From hero to uncertainty: How Crystal Palace’s unravelling season has dented Oliver Glasner’s elite prospects | OneFootball

A year ago, Oliver Glasner could do no wrong and seemed destined to go to the very top.

Crystal Palace had just completed the most extraordinary season in their history, a season that redefined what was thought possible at Selhurst Park. Palace had never won a major trophy before Glasner’s arrival, yet under his guidance, they lifted the FA Cup in dramatic fashion, defeating Manchester City at Wembley, before following it up with a Community Shield victory against Liverpool.  

Perhaps just as significant as the silverware was the manner in which it was achieved. Palace did not stumble into success; they earned it through bold, progressive football. Glasner’s side pressed intelligently, attacked with purpose, and carried themselves with the composure of a team that belonged among the elite, transforming a club long defined by survival into one associated with ambition. In pure achievement, he became Palace’s most successful manager

Yet even amid the celebrations, there were caveats. Palace finished just 12th in the Premier League, a modest return for a side capable of beating the very best. It may have raised concerns, but it was a contradiction few cared to dwell on at the time, overshadowed as it was by trophy success. 

The expected rise that never came

His achievements were unprecedented, and his stock soared accordingly. He was linked with several of England’s biggest clubs, including Manchester United, as executives across Europe took note. It was widely assumed that when his Palace contract expired in 2026, he would depart for one of football’s grander stages.

However, what once seemed inevitable now feels increasingly unlikely.

This season, Palace’s form has collapsed alarmingly, with just one win in 15 matches, a run that has dragged them toward the lower reaches of the table and shattered the aura of inevitability that once surrounded Glasner. The nadir came in the FA Cup, where defeat to non-league Macclesfield represented not merely an upset, but a humiliation.

The atmosphere has shifted accordingly. Fans who once serenaded Glasner as a visionary have turned, chanting “Glasner Out” in frustration and disbelief. Football can be unforgiving, but the speed of this reversal has been striking. Glasner himself has admitted responsibility, conceding: “Right now, I’m just not good enough… I’m responsible for the whole team.”

A public fracture behind the scenes

In spite of Palace’s downturn in form, poor results alone rarely define a manager’s reputation. More damaging, perhaps, has been Glasner’s increasingly public frustration with Palace’s hierarchy.

His criticism has been unusually direct. “I feel we are being abandoned completely,” he said in January, after the club sanctioned the sale of captain Marc Guehi. He also lamented the earlier departure of Eberechi Eze, questioning how his team could remain competitive while losing its most influential players.

Such remarks reflect genuine frustration. Glasner’s squad has been weakened, his resources diminished. From his perspective, he has been asked to sustain success without the necessary support.

But elite clubs are sensitive to perception. Public dissent raises questions about adaptability, diplomacy, and long-term compatibility with complex football structures. Executives do not simply appoint tacticians; they appoint collaborators.

In this regard, Glasner’s candour, while honest, has risked portraying him as a figure prone to public confrontation. For prospective employers, that perception matters.

The concern is not simply that Glasner has struggled this season. Many great managers have endured difficult campaigns. Rather, it is the combination of results and rhetoric that has altered his trajectory. He has overseen a dramatic decline while simultaneously distancing himself from the club’s leadership, creating an impression of discord rather than authority.

Timing, too, has worked against him. A year ago, Glasner was an emerging force, buoyed by momentum and success. Now, he appears diminished by circumstance. His final months at Palace, instead of serving as a triumphant farewell, have become a prolonged struggle to maintain control.

The fragility of Glasner’s managerial success

None of this erases what he has achieved. Glasner delivered Palace’s greatest triumphs and reshaped the club’s identity. For that, his place in their history is secure. But football is defined by the present as much as the past, and right now, the narrative surrounding him has changed.

He was once seen as a manager destined for the very top. Now, he faces the uncomfortable task of rebuilding his standing, proving that last season was not an anomaly but a foundation. The bridges he has strained, the results he has failed to halt, and the uncertainty he now carries have all combined to cast doubt over what once seemed certain.

Glasner may yet recover. Football has a way of offering redemption to those who endure. But as things stand, the path that once led inevitably upward has become far less clear.

GFN | Finn Entwistle