Will Hughes spoke about the upcoming Conference League final for Crystal Palace.
The Eagles face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig for the final fixture of the Oliver Glasner era after he has spent 27 months in the dugout. The aim is to send off the Austrian on a high note with this historic first season for the club in continental competition, crowning a brilliant final 12 months of his tenure.
‘He brought in fresh ideas’
FA Cup and Community Shield success hit new heights for the team, and Hughes has felt that the outgoing head coach has taught him so much about the game. There is respect to be had for the Spanish side on Wednesday evening, but the midfielder feels the group will be well-prepared.
“What Oliver's done for us has been fantastic. He's helped us get our first silverware as a club, and for many of us as individuals. We're all forever grateful for him.
“It’s exciting to hopefully give him a proper send-off as well. That's part of the motivation, for what he's done for us as players and as a club. To send him off with a trophy would be a nice thing. He’s got massive trust and respect for us as a group of players. Likewise, we have for him as a manager.
“[He helped me develop] in plenty of ways. I can't pinpoint exactly what, but there have been loads of minor changes tactically. He came in when I was 28, so you'd like to think I'd knew quite a lot tactically, but he brought in fresh ideas and things that I'd not seen before.
“[The way he trains] is intense, it's demanding. If you don't do it during the week, you can't expect to just turn it on at the weekend, so to speak. It's helped us massively.
“We’ve respect for ourselves and respect for the opposition as well. We've watched Rayo just as much as we would any other team. We prepare the same way. They're a top team. There's a reason why they're in the Final. They'll be the best team we've faced to date. It'll be a good final, hopefully.”