Having not posted any blogs for just under a month, it felt fitting to return to the writing scene after a triumphant win in Oliver Glasner’s first game in charge after the resignation of Roy Hodgson.
Briefly, I had honestly just become so detached from Palace and watching the football that we were playing. I know I am not alone in this view, and I just didn’t want to get in the loop of writing angry blogs, which would just become pointless rants week in, week out, regurgitating more or less the same points.
Hodgson is, without a doubt, a club hero. But I think it had become evident after 5-0 and 4-1 losses against Arsenal and Brighton respectively that change was necessary.
The appointment of Oliver Glasner is one that has sparked excitement back into the hearts of Palace fans. A European winner in the 2021/22 season with Frankfurt, Glasner boasts a very impressive CV across the board.
Frankly, it shows how impressive the Premier League pull is. The fact that we could attract such a manager, given the situation he found the club in upon joining, is incredible.
The Austrian has immediately brought the sense of excitement around the club back and is exactly the kind of appointment the fanbase has been calling for the board to make for years.
His comments in his first interview with the club have also excited and connected with the fans about his philosophy and how he wants to play.
He told Palace TV: “The philosophy is easy: scoring goals because that’s why, as I tell the players very often, we all started playing football. Nobody went on the pitch when he was a young kid to defend!”.
“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.”
Yep, that’s me sold.
Coming into the Burnley fixture, Alan Pardrew was the most recent Crystal Palace manager to win their first game in charge, way back in 2015. So, of course, there was a slight sense of apprehension in the air, especially in a must win-game against Vincent Kompany's fellow struggling side.
The performance we saw from Palace on Saturday was an absolute breath of fresh air.
We looked to press Burnley at every opportunity and played with a freedom that was scarcely seen under Hodgson.
Admittedly, the Burnley red-card allowed us to play with more freedom, however, the way we looked to break down Burnley and capitalise on the advantage was very encouraging.
Matheus França looked a constant threat, picking up his first assist, and is hopefully someone we will be seeing a lot more of in the starting XI.
Of course, we cannot allow ourselves to get carried away.
We are still without big names such as Michael Olise and Marc Guéhi for the foreseeable future, however, Glasner revealed Eberechi Eze will return to the squad this week, which provides a huge boost.
The weeks to come offer some big tests for Palace, with a tough away game at White Hart Lane on Saturday kicking it off.
It is an exciting prospect, however, as it will allow us to see how Glasner approaches this game after a full week’s worth of preparation.
Look out for the match preview later this week.
Up the Palace 🔴🔵
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