- Oliver Glasner’s positional headache
- Yeremy Pino or Evan Guessand?
- Another low-block expected
As Crystal Palace prepare for their first-ever European quarter-final, Oliver Glasner is faced with somewhat of a conundrum when it comes to his team selection.
For large parts, the starting eleven picks itself, but in one certain position, there’s a question mark surrounding who Glasner will favour.
Spanish or Ivorian – That’s the question
With striker Jørgen Strand Larsen suspended due to a quite frankly ludicrous booking in the second leg in Cyprus, Jean-Phillipe Mateta will be starting up front, and most definitely to his right will be Ismaila Sarr.
On the left, however, there is slightly less clarity. Oliver Glasner has two clear options. Evan Guessand, or Yeremy Pino. Guessand has been favoured in recent weeks and has shown he can help against low blocks, using his one-on-one ability and pace to create chances.
Alternatively, Pino offers more control and possesses a superb range of passing, which can help create opportunities out of nothing.
The truth of this situation is that either player could start, play well, and contribute to a positive result, but Pino’s control and technical ability will, in my opinion, see him start the first leg. Glasner will want to control the tempo of the game, dominate possession and create plenty of chances. Pino is a really good option for this.
Whilst he’s not had the most clinical of seasons, he often ranks highly amongst the majority of Premier League players in terms of creative statistics. Another benefit of starting the Spaniard is that Guessand is then an option to bring on from the bench.
His pace and directness against a tired defence could be vital in the closing 20-25 minutes of the game, and this may be a key reason that Glasner decides to bench the Ivorian.
This is, of course, a great issue to have. At one point, Glasner’s sides were picking themselves due to a combination of injury issues and a lack of squad depth. But now, with all players fully fit, the Austrian manager has a plethora of players to choose from.
Another low-block to break down
In Fiorentina’s most recent game, a 1-0 win against Hellas Verona in Serie A, La Viola created just 0.36 expected goals, with just five total shots, all coming from outside the box.
Palace have become accustomed to facing low blocks across their European campaign, and Glasner will be hoping that the practice his side have had will prove sufficient. In the second leg against AEK Larnaca in Cyprus, Pino’s cameo was truly superb.
His technical finesse and chance-creating ability played a huge part in Palace’s progression to the quarter finals, and with Fiorentina likely to play in a similar fashion, Pino is the right option to begin tomorrow’s game.
