Glasner at Palace: What can FPL managers expect?

It’s all change at Crystal Palace, with Roy Hodgson out and Oliver Glasner in.

The Austrian watched on from the stands as Palace battled to a 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday, but looking ahead, what does his appointment mean for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers?

Here, we take a closer look at Glasner and ask what we can expect from the 49-year-old.

GLASNER: THE HISTORY

Glasner was assistant to Roger Schmidt at Red Bull Salzburg, before starting his coaching career proper with Austrian sides SV Ried and LASK.

He guided the latter from the second tier to a second-place finish in the top-flight and a spot in Europe, before heading to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

Here, UEFA Champions League qualification was achieved in his second season but Glasner was on the move again, this time joining Eintracht Frankfurt.

In his first campaign in charge, he could only secure an eleventh-place finish in the Bundesliga but that was more than made up for by winning the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League.

The following year, Frankfurt went on to reach a German Cup final and the Champions League last-16, but they underwhelmed in the Bundesliga, eventually finishing seventh, which resulted in him stepping down last summer.

GLASNER: THE TACTICS

“They play on the counter-attack and counter-press in a way I’ve only seen from a few teams in my career.” – Barcelona manager Xavi on Oliver Glasner’s Frankfurt

As for his style, Glasner prefers a 3-4-2-1 formation, which is how Palace set up for Monday’s trip to Everton.

His Frankfurt team were often best when they could sit back a little, ceding possession and then pouncing on the break, playing fast and direct football.

Meanwhile, Filip Kostic and Kolo Muani were both pivotal to how Frankfurt played.

Kostic excelled as a wing-back in 2021/22, occupying a high position on the left to provide width. In 31 Bundesliga appearances, he recorded nine assists and averaged 2.8 key passes and 3.3 crosses per game, highly impressive figures.

As for centre-forward Muani, he scored 23 goals in Glasner’s final season in charge, form which earned him a call-up to France’s 2022 World Cup squad.

Glasner demands pressing and pace from his side, too.

In his first interview as Palace manager, Glasner outlined his approach/philosophy:

“My philosophy is very easy: it’s 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.

“I think we never should forget this because this is what the fans want to see: that we fight together and we play together to score a goal. This is the headline over the football philosophy. Then, of course, it’s how we defend: sometimes it’s a high press, sometimes it’s a low block – but [overall] it’s all about how we can score goals.” – Oliver Glasner

GLASNER AT PALACE: THE FPL PROSPECTS

Glasner takes charge just in time for a decent run of fixtures, with two huge home games coming up against Burnley and Luton Town.

The Gameweek 29 fixture with Newcastle United is in jeopardy, however: both sides will blank if the Magpies beat Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round.

If that fixture is postponed, it could potentially slot into either Gameweek 34 (WHU + NEW) or Gameweek 37 (wol + NEW).

As for who might prosper in a Glasner-led Palace squad, his arrival, in theory, should see them score more goals, so Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) and Michael Olise (£5.7m) are two names to keep in mind once back from injury.

Indeed, only the top three of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig scored more Bundesliga goals than Eintracht Frankfurt (58) in 2022/23.

Eze and Olise are near-perfect fits for the attacking midfield roles in Glasner’s 3-4-2-1, so if they buy into his approach, could be great options.

Even under Hodgson, who played a much more conservative, counter-attacking style of football, their open-play threat stacks up very well against other FPL midfielders:

Above: Midfielders sorted by non-penalty xGI per 90 minutes in 2023/24 (minimum 500 minutes played)

The wing-backs will also play a key role.

Daniel Munoz (£4.5m) was one of Palace’s better players at Goodison Park on Monday and looked good going forward, so there is potential for him to become a useful budget option. Attacking comes more naturally to him than tracking back, which could give him the edge over Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m), who perhaps doesn’t have the necessary attributes to thrive as a wing-back.

Chris Richards (£3.9m) is cheaper still and looked more comfortable in a back three on Monday, although the return of Marc Guehi (£4.3m) from injury could potentially oust him or Joel Ward (£4.5m) from the starting XI.

Elsewhere, Glasner has a good track record in bringing the best out of centre-forwards, so if Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.9m) or Odsonne Edouard (£5.4m) can nail down a starting spot, they could be useful enablers on a Double Gameweek 34 or 37 Bench Boost.

However, with key players currently injured and Palace failing to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 14 Premier League games, the majority of FPL managers will probably err on the side of caution with their assets, at least for now.

Saturday’s meeting with an out-of-sorts Burnley side will hopefully be a good gauge, with there being some decent Palace fixtures to tap into beyond that point should the signs be positive.

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