Austrian head coach
©IMAGO
Former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner was confirmed as Crystal Palace’s new manager on Monday, shortly after the club announced the departure of Roy Hodgson. Glasner left Eintracht Frankfurt last summer and has been previously linked with a move to Union Berlin, Olympique Lyon, and Nottingham Forest. the 49-year-old Austrian has signed a two-year deal with the Premier League side.
“I am very happy to join Crystal Palace as manager,” saod Glasner in a club statement. “I am looking forward to working with the talented squad, meeting the club’s supporters and experiencing the Selhurst Park atmosphere I have heard so much about. It has been a pleasure to meet with Steve and Dougie, and I am looking forward to working with them to achieve our goals.” Club chairman Steve Parish added: “I’m delighted to welcome Oliver to the club. He has an outstanding record, and we believe he is the right manager to take the club forward at this pivotal stage.”
Glasner: Guiding Wolfsburg and Frankfurt to the Champions League
The 49-year-old Austrian undoubtedly makes the move to Palace with a strong resume. A coaching product of Red Bull Salzburg, Glasner averaged 1.97 points per game with LASK in the Austrian Bundesliga before moving on to Germany, where he took over Wolfsburg in 2019. During his first season, Glasner finished seventh, and then during his second year at the club, he guided the Wolves into the top four and the Champions League.
Rather than enjoying the fruits of his labor, Glasner opted to leave the club following his second season with Wolfsburg. The reason for Glasner’s departure was his complex relationship with then Wolfsburg CEO Jörg Schmadtke. Glasner ultimately opted to make use of his exit clause and join Eintracht Frankfurt. Without Glasner, Wolfsburg would struggle the following season under first Mark van Bommel and Florian Kohfeldt, finishing the season in 12th place.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Best tifos in the Europa League
Glasner, in the meantime, would move on to Frankfurt, where he would win the Europa League in 2022. That run to the title included a magical night in Barcelona where Frankfurt fans would invade the Nou Camp and see their team win 3-2. Frankfurt then knocked out West Ham in the semifinals (2-1 and 1-0) before beating Scottish side Rangers (6-5 on penalties) to win the title and qualify for the Champions League. Without a doubt, the Europa League win is Glasner’s biggest success, and the way Frankfurt marched to the title and dominated the likes of Barcelona was impressive. Part of the story, however, is also that Frankfurt finished 11th in the Bundesliga standings that season and would only slightly improve to seventh place the next season.
New Palace boss needs to show he can be a long-term fix
Just as was the case at Wolfsburg, there was constant speculation surrounding Glasner during his second year in charge of Frankfurt. The Europa League victory, without a doubt, meant that there was plenty of interest. Ultimately, Glasner opted to stay and guided Frankfurt through the Champions League group stages and to the DFB Pokal final in 2023, where the club lost out on winning a second title under Glasner against RB Leipzig (2-0). That final turned out to be the last game for Glasner at Frankfurt as there were reported difficulties between the bench boss and the bosses in the board room—a parallel to his time in Wolfsburg.
Sources have suggested that Glasner isn’t necessarily the most straightforward personality to deal with. The Austrian is also very demanding towards his players. On the pitch, that can lead to spectacular football, but the reality is also that Frankfurt struggled to maintain the high-power football across three competitions. The Europa League run, for example, came with a significant drop in performances in the Bundesliga. That drop was also visible last year when Frankfurt couldn’t hold on to a top-four spot and then also lost the cup final. With that in mind, is Glasner the right coach for Palace? There is no doubt that Glasner had success at both Wolfsburg and Frankfurt. But the Austrian is also very demanding towards his players and his bosses. Short-term, Glasner has always done very well and that could give Palace the input needed to turn around a season threatening to go off the rails.
Homepage