Crystal Palace face Arsenal for the second time in three days on Saturday; ahead of the game, find out what manager Oliver Glasner had to say below.
The Eagles were edged out of the Carabao Cup at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, a spirited display not enough to avert a 3-2 defeat against the Gunners.
At his pre-match press conference ahead of the two teams' Premier League meeting at Selhurst Park this weekend, manager Oliver Glasner urged his players to learn their lessons from that encounter, while thanking the Palace fans for their superb support – catch up on the key quotes below…
We could see the quality of Arsenal. We could see especially in the second half of how quick you can move the ball, making the runs, how accurate they can pass in the gaps and so we have to talk to the players and we talked about it.
From these games you can learn a lot and playing against the top teams, of course, it hurts when you lose and are out of the Cup, but it's also a big chance to learn and improve and it's the best thing we can show it now within three days. I don't expect 30 percent improvement within these three days but in some parts a little bit, and then we want to get a better result.
With an early lead there, we got just a little bit too passive and we need to find the right moments. I know it's not that easy because they move so well, they move the ball so quickly, but we need to find the moments where we can get more pressure and therefore you have to step up, you have to go into the duels, not just going there waiting three yards in front of them. In possession, you have to support your teammate and show him, ‘hey, I want to have the ball’ and this is what we can do better.
We did this in some parts of the game and then it looked quite good. It was the same at Brighton in the first-half: when we do this and we support and we have to invest, we have to run, we have to move, find the gaps and play with few touches, then also Arsenal has to run.
This is what we need, because when they play most of the time in their final third, so in our defending third, it's just a question of time, they get a lot of set plays and there is one moment to switch the game from left to right and wait and have the right moment to find the gaps, and therefore we have to be in some areas we were talking about, to make more pressure, to force them to pass back, to get out from our defensive third, and this is what I think.
It’s also not just going there half, it's going there full, and if something happens, it happens.
I think in every game Arsenal had many chances also from open play, but they didn't score against Everton, and they could’ve scored two or three. Against Monaco in the Champions League, they scored three from open play, so I know sometimes it's a nice story for the media, when you see they don't score from open play, but at the end it doesn't matter how you score.
If it's a set play, if it's a transition or if it's open play, every goal counts, and I think we defended their set pieces quite well, but I also think they will now, because we changed our shape in defending, now they are preparing something. In the same way as we had some attacking set plays from our side, they changed their setup as well, so this is what our my assistants and Mikel’s assistants now are thinking, and sticking their heads together to find the best way for tomorrow.
You prepare and then I think it's like in American football: you prepare for the opponent and all of a sudden you see: ‘oh, they changed their setup because of what we are doing’, and then there are some adjustments at half-time. Then it's just 15 minutes, now you have three days, and there will be some adjustments from their side, there will be some adjustments from our side and let's see who does a better job.
We're always talking about [recruitment], and let's see what happens. Of course we are analysing our squad and maybe where we can add some skills in parts, where we maybe need a player, where we have just one player in one position, but it's who's available, what makes sense.
It’s not that we do something just to do something. We act in the transfer market in January just when we think it makes sense to put new skills into our squad, when we get players with the right character, the right profile, then we try to do it. And if not, we stay with the squad – a great squad – and again, I hope that Adam Wharton comes back in the new year and so everything's fine.
Confidence is a big word. You have to show it on the pitch.
Confidence is also, when you take the lead, not to wait, so also go forward and try to score the second. We scored the first and then we got passive, so then we are 3-1 down, game over it looks like, and all of a sudden we play much more forward again and we scored a second.
Either we need the lead or being down, so why? Why not always play the same way, the same style playing forward instead of cautiously, but that’s easy to say. I think everybody knows and has a big respect for Arsenal playing at the Emirates, and sometimes you have confidence but they make so much pressure then you have to survive this pressure .
We were at Brighton, we had the lead at half-time and we had to survive the first 15 minutes and we survived, and this time we didn't. When Arsenal are one down at home in a Cup game, they tried everything and then they increased the pressure, and then it is: do you find the moments to release the pressure? Do you get worried because there is so much pressure, or you say: ‘okay, it's normal, this will be’.
