There are very few coaches who rose to fame with European success first before claiming domestic success. Oliver Glasner belongs to the rare breed of tacticians. Oliver Glasner tactics might be quite simple on paper, but they take incredible discipline to be pulled off on the field. Oliver Glasner style of play, by all means, is a high-risk, high-reward tactic when played at the highest level. From the Austrian Bundesliga to the Premier League, Oliver Glasner formation has remained almost the same. With success, he started tweaking it to fine-tune his teams. Oliver Glasner lineup will always feature a strong defensive base that's complemented by a strong and pacy front three with a robust middle block connecting attack and defence. In this Oliver Glasner tactical analysis, we break down how the Crystal Palace boss made his name and what separates him from the rest.
Oliver Glasner Bio
Oliver Glasner was born in Scharding, Austria, in 1974. The bright-eyed Austrian enjoyed a professional career spanning nearly 19 years. Glasner won the Austrian Cup twice in 1998 and 2011 as a player with SV Ried. He was a defender during his playing days. A severe brain hemorrhage, which needed an operation in 2011, brought his career to an abrupt end.
After his playing career ended, Glasner swiftly turned to a managerial career. He obtained a Diplomkaufmann qualification at the University of Hagen. He swiftly turned to a coaching career after his playing career. He started as an assistant coach at his long-term club SV Ried. LASK, another of his former clubs, offered him a chance to manage them. Glasner fulfilled the role of director of sport as well as manager at the club.
With incredible success at LASK, he was lured to Wolfsburg and later to Eintracht Frankfurt. It was in Frankfurt that he got his biggest result by lifting the UEFA Europa League. A chance at the Premier League turned into a massive joy ride for him as he delivered the first silverware in the club's history. Oliver Glasner tactics made him one of the most coveted coaches in world football now.
Oliver Glasner tactics have been the same at a majority of his clubs. Oliver Glasner formation has been the 3-4-2-1 system at many clubs, with 4-2-3-1 used only once at Wolfsburg. He aims to create a suffocating low block where his sides win plenty of duels in the middle before flying forward on the break. His pressing traps in wider areas demand aggressive wide centre-backs and highly energetic fullbacks who could run nonstop. The inside 10s of Oliver Glasner lineup must have pace and technique to tuck in and create opportunities for the striker. The following Oliver Glasner tactical analysis will compare how he evolved over the years.
Oliver Glasner Tactics Comparison & Evolution: Wolfsburg vs Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner style of play is rarely flashy. His teams do not look for possession but look to frustrate opponents with a structured defence. They get a moral victory over their opponents by winning all the duels and keeping the scoreline level for a majority of the game. The longer the game drags on, the more chances they will have of getting a result. This has been the tried and tested Oliver Glasner tactics from the start of his career.
However, at VfL Wolfsburg, we saw a different version of Oliver Glasner formation. The manager moved away to a 4-2-3-1. The fullbacks in the back four used to push higher, allowing the pivot to position themselves vertically. It essentially means a pivot player dropped into defence while the other pushed higher to become another 10. The fullbacks assisted the wingers by forming a flat five behind the striker. This helped his sides dominate the middle of the park.
At Crystal Palace, he reverted to a 3-4-2-1 formation with a narrow forward line. The backline is well spread out, allowing the wide centre-backs to either mark the wingers or tuck in and leave spaces for the wing-backs to defend. The midfield pivot often positions itself next to each other just ahead of the defence. The pivot tries to playmake from the middle instead of bombing forward. The fullbacks hold width and are the most creative forces on the team. With their overlapping, underlapping and the ability to run in behind, they give a multifaceted look to the attack. The inside 10s must be capable of drifting wide or inside to attack the halfspaces. The striker must be a mix of a poacher and a target man, bringing other forwards into play.
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Oliver Glasner Trophies and Achievements as a Manager
Glasner won his first trophy in 2022 when he lifted the Europa League with Frankfurt. It raised eyebrows over a new coach dominating the competition in that way. He had to endure a three-year wait before he delivered another trophy. The FA Cup trophy in 2025 was the most significant one in the club's history.
Competition
Achievement
Year/Season
UEFA Europa League
Winner
2021/22
FA Cup
Winner
2024/25
FA Community Shield
Winner
2025
Oliver Glasner Trophies and Achievements
How Does Oliver Glasner's Current Crystal Palace Lineup Look Like?
Oliver Glasner tactics were instantly implemented at Crystal Palace after he took over. He moved away from a 4-2-3-1 deployed by Roy Hodgson and changed it to a 3-4-2-1.
He built an XI of the best resources he had at the club in his half-season. But in his first full season, he got his signings and built an ideal Oliver Glasner tactics XI.
Dean Henderson, a solid shot stopper, forms the base of his goal. A three-man defence with a mix of pace, experience and defensive flair, Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi, and Chris Richards. His midfield pivot has a ball-playing midfielder and a destroyer to screen the defence. Adam Wharton eases lives with his passing range and dribbling ability. Cheikh Doucoure, Will Hughes or Jefferson Lerma take up the destroyer role with eyes on nothing but the ball.
The wingbacks hold width, cut inside and track back with equal zeal. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchelss epitomise these traits. The front and the narrow front three constantly keep rotating to create chances. In Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, Glasner had one of the best interior 10s. As the pair left, he replaced them with the sheer pace of Isamaila Sarr and the trickery of Yeremy Pino. Jean-Philippe Mateta leads the line as a true leader of attack who does everything to make the ball cross the line.
