Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has urged for a realistic approach to assessing their current situation, as media expectations don’t match reality with the club.
Glasner has been speaking to Sky in his native Austria following a difficult start to the season that’s left Crystal Palace sitting in the relegation zone.
The Eagles are winless in their first seven games, losing five of those as well as dropping points against fellow strugglers such as Everton and Leicester City.
The poor start has eroded the growing confidence at the club after a strong end to last season following Glasner’s appointment.
He and his side went on a superb run in the second half of the season, rocketing up the table to finish tenth, their joint highest finish in the Premier League and over 20 points clear of the relegation battle.
That run increased expectations for this season and the hope of an even better campaign this year under Glasner’s charge.
That has not proven to be the case so far, but Glasner insists there needs to be some realism thrown into the assessments currently being made.
“With all the euphoria that was at the end, the fact is that Crystal Palace were five points away from the relegation zone on the 25th day. And in the season before that, after 28 days of play, three points away from the relegation zone,” he said.
“And that’s Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace is not a top six team in England. We know that. And accordingly, yes, we can’t always talk about the last seven games where we won six and got a draw. Because that’s just not what Crystal Palace has been doing for 20 years.
“Of course, we want to win every game. But don’t always suggest this expectation that we have to win against Liverpool. And if it doesn’t work, then you’ve failed. No, the boys tried everything. They were close. But then it just wasn’t enough.
“And again, to put it all into perspective, when we won at Anfield Road last season, that was the only win in the last 18 games against Liverpool. And that’s just the reality of Crystal Palace.”
