for hefty outlays in the transfer market — but they have shown in the past the ability to make shrewd purchases. It is how they came to be in a situation where several of their players have become so coveted in the first place. Glasner has transformed Palace. He must be adequately supported as far as the club's situation allows, otherwise there is surely a good chance he will not stay beyond his current contract. To pass up the opportunity to build on their unprecedented success would be a huge source of regret. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Eze has possible farewell goal ruled out as Crystal Palace hold Chelsea to draw
If there was a sense of the new world champions being dragged back down to earth on a sweltering afternoon at Stamford Bridge, it should not be forgotten that any side as short of match sharpness as Chelsea would not have relished trying to find a way past opponents who seem to like nothing more than to bloody the noses of the elite. Perhaps this will be read as two dropped points for Enzo Maresca's side as they look to build on a triumphant summer in the US by mounting a title challenge. Anyone paying attention, though, will know there is nothing easy about trying to find a way through a team coached by Oliver Glasner. Crystal Palace, after all, are riding high after building on winning the FA Cup by beating Liverpool in the Community Shield and the pleasing thing for Maresca will be that his players grew into the contest as it wore on, even if the overall impression was that all the riches earned from Fifa's expanded Club World Cup has left Chelsea with a physical price to pay. Chelsea were unable to lift their level in the final third and the reality is that they were lucky not to lose. Palace were left feeling aggrieved when Eberechi Eze, who impressed in what may have been his last game for the club, had an early free-kick ruled out. Chelsea might have had a gold badge on the shirt but it was not a surprise that they had lead in their boots during the early stages. A compressed pre-season has made preparations awkward and while the home fans enjoyed the pre-match festivities, crowing as they drank in the unveiling of a shiny world champions sign overlooking the Shed End just before kick-off, it was fair to wonder if Maresca's side were going to be ready given that it had been only 35 days since they were taking Paris Saint-Germain apart in New Jersey. Those doubts were not exactly batted away during an opening in which Chelsea's rustiness was evident in the way they struggled to execute their passes and play through Palace. It was bitty from the hosts for much of the opening period, the usual connections simply not there, and Maresca will have felt his case for the board to listen to his pleas for a new centre-back grow stronger. Levi Colwill, so crucial to the team's buildup from the back, was a big miss after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in training earlier this month, and the issues were exacerbated with Tosin Adarabioyo also unavailable with a minor injury. Palace sought to exploit those frailties. It has been a trying summer for the FA Cup winners, who have spent it railing against the established order, and they had a point to prove after being demoted to the Conference League by Uefa for failing to comply with multi-club ownership rules. At least Glasner was able to start Marc Guéhi in central defence and Eze in attack, the latter's place having come into doubt earlier in the weekend as his prospective move to Tottenham edges nearer. Palace, though, soon felt the impatience with authority rising. They thought they had an early lead when Eze smashed a free-kick past Robert Sánchez in the 13th minute, only for the goal to be disallowed after Darren England was called to the pitchside monitor and penalised Guéhi for being within a metre of the Chelsea wall. The free-kick stemmed from an error from Josh Acheampong, who started as Colwill's replacement, moving into a central centre-back role in possession. Maresca, far less demonstrative than Glasner, looked pensive on the touchline. Chelsea were slow to the loose balls and had no grip in midfield, where Adam Wharton and Will Hughes often had the measure of Caicedo and Enzo Fernández. Wharton was a notable delight, the England Under-21 international following one gorgeous pirouette by piercing Chelsea's defence with a gorgeous pass. Jean-Philippe Mateta shot too close to Sánchez. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Chelsea's chances before half-time were limited to Marc Cucurella seeing a header cleared off the line and Trevoh Chalobah firing over from close range. Cole Palmer was quiet. Jamie Gittens, handed a debut on the left wing, got no change out of Daniel Muñoz. João Pedro worked hard but was often crowded out. Maresca reset during the interval. Chelsea were given an injection of energy when Gittens made way for Estêvão Willian. The Brazilian teenager was soon running at Tyrick Mitchell on the right but blazed over with his one chance. Palace, who were fortunate that Mateta avoided a second yellow card for a late tackle on Caicedo, fell back after an hour. Maresca responded by utilising his attacking depth, Liam Delap coming on for João Pedro. But Palace retained a threat on the counterattack Sánchez turning over a powerful effort from Eze. Added time brought one last glimmer from Chelsea, Andrey Santos sidefooting over not long after replacing Fernández. A draw was fair on the balance of play.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Eberechi Eze has goal ruled out as Crystal Palace hold Chelsea to draw
