Oliver Glasner gave insight into how he is working with the players at Crystal Palaceahead of the final fixture of his reign at Selhurst Park: the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
The Austrian has overseen a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final and a penalty shootout victory against Liverpool in the Community Shield in May and August of last year.
·‘Every experience helps you for the future’
Now his intention is to take the lessons from those experiences, as well as his experience of success in continental cup competition with Eintracht Frankfurt, to forge more special history with the Eagles.
“I don't know what the expectation was. I just can say I gave my best.
“What I can do together with my staff, with the players, and we are, of course, playing two finals within two years is special. It's probably we exceeded the expectations, but I don't think about it now.
“For me, it's now, together with everyone, preparing in the best way, analysing what it needs, just small adjustments, because we will stick to what we were doing, to what brought us into the Final.
“We stick to our principles, but having small adjustments to what Vallecano’s strengths and probably weaknesses are, and that's what we're all thinking about, is what do we need that we win?
“Because everything else, it doesn't matter. I think if we win, it's a great ending to the season.
“I’m very proud of the players, especially. Because they had to deal with all these circumstances. And for many of them, it was the first European experience. For many of them, it was the first experience playing 60 games a season, and they did so well.
“We had moments where we struggled. We had players at moments where they were maybe not in the best personal shape. But they always worked hard. They always believed in what we're doing. They always kept going. They always supported each other. They always supported my staff and myself.
“And that's why they deserve all the credit. And that makes me really proud.
“Every experience helps you for the future. Every experience you make in sports, every experience you make in life can help you. But you have no guarantee for this. And, of course, I'm now always looking back, ‘OK, what did we do at Frankfurt?’
“It was a similar situation, but it was Saturday, Wednesday [matches], for example. You know, rotation, not rotation... training at the stadium, training at home and flying afterwards… And what we’re doing on matchday, because nine in the evening is a long day. But we have good experience, what worked in the FA Cup , the same…
“And all this helps me, you know, I will tell the players. But then it's also a feeling when I see the players, what do they need? Because not everything that worked at Frankfurt will work at Crystal Palace , so it's always getting a feeling. What do the players need? Do they look nervous? Or do they look maybe too confident? What does it need? This is a feeling you get in the group.
“They look fantastic. Fantastic training. Once I had to get a bit louder. But at this moment, it was a fantastic training session, so really this being focused, but also enjoying. It's always this balance.
“And when you play a final, it can be that you want too much. A special performance, doing so well, and this must be perfect, and this must be perfect – and then you're not free, but you need to be free.
“There is a reason why we play this final. And it's why we've done many things really well. The players have done many things really well. So, do the things we've done really well.”