As Crystal Palace prepare for their third appearance in an FA Cup final, it would be easy to consider the Premier League as an inconvenience.
Not so for manager Oliver Glasner. Palace’s manager has banned all talk of the Wembley date with Manchester City on May 17. While fans have been excitedly, and understandably, planning for that occasion ever since the comprehensive win over Aston Villa in the semi-finals last month, no discussion of the final is permitted at the training ground, even with staff, until after the league game against Tottenham this Sunday.
Judging by the Palace’s performance in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, Glasner’s message has landed.
The Austrian remains focused firmly on the Premier League, and with good reason. Palace could yet eclipse their highest points total (49) and league finish (10th) since the top flight’s rebranding in 1992, with both records equalled last season.
Progress in the cup has disguised Palace’s underwhelming recent league results — they are winless in five and this was their third successive draw, albeit all have come against teams above them in the table.
Eberechi Eze hits the bar for Palace late on (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
It would be unfair, however, to point the finger of blame on the mindset of the group. Glasner firmly denied any talk of distractions after the 5-0 defeat by Newcastle United, before setting out his priorities in his press conference before the Forest game.
“Our goal is very clear — we want to have the most points in Palace history,” he said. “The best thing to achieve is getting three points against Nottingham and Tottenham. Then we can focus on the final.”
He set himself the same objective, to give “100 per cent focus on our challenges and tasks now”, and has refused to be drawn on any possible extension to his contract, which expires next summer.
“I can (only) expect things from the players if I’m the role model for it and I do the same,” he added. “Everything that could lead to us losing our concentration and focus on the games we have (left) to play we have to avoid, I expect this from the players and especially from myself.”
Palace’s commitment never wavered (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Yet there can be no doubt that both the manager and his squad’s attention was on the league and not their trip to Wembley later this month. They began with purpose and intensity against Forest, and did not let up throughout the 90 minutes.
Chris Richards might have put Palace ahead but for missing his kick in a penalty area scramble before Ismaila Sarr’s dangerous cross was blocked following an excellent passage of play.
It was Sarr who posed the most threat and whose determination was clearly never in question. His direct running through the middle caused Forest problems throughout and should have seen Ibrahim Sangare sent off for a second yellow card, the midfielder exemplifying his side’s commitment to rotational fouling which earned eight bookings in total, a season-high in the Premier League.
Palace’s pressing and intensity was consistent and their energy never waned, despite a slightly subdued atmosphere at Selhurst Park. There was no attempt to settle for a point and they almost won the game in style late on, with Eberechi Eze, after taking a touch to move the ball out of his feet, curling an effort onto the crossbar from distance. Shortly after, Eddie Nketiah’s close-range finish was ruled out for offside.
In total, Palace had 20 shots on Forest’s goal and had 43 touches in their opponents’ box. That they continued to threaten the Forest goal deep into those added minutes was testament to the attitude of the players. They were, Glasner said before the game, “having a mix of being focused but also feeling free.” That came across.
“What I really loved,” Glasner said afterwards, “was that… the players showed today they were 100 per cent at Selhurst and this gives some confidence for the last three weeks of the season.”
Palace stay 12th, and their chances of leapfrogging the teams immediately above them are slim: they are five points adrift of 11th-placed Fulham, and six behind Brighton and Brentford. But there is still a chance to secure the four points required to record their highest ever total. A win over Tottenham would be a massive step towards that, and would bring Glasner’s side level to last season’s tally of 49.
That alone should be sufficient to focus their minds, but with Spurs struggling in the league, there ought to be added incentive. Momentum is precious ahead of a big cup tie, as Palace proved in securing an impressive draw at Arsenal three days before their semi-final against Villa.
The message has been communicated as clearly as possible by Glasner, and it appears to have been heard.
(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)