Oliver Glasner, the manager of Crystal Palace, was happy to see his team start the Premier League with a win, but he has cautioned his players that they still need to grow better.
Oliver Glasner, the new manager of Crystal Palace, believes he can now provide his team with some useful guidance following their victory in his first Premier League game.
The Austrian had a fantastic start to the season as the Eagles defeated Burnley, who were reduced to 10 men, 3-0. Following the match at Selhurst Park, the 49-year-old received accolades for everything from his stylish white shoes and Canada Goose puffer jacket to his tips on improving set-pieces.
However, Glasner is aware that winning a game against Vincent Kompany’s faltering club isn’t going to be enough to satisfy the supporters. The outcome on Saturday gives him the opportunity to set even higher goals for the match against Tottenham the following week.
The Austrian responded, “I’m also happy with it and I think it makes it a little bit easier for all of us, because when you feel well, maybe we can also be more critical with the players,” when asked if he was satisfied with earning his first points in the English top division.
“Critique is essential if you want to get better right now. We put a lot of effort into becoming better little by little, but the players showed me they are eager, and the victory was proof that we are all ready to move in the same direction.
“That’s the answer for me and after the first three/four, days that’s a good answer.”
As he looks to keep the Eagles in the Premier League for another season—they are currently eight points clear of the drop zone—Glasner is aware that he will have to prove his managerial value in subsequent games.
He attributed Saturday’s victory to the players’ zeal and the work completed by former manager Roy Hodgson, as well as Paddy McCarthy and Dean Kiely, who are still employed in the backroom.
In his inaugural news conference, Glasner conveyed his optimism by stating that he’s “sure we can beat” the Premier League’s best teams and emphasised his desire for his team to share the same mindset.
Glasner can put this way of thinking to the test when Palace plays Tottenham. Eberechi Eze’s return could help them, but Marc Guehi and Michael Olise are likely to wait to participate until after the international break.
Even though their victory featured goals from Chris Richards, Jordan Ayew, and Jean-Philippe Mateta, as well as numerous other chances and goals, the Palace manager was keen to dispel the notion that his club cannot succeed without its best players.
“I hope we can say this in any game,” he continued. The idea that one player determines every game is something I reject. Balance was, in my opinion, the best aspect of the (Burnley) game.”
Though the scenes of happiness at Selhurst Park were a far cry from the recent protests, the away fans were not sharing the same happiness.
Kompany took the time to express his gratitude to the Burnley fans who travelled all the way to London. He won’t apologise, but he did admit that his team might be having trouble.
“It’s not an apology,” he clarified. “You don’t have to apologise if you do your work really hard.”
He thinks that perseverance is essential under trying circumstances. “In a tough time, I think you still have to face up, you still have to be there and you still have to be at the front of it.”
