Glasner reflects on favourite moments in his final programme interview

This interview was initially published in the Crystal Palace v Arsenal programme in May 2026 you can buy issues of the matchday programme by clicking HERE.

It’s part of what makes Oliver Glasner’s character so compelling that he isn’t a man for dwelling on the past.

Anyone who has spent any length of time around the Crystal Palace Training Ground across the last two-and-a-bit years will know this all too well. So driven and determined to succeed, his thoughts and energy are always on the next game, the next challenge.

The most important fixture of 2025/26 still awaits. So, getting the Manager to, even if only temporarily, consider what he’s already achieved in his time in South London was not going to be an easy task.

But in a football world now consumed with what comes next, it feels even more important to take time to reflect – even if for a fleeting moment – on what has already gone.

Today is his final game at Selhurst Park as Manager. But whatever happens this afternoon against Arsenal, or indeed on Wednesday night in Leipzig, his place in club history has long been assured.

With all eyes now on the European Final at the end of this extraordinary season, we’re taking the opportunity to contemplate the journey he’s been on.

That means starting back in February 2024, when Glasner set foot in South London for the first time.

“I remember it perfectly, our first game against Burnley,” Glasner says. “It was the first home game for me and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of the mood around the club.

“The team hadn’t been on a great run.

“But I walked out and immediately there was huge positivity from the stands. It was so loud.

“The atmosphere pushed us on, and we got a 3-0 win against Burnley. I was really very surprised by the support.

“From that fantastic start I could see the potential. But, of course, the face of the team has changed in the last two years.

“Not just because starters like Michael Olise, Ebs [Ebere Eze] and Marc [Guéhi] left, but we had experienced players like Joel Ward, Jeffrey Schlupp and James Tomkins leave as well.

“We’ve had some big changes in the club and in the dressing room over the last few years.

“But all together we’ve managed it well. Last season we had a record points total in the Premier League. And, of course, winning a trophy.

“This season we’ve been stable in the league and have qualified for another final. But in all honesty, I didn’t think about this when I first started.

“The staff and I just wanted to help the team show their potential, to change the approach a little bit.”

Change the approach he certainly did. After that initial flurry at home against Burnley, Glasner experienced the difficulty of the Premier League with a five-game winless run.

They then headed to Anfield to face a Liverpool team on the charge for the title, in Jürgen Klopp’s final season in charge. A daunting task.

But the mentality was already shifting. “I really wanted us to play to win every single game,” Glasner adds. “Not to accept a draw or a defeat and think ‘the pressure is off’, not to think ‘this is fine’. “But to enter the pitch believing we could win.

"This was very important for us. And I think that was crucial to helping us be successful.

“When we went to Liverpool, they were unbeaten for more than two years at home and were playing for a league title.

“We won. It was incredible. We had a good first-half, scored a great goal. Then I just remember it was a massive fight after half-time.

“I think this win was so important for our journey together. When you’re at the start, you can talk about what you want to change. But once the players see and experience it, that changes things.

“Suddenly the things they’ve been working on and talking about in training, they could see how it would work at the weekend. They have the evidence.

“I really believe that result was massive for our time together.”

During his time at the helm Glasner has implemented a style of play that has played to Palace’s strengths.

Coming up to a year on from his initial arrival, things were really clicking. Over time the group had formed a sound understanding of the Austrian’s system and what he expected from each player.

And whenever, as he mentions, challenges were thrown up by way of players leaving the club, solutions would be found.

Olise’s departure would have been tough for any team to deal with. But in came Ismaïla Sarr who proved a revelation.

Dean Henderson emerged as a leader, Jean-Philippe Mateta had the best goalscoring period of his career, while those who previously played under Glasner – Daichi Kamada and Maxence Lacroix – were vital to winning an FA Cup in their first season.

It was a remarkable season where the Eagles became incredibly tough to beat. Asking the Manager to choose just one standout moment he says is a “bit unfair.”

“There were so many,” he adds. “The wins we had against Manchester United I think we’ll always remember, particularly the 4-0 at home [in his first season].

“The performance that night was incredible. But also winning at Old Trafford, drawing at Arsenal.

“But I also remember moments like when Dani Muñoz scored in the 95th minute against Newcastle and I was sprinting down to the corner flag to celebrate with the team.

