Crystal Palace will be hoping their end of season form can be carried over into the new campaign.
By Sam McGuire
Oliver Glasner’s men racked up stunning win after stunning win to end the season and confidence will be high heading into the new campaign.
What happened last season?
The Eagles looked to be in real danger around New Year. Their 3-1 win over Brentford on December 30th was just their fifth win of the campaign at that stage, and that was gameweek 20.
Crystal Palace made the brave decision to sack Roy Hodgson, a manager famed for steadying the ship. To the surprise of many, they hired Oliver Glasner. He won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2022/23 campaign.
He had positive ideas but attempting to bed them in during the season, when Palace needed wins, seemed risky. But the decision to hire the Austrian manager paid off. He guided the Eagles to what initially appeared to be an unlikely 10th place finish after a remarkable end to the season.
Everything seemed to fall into place around matchday 32. They finished the season with six wins from seven. This run included impressive wins over Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
These weren’t just smash-and-grab victories that sides sometimes manage against the European hopefuls. These were confident and dominant showings.
Glasner had his team defending well and he found a way to unlock his forward line. During those final seven games, Palace conceded four goals and scored 21.
In the end, Jean-Philippe Mateta ended with 16 goals and this included a final day hat-trick over Aston Villa. Eberechi Eze (11) and Michael Olise (10) both finished with double digits in the Premier League.
What has happened during the summer?
So far, they have managed to keep hold of Eze despite interest from Liverpool and Spurs. If they’re able to retain his services, he could be a lot of fun to watch in this Glasner team, especially with a full pre-season under the new manager.
They have also fended off reported interest in Adam Wharton.
They did, however, lose Olise to Bayern Munich. The French forward rejected a return to Chelsea in favour of a switch to the Bundesliga.
This is a big loss but Ismaïla Sarr, returning to the Premier League after a stint with Marseille in Ligue 1, could be a surprise package for the Eagles. The club have also brought in Chadi Riad from Real Betis.
What they should be aiming for next season?
Palace, with the squad they have and a manager as tactically switched on as Glasner, should be nowhere near a relegation battle next season. If they’re able to add a bit more quality during the transfer window, a top-half finish isn’t an outlandish shout, especially if they can replicate the end-of-season form from last year. They have the players for it. Do they have the consistency?
Prediction: 11th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.