OLIVER Glasner is the new man in charge at Crystal Palace after Roy Hodgson announced he was stepping down from the role yesterday, but who is the Austrian manager and how will his side set up?
There is no question the Eagles are underperforming this season and change was well overdue, with just three wins in 20 games meaning they have fallen to 15th in the league, just five points clear of the drop.
But an ambitious appointment in South London has sparked excitement back amongst the fans, a former Europa League winner will be joining a side, who has been starved of any success as of recent.
Glasner started his managerial career at SV Ried in 2014/15, before joining LASK as both a director of sport and head coach the following season.
The appointment was an instant success, he won promotion in 15/16 before finishing fourth, taking them to their first European campaign since 2000.
He joined Wolfsburg ahead of 2019/20, finishing seventh and qualifying for Europa league, before guiding them to a fourth place finish the season after, making it to the Champions League.
In 2021 he left to join Eintracht Frankfurt, who qualified for the Europa League the season prior and ended up winning the competition, defeating Barcelona and West Ham on the way, before beating Rangers on penalties in the final.
He is certaintly a manager with pedigree but there is still some concern amongst the fanbase whether Glasner has enough time to implement his ideas before it’s too late, with his tactics being a complete contrast to the one’s used by Hodgson.
The Austrian typically opts for a 3-4-2-1 formation, high pressing when off the ball and possession based when on it – we saw Palace somewhat set up in this way in last night’s 1-1 with Everton.
Glasner’s main job will be to do all he can to keep Crystal Palace in the Premier League and then build on it next season.