The stats when they played Inter Milan away in the Champions League, they were 1-0 down at half-time at the start of the second-half, and I think they had 70 percent possession and 13-1 shots, but that’s normal because it's Arsenal, and Inter won 1-0.
I think this is what we have to learn. Also when there is a phase of being under pressure against these big teams, don't worry, it's normal, stick to the plan and then I always like that the best way of defending is attacking. Go forward, make pressure, try to bring the game into their half again.
It’s easy to talk about it but it's not so easy to do it, but it’s the mindset I always prefer than just waiting and waiting and waiting.
It’s all about the balance. It doesn't mean when you attack, that you are you are vulnerable in defence, not at all. Arsenal attacked, they played most of the time in our half, but were not vulnerable in defence, so it's always about having the balance in the game and when you play in the opposite half, you have a long distance to your goal. When you always play in their own half… in your own six-yard box you can never win the game, you can just lose it. I don’t see that attacking weakens your defence.
When you have the ball, first of all, they can't score, I think we all agree. The second thing is when you have a good balance, and not your last player losing the ball, you always have enough players. I think the best way doesn't mean you have press with 10 players in their box and concede goals, but this balance of getting pressure on the ball in different areas, staying in possession, trying to play in their half, I think this is the best way to succeed.
The fans are great, amazing, and travelling everywhere. The Emirates was not that far, but we played the Carabao game at Villa during the week, away, the away stand was full. Playing at Ipswich, I remember, one degree, very cold, 7.30 in the evening, Tuesday, away stand was full, so great support from our fans, and this helps us also.
This is what we're also talking about: this should encourage us to play always the same style, and this is a process we're in. Sometimes it's getting better and better, especially for example the first-half at Brighton, we did this.
This time I think we could have done a little bit better, but also we have to respect and accept that Arsenal is quite a good team. When they played at Fulham they 67 percent possession, 12 shots at the end, so it's a good team, and this will be the same tomorrow – but in some situations we want to play with a little bit more bravery.
I'm really delighted for him and of course for us, because as a striker you need goals. You can talk, you can train, you can do everything, but a striker needs this success ,and then especially there in his stadium, where he played against this club where he played so many years for.
Also, the way he scored: it was not an easy goal, it was a very difficult one – an amazing header and bringing us back into the game, so everything was very positive for him, but he deserved it.
He goes into the right pathway. He's working hard after his injury now, and also training as many situations. We could feel that the closer it gets to the goal, the more he's thinking about it – normal for a striker, and I'm really sure that now with this goal, especially how he scored it and against Arsenal, that his confidence comes back and then he will score more and more goals.
I think especially our attackers can do better. The cold numbers are our defenders scored almost the same amount of goals like our attackers, so it means from set-plays, we are really doing well.
I think we can still score more goals with our attackers, our central midfielders, they have the chances. Will Hughes has had two or three, Jeff Lerma two or three – one big against City – so they are coming more and more into these situations where they can score goals without losing the balance, without being vulnerable in transition.
This is what we are working on, getting them into the situations where they can score goal, and we're always talking about having numbers in the box and they are of course the No. 9 should be, also our tens more and more, our wing-backs with the amazing chance we created when Tyrick Mitchell passes in the box to Danny Muñoz, this is where we want to have the players, and then all the others have to control the space behind them.
This is what we are working on. After 16 games, I think we still have potential.
He's scored so many goals since we arrived, and he's very important for scoring goals. I think he still can improve being integrated in our open play, but he's trying, he’s willing to learn, he tries to improve, and that’s always important for us.
Of course, now at the end of December, I don't know how many games he’s played this season with the Olympic tournament and then there were some moments where he starts to get tired. The last two games he looked a little bit getting tired after 60 minutes and then it’s the opportunity for another player, and then I think Eddie did really great in both of the games – he had one assist, one goal in these two games.
We can't play the whole season with 11 players, so that's why we have a very strong squad, and then it's be here to help the team, and this is what all our subs are doing. Then we will see who is in the best in the best physical shape, mental shape, and these players will start.
