Oliver Glasner Facing Crucial Four Games to Rescue Palace Tenure

Oliver Glasner’s tenure as Crystal Palace manager is hanging by a thread after a disastrous start to the Premier League season. A 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday has compounded Palace’s woes, leaving them winless in their first eight matches, the club’s worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 1992-93 season.

With Palace languishing in 18th place, and a dismal tally of only five goals so far, Glasner’s position looks increasingly precarious. The next four fixtures, including clashes against Tottenham and Aston Villa, could define his future at Selhurst Park.

Palace’s Offensive Struggles

Crystal Palace’s offensive frailties have been laid bare under Glasner’s stewardship. The team’s tally of just five goals is the lowest in the Premier League this season, and the inability to convert possession into chances has become a major concern. While Glasner acknowledges the problem, saying, “Maybe it is to change the shape – we need more players on the pitch who can score goals,” the solutions remain elusive.

Daichi Kamada, one of Palace’s marquee summer signings, has struggled to make the impact many hoped he would. Despite thriving under Glasner at Eintracht Frankfurt, Kamada has been unable to fill the creative void left by Michael Olise, who departed for Bayern Munich in the summer. The French forward’s absence has been keenly felt, and Palace have only registered one win since his departure.

The Role of Confidence

Glasner has openly admitted that his players are suffering from a lack of confidence, a factor he believes is contributing to their poor decision-making in the final third. “Very often we are in the final third and making the wrong decisions. This is due to a lack of confidence. We are humans. It’s time for hugging the players, not for kicking them,” he stated after the Forest defeat.

However, the results have not followed, and the pressure continues to mount. With only five points from their opening eight games, Palace are already five points adrift of Everton in 16th place.

Fixtures That Could Shape Glasner’s Fate

The next four games are crucial for Glasner. Palace face a tough test against Tottenham on Sunday, followed by a Carabao Cup tie against Aston Villa. A trip to Wolves and a home fixture against Fulham will round out a pivotal set of fixtures before the international break. Each of these matches presents a make-or-break opportunity for Glasner to prove his worth and keep Palace afloat in the Premier League.

The Palace hierarchy, led by chairman Steve Parish, is believed to be considering their options should results fail to improve. Names such as Graham Potter, David Moyes, and Gareth Southgate have been linked with the role should Glasner depart, with Potter having previously been in discussions with Palace about the role earlier this year.

Concerns have been raised about Glasner’s tactical inflexibility, particularly his adherence to a 3-4-2-1 system. While this formation worked well during his tenure at Eintracht Frankfurt, it has been less effective with Palace’s current squad, particularly given the team’s inability to create and convert scoring opportunities.

Injury Woes Add to the Pressure

As if the performance issues were not enough, Palace are also facing an injury dilemma with Adam Wharton. The 20-year-old midfielder has been struggling with a persistent groin injury, and Glasner has acknowledged that surgery might be the only solution. “We are talking with him and, if we have to do it, [of] finding the right moment. Or, [on] the other side, his body will tell us,” Glasner explained. Wharton’s absence from the starting line-up in the defeat to Forest was notable, and his potential unavailability in the coming weeks only adds to the manager’s headaches.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

Eight games in, and they’re already staring down the barrel of relegation. The attacking frailty is glaring, but what worries many supporters is Glasner’s apparent rigidity. His refusal to deviate from the 3-4-2-1 formation is becoming a real problem. It worked at Frankfurt, yes, but Palace don’t have the same calibre of players, and it feels like they’re hammering square pegs into round holes.

Kamada, a player fans were excited about, looks lost without Olise. Was it too much to expect him to single-handedly replace the creativity and flair that Olise brought to the side? And the idea of relying on out-of-form strikers with no clear solution in sight is keeping most suporters up at night. Sure, Glasner is talking about solutions, but so far there hasn’t been any tangible results.

If Glasner doesn’t turn things around in these next four games, there’s a real chance they’ll be back in the familiar territory of managerial uncertainty. The club’s been down this road before, and it rarely ends well. The fear is that the damage might already be done by then, and once you start freefalling in this league, it’s hard to stop.