“Moments like that were unexpected but they stay with you.

“Of course we’ve had some tough moments as well. But when I’m looking back I don’t want to talk about those.

“That’s life as well to be honest. When you’re at a club two-and-a-half years, it’s not always going to be perfect.

“It’s not going to be just a honeymoon period when you’re together that long – in any relationship.

“But I think what defines us, is that we stick together in tough moments. When we were in difficult situations that almost brought us closer together, we supported each other even more.

“This is a big lesson for all of us in life.”

That was evident in April last year. Two defeats in the space of four days, in two of the longest away trips of the season against Manchester City and Newcastle United, were tough to take.

Palace conceded ten goals across both fixtures, after previously going five games unbeaten.It could have shredded the inner belief of the group. Instead, it made them stronger.

At Newcastle, the fans present were still singing and backing the team at 5-0 down. From that moment of defiance, the Eagles found a new level for the rest of the season.

They wouldn’t lose again until October.

Of course, the crowning moment was May 17th, 2025, and a first major trophy in club history.

“What will stay when I leave here,” Glasner adds. “Is this trophy. I think in 20, 30 years, people will still talk about winning this FA Cup for Crystal Palace, regardless of what happens in the future.

“Hopefully it is just the first one and a few others will follow for Palace. But the first one will always be special.

“We won a major trophy with Marc Guéhi as the captain, Dean Henderson saving the penalty and Ebere Eze scoring the goal, and of course I could mention all the others.

“This stays forever.”

In his post-match press conference at Wembley that day, the Manager said that Jean-Philippe Mateta – for example – could return to Selhurst Park in decades to come and be given a standing ovation.

Whilst you can never be sure of what’s round the corner in life, particularly in football, that will surely be the same for Glasner, irrespective of the outcome of Wednesday’s European final.

The Austrian had never played in England during his 12-year senior playing career, nor had he previously coached on these shores, until the Eagles came calling.

Yet he has thrived under the microscope of the most competitive domestic league in the world. It may be the first time his managerial career has taken him outside of Austria and Germany, but Glasner has enjoyed the experience.

Even if, naturally, he misses his family back in his homeland.

A keen tennis fan and player, he is already planning to return for the Wimbledon Championships in July. “Every one of us [Glasner’s coaching staff included] has enjoyed England as well,” he said.

“Obviously, it’s been difficult when you’re far away [from family] as a father. Sometimes I feel I would like to be more part of family life… very often it’s on FaceTime at the moment.

“But my boys travelled to Kraków [for the Conference League semi-final] because it’s just a 40-minute flight from Vienna.

“I had my family at the FA Cup Final last year at Wembley. So I’ve still been able to share this chapter with them.

“These moments, like winning a trophy, are important. But they are more special when they are shared, with your family, with your best friends.

“It’s been a great experience for us as a family.”

Today is the 59th game of a marathon 2025/26 season. Leipzig will be the 60th. It’s a campaign that for many feels like several seasons merged into one.

Community Shield winners, a club-record unbeaten run, those unforgettable European nights in Lublin, Larnaca and Florence.

All roads have eventually led to Leipzig and Wednesday night’s final. It’s a first European Final for Palace, but not for Glasner.

He guided Eintracht Frankfurt to a UEFA Europa League title in 2022.

That was only their second European title. Instantly he was a club legend. But for the man himself it’s never been about status, or accolades.

It’s been about building a culture together.

“I think I am the biggest critic with myself,” he says. “I’m sure there were moments I could have done better.

“But I always give my best.

“The players have made sure they will always be remembered and be appreciated. This is what I will always be proud of.”

You can never guarantee the outcome of football matches. But one thing you know you’ll get from an Oliver Glasner team as he approaches these final two games, is that they will leave everything on the pitch.

Whether this week sees him add a third piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet or not, Glasner will get the recognition he deserves following today’s game.

You hope he gets the fairytale ending in Leipzig and brings home the trophy the team has worked so hard for this season.

Whether the Conference League is part of our return luggage remains to be seen, but he has already carved out his Palace legacy.

A great manager leaves more than trophies behind.

Glasner leaves belief, standards and a team more confident in itself – thank you Oliver.