Glasner after reaching the FA Cup final: "Now we can make the season golden"

Reaching the FA Cup final with Crystal Palace: Oliver Glasner. IMAGO/Offside Sports Photography

Can Manchester City save the season in the final spurt? Qualification for the Champions League is within reach again in the Premier League, and the Sky Blues advanced to the FA Cup final on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Nottingham. However, Crystal Palace and coach Oliver Glasner have something against a City triumph there on May 17. Kicker spoke with the Austrian on Sunday afternoon.

Mr. Glasner, congratulations on the 3-0 win against Aston Villa and reaching the final. Your fellow coach Torsten Lieberknecht recently said upon taking over in Kaiserslautern that he had received 365 WhatsApp messages. How many have you received since Saturday evening?

(laughs) I didn't count them, but there were quite a few...

But you didn't answer all of them?

Yes, all of them. That's important to me.

Before the match, you said you'd only ever been to Wembley as a spectator at football or music events. How did you perceive the special aura of this stadium as a coach?

It was a fantastic experience. Even as a spectator, it was impressive, as was the journey there, on the subway and along Wembley Way. But now, in the thick of it, it was something else entirely. At international matches, things were more subdued, and the conditions in the stands were clear. But now, one half was for Palace, the other for Villa—an incredible atmosphere.

Which you were able to enjoy a little after just over an hour with the goal to make it 2-0?

Well, to be honest, only in the final minutes after the 3-0. A 2-0 lead still poses a risk, especially against a good team like Villa, who recently reached the Champions League quarterfinals. If they manage to pull one back with seven minutes of added time in that phase, something could still happen.

You won the Europa League with Frankfurt and were promoted in Austria with LASK. Where do you personally rate your run to the final with underdogs Crystal Palace?

It's my third final, after the 2022 Europa League and the 2023 DFB-Pokal, in my third full season in a row. I only joined in February of the 2023/24 season. All of that is wonderful, it's a great experience. But I don't have a personal ranking.

Would it only be a good season for Palace if they win the final, or is it already a good season?

Palace is playing in only its third final in 120 years, and you can tell that; it's something special. So, of course, we want to take advantage of our opportunity.

Your contract in London runs until 2026, but your name keeps popping up in Germany, even more so now that you've reached the final. What's next for you personally and Palace?

I'm traveling to Austria now, then I'll come back and prepare my team for the league match against Forest. We want to pick up a few more points in the Premier League and round off the season with a cup win. I expect my players to keep their cool. So that applies even more to me as a coach. I'm in constant communication with the club, including about my future. But that's really not the topic right now.