If there was a sense of the new world champions being dragged back down to earth on a sweltering afternoon at Stamford Bridge, it should not be forgotten that any side as short of match sharpness as Chelsea would not have relished trying to find a way past opponents who seem to like nothing more than bloody the noses of the elite. Perhaps this will be read as two dropped points for Enzo Maresca's side as they look to build on a triumphant summer in the US by mounting a title challenge. Anyone paying attention, though, will know there is nothing easy about trying to find a way through a team coached by Oliver Glasner. Crystal Palace, after all, are riding high after building on winning the FA Cup by beating Liverpool in the Community Shield and the pleasing thing for Maresca will be that his players grew into the contest as it wore on, even if the overall impression was that all the riches earned from Fifa's expanded Club World Cup has left Chelsea with a physical price to pay. Chelsea were unable to lift their level in the final third and the reality is that they were lucky not to lose. Palace were left feeling aggrieved when Eberechi Eze, who impressed in what may have been his last game for the club, had an early free-kick ruled out. Chelsea might have had a gold badge on the shirt but it was not a surprise that they had lead in their boots during the early stages. A compressed pre-season has made preparations awkward and while the home fans enjoyed the pre-match festivities, crowing as they drank in the unveiling of a shiny world champions sign overlooking the Shed End just before kick-off, it was fair to wonder if Maresca's side were going to be ready given that it had only been 35 days since they were taking Paris Saint-Germain apart in New Jersey. Those doubts were not exactly batted away during an opening in which Chelsea's rustiness was evident in the way they struggled to execute their passes and play through Palace. It was bitty from the hosts for much of the opening period, the usual connections simply not there, and Maresca will have felt his case for the board to listen to his pleas for a new centre-back grow stronger. Levi Colwill, so crucial to the team's buildup from the back, was a big miss after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in training earlier this month, and the issues were exacerbated with Tosin Adarabioyo also unavailable with a minor injury. Palace sought to exploit those frailties. It has been a trying summer for the FA Cup winners, who have spent it railing against the established order, and they had a point to prove after being demoted to the Conference League by Uefa over failing to comply with multi-club ownership rules. At least Glasner was able to start Marc Guéhi in central defence and Eze in attack, the latter's place having come into doubt earlier in the weekend as his prospective move to Tottenham edges nearer. Palace, though, soon felt the impatience with authority rising. They thought they had an early lead when Eze smashed a free-kick past Robert Sánchez in the 13th minute, only for the goal to be disallowed after Darren England was called to the pitchside monitor and penalised Guéhi for being within a metre of the Chelsea wall. The free-kick stemmed from an error from Josh Acheampong, who started as Colwill's replacement, moving into a central centre-back role in possession. Maresca, far less demonstrative than Glasner, looked pensive on the touchline. Chelsea were slow to the loose balls and had no grip in midfield, where Adam Wharton and Will Hughes often had the measure of Caicedo and Enzo Fernández. Wharton was a notable delight, the England Under-21 international following one gorgeous pirouette by piercing Chelsea's defence with a gorgeous pass. Jean-Philippe Mateta shot too close to Sánchez. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Chelsea's chances before half-time were limited to Marc Cucurella seeing a header cleared off the line and Trevoh Chalobah firing over from close range. Cole Palmer was quiet. Jamie Gittens, handed a debut on the left wing, got no change out of Daniel Muñoz. João Pedro worked hard but was often crowded out. Maresca reset during the interval. Chelsea were given an injection of energy when Gittens made way for Estêvão Willian. The Brazilian teenager was soon running at Tyrick Mitchell on the right but blazed over with his one chance. Palace, who were fortunate that Mateta avoided a second yellow card for a late tackle on Caicedo, fell back after an hour. Maresca responded by utilising his attacking depth, Liam Delap coming on for João Pedro. But Palace retained a threat on the counterattack Sánchez turning over a powerful effort from Eze. Added time brought one last glimmer from Chelsea, Andrey Santos sidefooting over not long after replacing Fernández. A draw was fair on the balance of play.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
📸 Crystal Palace denied early screamer at Stamford Bridge
It's been a fine few months for Crystal Palace after the South Londoners lifted the FA Cup and the Community Shield within the space of three months. The Eagles thought they'd also made the perfect start to their 2024/25 Premier League campaign, as Eberechi Eze unleashed a thunderbolt of a free-kick into the net from 20 yards out. However, despite wild scenes in the away end at Stamford Bridge, the top-drawer effort was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check - Marc Guehi seemingly committing a foul amongst the bundle of players inside the area. Will the early VAR decision impact Palace's chances of winning at Chelsea? 📸 Ryan Pierse - 2025 Getty Images
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Chelsea v Crystal Palace: Key stats and talking points
Chelsea and Crystal Palace have both won two trophies each since the end of the last domestic season and will hope to carry that momentum into the first London derby of the new Premier League claimed the first major honour in their history by winning the FA Cup final and also beat Liverpool on penalties last weekend to lift the Community meanwhile, claimed silverware in the Conference League and the newly expanded Club World their summers have otherwise followed very different relentless turnover of players has continued apace, with over £230m spent on incomings and more than £190m recouped in signings, such as Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Jorrel Hato and Estevao Willian, could make their league debuts for the Blues on Sunday, as could the in-form Joao Pedro. The Brazilian scored three goals in two starts at the Club World Cup and also netted in pre-season wins over Bayer Leverkusen and AC meanwhile, have spent just £2m - the second lowest figure in the top flight prior to the weekend - adding some squad depth with the recruitment of full-back Borna Sosa and goalkeeper Walter unprecedented success on the field, it has been a testing period for chairman Steve Parish. On Monday, Palace lost their appeal against demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport backing Uefa's decision that they were in breach of multi-club ownership rules. The club are also braced for bids for Marc Guehi, who has entered the final year of his contract, and Eberechi Eze, who has been linked with Arsenal and Eze would be a real blow, particularly this late in the transfer has improved his total number of goals and assists in each of the past three seasons and either scored or created 26 goals in all competitions last term, the highest figure of his career.
