Glasner showing elite credentials with unbeaten record against Liverpool

Crystal Palace fans had cause for encouragement this week with news that Oliver Glasner is planning for the long-term at the club. Angst will remain until he extends his contract beyond next summer but the hope is that this is just the start.

His Palace side continue to punch well above their weight. On Saturday, they face Liverpool on a 17-game unbeaten run during which the previously trophyless club have become FA Cup and Community Shield winners and qualified for Europe.

Their European adventure is not quite the one they had in mind following their demotion to the Conference League. But Glasner's side have shrugged off the disappointment. Just as they have shrugged off the sales of their best players in consecutive summers.

Saturday's 2-1 win over West Ham put them fifth in the Premier League table, one unbeaten game away from equalling a club record. But underlying performance data suggests they should be higher. Incredibly, Sky Sports' xG formula has them top.

It is all the more impressive in the context of having lost Eberechi Eze, whose £67m exit to Arsenal followed that of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich for £51m last year. They have also had to contend with uncertainty and speculation around Marc Guehi.

Glasner was reportedly adamant that Guehi should not be sold to Liverpool without the signing of a replacement. But mostly he has accepted the financial reality of the job. Palace have one of the biggest net transfer profits in the country since last summer.

While most of the teams around them in the top half of the Premier League table have been bolstered by heavy spending relative to sales, Palace are ostensibly weaker than they were. And yet here they are, unfortunate not to be higher than fifth in the table.

Glasner continues to bring the best out of individuals such as Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has 29 goals in 55 Premier League games under the Austrian. But Palace's 17-game unbeaten run has underlined the collective strength underpinning their success.

In addition to carrying a huge attacking threat on transitions and, increasingly, from set-pieces, Palace are well-drilled and difficult to break down at the other end of the pitch.

Since Glasner's first game in February 2024, they have the fifth-best record in the Premier League for both goals conceded and expected goals against. Only three sides have restricted opponents to fewer shots on target or kept more clean sheets.

The club have spent smartly, if not lavishly, but it has still taken good coaching to help players such as Daniel Munoz and Maxence Lacroix shine. Both have fitted perfectly into Glasner's system, with Lacroix having played under him before at Wolfsburg.

Many questioned the sale of Joachim Andersen to Fulham last summer. But Lacroix has vindicated Glasner's faith, bringing aerial and physical prowess, protecting Palace's goal and ranking as one of the best centre-backs in the division in one-vs-one defending.

Guehi continues to attract most of the acclaim among Palace's centre-backs but Lacroix has become similarly important. It should be noted that Chris Richards is now thriving under Glasner too.

Tyrick Mitchell is also excelling and the improvement is not limited to their defenders. Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton continue to flourish. Daichi Kamada is showing positive signs. Summer signing Yeremy Pino has made a bright start to life at the club.

Glasner's coaching acumen is clear. He has impressed tactically too.

He got the better of Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot to win the FA Cup and Community Shield and they are not the only ones to slip up against him. Palace have taken points off every one of the 'big six' clubs in the Premier League over the last 18 months.

It is little wonder Palace fans are desperate for the club to keep hold of him for as long as possible. Glasner had to navigate a difficult period in the first half of last season, with Palace not winning a Premier League game until late October.

But the campaign finished on an historic high and they have picked up where they left off this term. With only four defeats from 24 games, Palace are in fact fourth in the Premier League table since the turn of the year, between Manchester City and Chelsea, an incongruous presence among the competition's elite.

With Glasner in the opposite dugout, Saturday's trip to Selhurst Park promises a stern test of Liverpool's perfect start to the season. For Palace, the hope is that the club's transformation under the manager continues for some time yet.