While Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 system at Man United is causing a lot of controversy due to its instability, Oliver Glasner has proven that he is a master of building a tight and competitive tactical organization with this way of playing.
It was Crystal Palace's brilliant form, especially their historic unbeaten run and convincing win over Liverpool that helped the Austrian take the lead as the leading candidate if United were forced to find a replacement for Amorim in the coming weeks.
Crystal Palace fans have been used to being lower in the Premier League for many years, a team that often struggles to stay in the league and rarely dream of going further. However, things are changing rapidly under Glasner.
When Glasner arrived at Selhurst Park in February 2024, he took over a team that was unconfident and unstable after many losing seasons. In the early stages, the team has not really shaped the playing style. However, the 2-4 loss to Man City in April 2024 was a turning point. Despite the loss, Palace dared to play fairly against City, showing a change in tactical thinking and spirit.
Since then, the Glasner platforms built have gradually become effective. He creates a winning culture, giving Palace players the confidence to beat anyone. If last season there were still dozens of impressive performances, when entering this season, "Dai Bang" has combined them into a complete picture.
The clearest proof is the victory over Liverpool in round 6 of the Premier League. In an emotional match at Selhurst Park, Palace not only defended strongly, they also created a series of clear opportunities. Ismaila Sarr continues to prove his ability to score against Liverpool. Despite being equalized 1-1, the moment Eddie Nketiah scored the decisive goal in the 90+7 minute made Palace fans burst into tears.
Glasner ran along the border, unable to hide his happiness, hugging his colleagues. It was not just 3 points, it was a historic mark when Palace defeated the English champions for the first time under Glasner. This is also a match that affirms that this team can really face all the strongest opponents.
Crystal Palace have lost two bright stars, Michael Olise ( Bayern Munich) and Eberechi Eze (Arsenal). Marc Guehi has also been rumored to have passed away many times. In that context, the team did not spend big. In contrast, they are also in the group with the highest net profit from transfers.
Oliver Glasner has turned challenges into opportunities. He exploited the potential of rookies such as Daniel Munoz, Maxence Lacroix and Yeremy Pino. Lacroix has worked with Glasner at Wolfsburg, quickly filling the void left by Joachim Andersen. Tyrick Mitchell, Chris Richards and Jean- Philippe Mateta have all undergone strong transformations.
What has attracted much attention from many English experts is the way Glasner has built the Palace team to be both solid and diverse. While Amorim applied 3-4-3 at Old Trafford but did not make Man United operate smoothly, Glasner turned his flexible formation into a personnel optimization tool.
From Mateta, Sarr to Lacroix, all found a prominent role in the system. The way Glasner organizes pressing and counter-attacking makes the "Three Lions" not only stand firm, they are also truly competitive in the Premier League top group.
After the win over Liverpool, Palace extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions, equal to the record that has existed since 1969. They are 3rd in the rankings, only 3 points behind Liverpool and 2 points behind Arsenal, then preparing to enter the Europa Conference League group stage, an unprecedented milestone in the club's history.
Since the start of 2024, Palace have lost just four of their four games, a tally with Chelsea and just behind Man City. That explains why, in the context of Man United's skepticism under Amorim, Glasner is increasingly mentioned as a potential choice. Without noise in the transfer market, without needing superstars, Glasner still creates a cohesive and effective team.
From a team that was often considered a sideline, Crystal Palace are now living in the most glorious days in the history of the modern Premier League era. The victory over Liverpool was not an end in itself, it was a turning point that affirmed the talent of Oliver Glasner and Crystal Palace's strong team. If in the coming days Man United are forced to find a replacement for Ruben Amorim, Oliver Glasner with what he has shown will be the first name to be on the negotiation table.
