Oliver Glasner hopes to have gotten the best out of his players with a preseason tour to Austria. Back in his home country, he has carefully tailored their preparations for the start of the 2025/26 campaign, and he has appealed to more familiar territory with double headers against clubs from the Bundesliga.
There is work to do, but the manager made clear his side are in "top shape" and almost good to go.
‘Bundesliga teams are always very physical, very intense’
The first opponent on the tour was Mainz, who finished in sixth spot in the **Bundesliga**and will also be in the **Conference League**this campaign. Such a meeting meant the manager could get a sense of how his side stacks up against the competition in the tournament, and he gleaned some good insight.
“We got great answers and this is what we hoped to get. We could see that we have to work on the balance in the game, because we played well especially in the first 60 minutes – we created good chances, we scored a goal – but we gave them too many chances.”
Despite the 1-1 draw, the display left 50-year-old frustrated about the chances that the team conceded.
“We were very vulnerable in transition and therefore we need to have a better balance and also know in which areas we can take risks, and where it's important not to lose the ball.”
He saw a second bout between the two teams in this double header of 60 minute matches that finished with a 3-2 defeat. The first half hour went badly for his boys, but he was pleased with their resilience.
“The second team was different. We struggled a little bit because we never trained together and also we had very intense sessions the two days before, so the legs and the mind was not on the top level, but what I really liked is when you are 3-0 down in a pre-season game, legs are tired, mind is tired, you could give up – but players came back to 2-3 and I liked the mindset, I liked the mentality.”
**Mainz**are a mean outfit, boasting the joint third best defensive record in the German top flight last year with Bayer Leverkusen. They put Palace through their paces just as Glasner wanted to see.
*“Of course we could see that we have still enough things to work on, so that was a very good test against a very good side of Mainz.”*
The Austrian worked for four years at **Wolfsburg**and Eintracht Frankfurt, so he has a good grasp of German football. Ahead of an encounter against Augsburg, he predicted the tactical challenges.
“German Bundesliga teams are always very physical, very intense, running a lot and sprinting a lot. They’re not so much on keeping possession – they go quick in behind. We have to be ready for this.”
He also adapted the training pattern of the players so that they did not have to bear an excess load.
*“We reduced the training, the intensity of the training, the duration of the training in the last two days to have fresh legs, because most of the players will play ninety minutes, and therefore we cannot risk any injuries and we want the players at the top level for preparing for the Community Shield.”*
‘I’m satisfied with this double test’
The clash with **Augsburg**was another double header, but both matches lasted for the full ninety. The first battle was a 3-1 win with two goals for Mateta and one for Eze, particularly pleasing the boss.
“I'm very satisfied with the first game. It was a very good performance, creating lots of chances.”
A late penalty from Phillip Tietz spoiled the clean sheet, but Glasner was not too upset about errors/
*“They had chances and the penalty. Some legs were a bit tired. It was the first time that the team had played [the full] 90 minutes. We have had a few games, we've only been in training for 10 days or, like Chris Richards, one week. We had to be a bit considerate.”*
The second encounter involved a much weaker selection and ended up with a 1-0 loss. However, the Austrian was adamant both games gave him a good impression of how much the group has grown.
“We had good chances, scored some nice goals. We were dangerous from set pieces and gave away very little defensively. The second game was a bit mixed at the back. Overall, I'm satisfied with this double test. At the end of an intense training camp, we had good tests – and taken a step forward.”
A clash with **Chelsea**at Stamford Bridge awaits on the opening matchday. The manager will be mulling over ideas about his starting eleven, but the theme of continuity over change is clear.
*“I think we have one or two other players who are close to being in the starting XI, who deserve it. But I think that was pretty much the line-up from the FA Cup final against Man City.”*
Ahead of his second full campaign, the 50-year-old thinks that the group are attuned to his demands.
“The guys are in top shape; they obviously know the drills. That makes it easy. Now it's just a matter of getting match-fit. That's why they needed 90 minutes of exercise in their legs.”
Next Sunday, they will travel back to Wembley Stadium to face **Liverpool**for the right to hold onto the Community Shield. It is a nice surprise for the boss, who had booked another fixture in the diary.
“We actually had another friendly match planned, but now we have a Community Shield against Liverpool instead! But of course, we’re happy to take that. You could say it could be worse!”
But his boys are ready for this meeting with barely anyone away on international duty last month.
“We’ve had a long time to train together. There were no major events this year, apart from the Gold Cup – Chris Richards played in the final for the USA – so we’ve really had good time to prepare.”