- Glasner pleased with player’s mindset
- Insists his side will continue to compete on all fronts
- Praises attitude of his players
Oliver Glasner has shared his thoughts on his players’ mentalities after their 0-0 draw with West Ham United. The Eagles’ clash with the Hammers came just four days after a 2-1 loss (4-2 win on aggregate) against Fiorentina in the Conference League.
With that in mind, there was an underlying assumption in the general football viewing world that Palace would be content with a loss to a West Ham side battling relegation, given their performances in Europe.
The idea that this particular game didn’t mean much to Palace as a club was not only incorrect but also a huge oversight regarding manager Oliver Glasner’s attitude and approach. In his time at Palace, Glasner has always prioritised winning games, often fielding the same eleven players as long as they are fit to play.
That was no different to Monday night, and despite the rotation following the second leg of their European quarter-final, Palace did show signs of a team keen to win.
Glasner’s Comments Dissected
In his post-match interview, Glasner confirmed that murmurings of his side being willing to lose or ‘not fussed’ about the result in this game were nonsense.
When the reporter mentioned Palace’s chance to finish high in the Premier League, Glasner joked that “next time you can talk to the players, because I said more or less the same thing.”
“Maybe they [West Ham] are expecting us to be a little fatigued, maybe not too focused. You have to give the answer, and yes they showed it [that they were focused].”
The suggestions of Palace paying little focus to the Premier League from here on out are merely throwaway comments from people in no position to make true judgments of the club. Glasner has always been keen to compete on all fronts, and it would not be reminiscent of his time in South London to suddenly down tools in certain competitions.
“They gave the right answer that yes they are focused and committed.”
Before Palace’s quarter-final against Fiorentina, defender Chris Richards confirmed that Glasner had spoken to the players and asked them if they wanted to prioritise either the Premier League or the Conference League.
The answer was a defining “no”.
Thoughts on West Ham Draw
The overwhelming feeling that has stuck with me since last night is one of a missed chance. West Ham were not good last night. In fact, for the most part, they were poor. Palace simply failed to punish them, and the starting eleven probably played a part in that.
The same team that started against Newcastle and failed to create enough to win the game wasn’t suddenly going to fix up. The changes were necessary.
The introductions of Mateta, Sarr and Kamada once again sparked life into what was otherwise a pretty soulless game, and Palace, on another day, would have won had Mateta used his hip to guide the ball to Sarr instead of his arm.
Overall, a point is not the worst result in the world. Whilst it was a big opportunity for Palace to push towards that top seven, West Ham are in desperate need of any form of results, and so it would, on the face of it, seem like a fair scoreline. However, it did feel as if Palace let them off the hook somewhat.
A lack of conviction and impetus going forward saw the Iron’s defence troubled very little, and a goalkeeper in Mads Hermansen, who has an error in him, was not challenged in any particular capacity.
