Following Crystal Palace's 4-0 thrashing of Norwich in the 2nd round of the League Cup, Crystal Palace manager Glasner praised his team's performance and gave an insight into a number of aspects of the game.
Control in a tough game
Glassner began by acknowledging the tough nature of the game, but he was very pleased with his team's ability to control the pace of the game and ultimately come out on top. "It was a tough game, but we kept control of the game from start to finish and took the lead when it mattered." He emphasized that after his team was leveled, the players showed great ability to cope with the situation and quickly scored the second goal, which laid a solid foundation for the eventual victory. "We fought hard for the win today and are delighted to have progressed to the next round."
Personnel selection and tactical deployment
In response to the characteristics of their opponents Norwich, Glasner made wise adjustments in personnel selection and tactical deployment. "The opponent is good at utilizing set-pieces, so we purposely chose a lineup of tall three central defenders to deal with it." He explained that such an arrangement not only enhances the team's anti-aircraft capability, but also effectively limits the opponent's offensive threat. Meanwhile, in order to maintain the players' fitness and condition, Glasner decided to rest Klein and Lerma in order to prevent them from being overworked during the intensive fixtures.
Additionally, Glassner deployed a targeted defense against her opponent's preference for using the long pass. "We understand that our opponents' long passing game is one of their strengths, so we did a good job of defending in that area." He emphasized that soccer is not just about passing and scoring goals, but also requires hard work, a lot of running and passionate defending from the players. "That's what we did and we showed tenacity and great teamwork."
Offensive trio's rapport and growth
As for the team's offensive line, Glassner singled out the attacking trio of Eze, Matta and Nketiah. "I hope they can get to know each other and form a tacit understanding." He revealed that he had to use the game time for the three attackers to familiarize themselves with each other on the field as the team was unable to conduct tactical training this week and had to do recovery training. "Fortunately, they all showed great form and scored in the game." According to Glasner, this was an important confidence boost for them and will help them play even better in future matches.
