Can Crystal Palace shake the Premier League like Leicester City did a decade ago and win the championship? The idea may sound bold, but recent signs suggest that this season may be full of surprises.
After ending Liverpool's perfect start, Palace are currently third and still unbeaten in 19 matches in all competitions, including a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Despite allowing star Eberechi Eze to move to Arsenal for £67.5 million, they have maintained a solid defense with only three goals conceded since the beginning of the season.
Oliver Glasner's side are a threat to all opponents, proving that a 3-4-2-1 system - similar to Manchester United's failed strategy under Ruben Amorim - will be effective if players know how to operate.
They have a trio of excellent defenders: American international Chris Richards, French international Maxence Lecroix and England international Marc Guehi. In addition, there are the talented full-back duo Daniel Muuoz and Tyrick Mitchell, while holding midfielder Adam Wharton also plays impressively. Up front were the threat to score from Jean- Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr, along with rookie Yeremy Pino from Villarreal.
With this force, Palace is fully capable of maintaining their position in the top group, as long as the first European campaign in 27 years does not have a negative impact on them. Of course, they will also have to consider keeping Glasner out of attractive invitations from big teams, possibly even Man United.
According to British media, Glasner received a contract extension offer from Crystal Palace earlier this summer, but he has not signed a new deal yet. Glasner has publicly criticized Palace's summer transfer business, and appears to be against the new terms at Selhurst Park.
Sources close to Palace say the possibility of Glasner staying is remote. Palace will have to reach a new deal with Glasner before the end of this season, otherwise he could leave the London club.
"I am proud that we could start well in the Conference League away against a strong opponent. But I don't think much about the unbeaten streak, because it belongs to the past.
The important thing is that my players are always hungry for victory and full of ambition. That has helped me easily maintain high concentration in the whole team" - Glasner said after the win over Dynamo Kiev in the Europa Conference League.
Glasner, born in 1974, started his coaching career at SV Ried (authrich) in 2014, before making a splash with bringing LASK Linz back to the European arena.
In 2019, he moved to the Bundesliga to lead Wolfsburg and after only 2 seasons helped the team win a place in the Champions League.
Glasner's greatest success came during his time leading Eintracht Frankfurt (2021-2023). Here, he and Frankfurt defeated Rangers in the 2022 Europa League final, bringing the club its first European title in 42 years.
This achievement also makes Glasner one of the rare Austrian coaches to win titles in the continental arena.
