Ahead of their trip to Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City on Saturday – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - we take a look at some of the numbers behind Crystal Palace’s revival after a desperate start. Sometimes, patience and trust in a manager's ability can go a long way as proven by The Eagles' gradual improvement under Oliver Glasner this season.
Coming into the summer, Palace were thought of a possible dark horse contender for a European place.
However, after selling Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, Jordan Ayew and Joachim Andersen both left, and it was difficult to find replacements. They eventually did get them in - Eddie Nketiah, Maxence Lacroix and Ismaila Sarr all signed just before the transfer window shut. Although Glasner possessed resources, did he have time? Palace drew their next three after the end of the window, then three more losses followed. After eight games, the Eagles appeared to be in serious trouble and were in the bottom three. In October, there were rumors that Palace management, led by CEO Steve Parish, were seriously considering firing Glasner to try to stop the decline. Palace has won seven games compared to Liverpool's eight since the beginning of the year. There is no league team that has allowed fewer goals or kept more clean sheets (five). They have rocketed up the table to sit 11th, just five points off eighth, which we expect to be a European place for the Premier League this season (a further eight off seventh). Oh, and they’re also in an FA Cup semi-final.
Palace are not a team like Aston Villa, to put this into perspective. This is not the ascendance of a dormant giant. Palace has won the second division twice, the third division once, the Full Members Cup, which was formerly known as the Zenith Data Systems Cup, and the FA Cup final twice against Manchester United. No one denies that Leipzig presents a huge opportunity. But it would sting to see him walk away before the real journey begins. Palace fans have watched talent walk out the door before – Zaha, Wan-Bissaka, even managers like Hodgson after stabilising periods. they’ve seen the cycle. But Glasner had a different feeling. He felt like someone who wanted to stay and build.
The club needs to move fast. Offer him more than a contract – offer him a vision. In the transfer market, back him. Make it clear Palace is not just a stepping stone.
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