Oliver Glasner has vowed that his Crystal Palace side will play an attacking brand of football.
The 49-year-old Austrian, who was appointed as Palace's new manager on Monday after Roy Hogdson stood down, won the UEFA Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021/22, beating Steven Gerrard's Rangers on penalties and ending the tournament as the second-highest goalscorers.
In his first interview since taking the job, Glasner outlined how he wants his Palace side to play.
“My philosophy is very easy: it’s scoring goals because that’s why, as I tell the players very often, we all started playing football," said Glasner. "Nobody went on the pitch when he was a young kid to defend!
A clear philosophy 🧬
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) February 22, 2024
Watch Oliver Glasner's first interview as Palace manager 🎙️
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“Everybody wants to have the ball and wants to score a goal and then celebrate together with his friends, so this is why we all started playing football.
“I think we never should forget this because this is what the fans want to see: that we fight together and we play together to score a goal. This is the headline over the football philosophy.
“Then, of course, it’s how we defend: sometimes it’s a high press, sometimes it’s a low block – but [overall] it’s all about how we can score goals.”
Glasner has exciting young talents Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at his disposal, although the pair are currently sidelined due to injury.
First Interview: Glasner excited by Palace’s ‘interesting project’
Glasner was in attendance for the Eagles' 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park and was encouraged by the performance.
“When I saw the game at Everton, there was really good spirit in the team, always supporting each other. I saw the basics, where we can build up the philosophy and where we can build up what we want to do, how we want to play."
The draw with Everton means that Palace remain 15th, five points clear of the relegation zone.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
Glasner's first match in charge will be at home to Burnley on Saturday, and he can't wait to experience Selhurst Park for the first time as Palace manager.
“I've been here once in autumn watching a game, and I was really excited about the atmosphere, but it is one [thing] sitting in the stand, and another is being close to the sidelines, so it will be emotionally different," he added.
“I think that's also one reason why I'm a manager, a coach: to feel these emotions here, to feel this atmosphere. This is something you cannot buy. You have to live it, and this is why I really like being a manager.
“For me, this is very important: that we play the same way here at Selhurst Park and in the away games, so that we always trust in us, we always trust in our team-mates, and we always trust in what we do. This will start with the first practice.
“We’re starting. We’re all looking forward to it. I’m really convinced that we’ll reach our goal, that we can improve as a team, that we can improve individually – and then that we’ll enjoy our time together.”
