How Crystal Palace have become one of Europe's most in-form teams

Football writer Alex Keble analyses Crystal Palace's remarkable transformation under Oliver Glasner and assesses what it means for their Premier League and European ambitions.

Most Crystal Palace fans filing out of Selhurst Park on Saturday were just living in the moment, but the ones getting carried away can be forgiven.

"We’re gonna win the league" was the repeated refrain after Palace beat the champions Liverpool to move into the top three and extend their unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions, a sequence that includes winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield.

They were singing tongue-in-cheek. Probably. But if there was ever a time to dream big this is it.

Palace are the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League, and their unbeaten streak is twice as long as the next-best in Europe. On Thursday night they played in European competition for the first time in their history, beating Dynamo Kyiv in their opening league-phase fixture in the UEFA Conference League to extend their undefeated streak in all competitions to a remarkable 19 matches. 

These are the good old days. Palace fans are watching their club hit a new peak. Who is to say it can’t get any better than this?

Mid-blocks and fast transitions: how Glasner got Palace to this point

The secret to Oliver Glasner’s success is a tactical strategy that is perfect for the time.

Palace are very distinct in the way that they play, spending most of their time sat in a midblock – not too deep, but almost never pressing high – and waiting to snap into challenges in the middle third of the pitch.

With triggers to follow and traps set, the idea is to wait for the perfect moment to pinch the ball and then burst into the final third at speed. It’s an approach that keeps them defensively solid (because they so rarely jump out of a tightly compact shape) and allows them to lean into the modern trend for fast transitions.

It also means Palace are at their best when they are underdogs, or at least when playing opponents who want to dominate the ball – and are therefore open to being caught. This partly explains Palace’s recent run; nine of their 18 unbeaten matches have been against the "Big Six" clubs plus Aston Villa.

Only Burnley have a lower possession average than Palace’s 39.9 per cent this season, while no team have spent longer in a midblock when the opposition has the ball (61.9 per cent) and no team have recorded fewer pressures in the opposition third (506).

Lowest possession average 25/26

Palace also have the second-highest passes per defensive action (PPDA), reflecting their lack of pressing, and top the charts for "direct speed" at 2.11 seconds. They are very fast, very direct, and laser-focused in holding their midblock.

Those are the basic building blocks, although of course what Palace do is considerably more complex than that. Their tactical ideas are easier said than done. It requires a level of organisation and detail that few coaches in European football can provide.

Glasner’s system is well-drilled enough for more success to follow

Palace’s 3-4-2-1 formation is so perfectly drilled on the training ground that they can cope with the loss of big players, such as Michael Olise in the summer of 2024 and Eberechi Eze to Arsenal earlier this season. Eze's absence hasn’t been felt at all.

Glasner's formation v Liverpool (H)

The system is more important than the individual parts, although it remains to be seen if that holds true in all areas of the pitch. The spine of Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton and Jean-Philippe Mateta might be irreplaceable.

Guehi's talents are well-documented and he has blossomed in a back three, but we should not overlook the effectiveness of Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards in Palace's now-settled defensive line. These three have kept 11 clean sheets in 20 Premier League matches together.

Wharton has emerged as one of the smartest and most elegant midfielders in the country. His eye for a through-ball, or for a one-touch pass around the corner, is an essential component of Palace’s quick breaks.

He is the centre-point of Glasner’s reactive approach, which will continue to claim big scalps in the Premier League – and in Europe. It’s a strategy that seems perfect for cup competitions, and certainly the Conference League, where Palace start as favourites.

Wharton's highlights v Liverpool

Can Palace qualify for the Champions League?

The bigger question is regarding their ambitions in the Premier League. Palace are third at the moment and according to Opta's model of "expected points" (xPoints) they could be even higher.

In a table of xPoints, their 11.7 would put them joint-top with Arsenal.

Whether that can continue is difficult to say, although it bodes well for Palace that their form is built on defensive solidity (only 12 goals conceded in their 18-match unbeaten run) and that set-pieces and crosses have recently become a feature of their game.

Palace top the Premier League charts for Expected Goals (xG) generated from set-pieces, with 4.27, and have scored four goals from these scenarios, while each of their four goals from open play have come after crosses.

Most dangerous teams from set-pieces 25/26

Scroll horizontally to see the full table on mobile

Glasner’s side mostly focus on fast transitions, but they are increasingly showing patience once they get to the final third, recycling the ball until they can cross it into the box.

There is variety to Palace’s game and goals from multiple sources. That bodes well for a shot at a top-five finish, as does the fact their form under Glasner now extends to a full season in length. Palace have won 62 points from their last 38 matches, and the team that finished fifth last season got 66 points.

Juggling European football alongside their domestic campaign potentially puts a spanner in the works, but for a full calendar year now Palace have been close to the level required for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Replicating Leicester City’s incredible 2015/16 title triumph will likely prove beyond Palace, but that doesn’t mean they cannot rise to yet another new peak.