Read on below for the key quotes from this week's pre-match press conference...
'Our clear goal is...': Key quotes from Glasner’s pre-Forest press conference
Oliver Glasner says the best way Crystal Palace can prepare for an FA Cup Final is by maintaining momentum in the Premier League, starting with the visit of Nottingham Forest on Monday (5th May, 20:00 BST) – check out his key pre-match quotes below...
“The best preparation is good performances”
We had this topic before the semi-final, because it was our fifth game within two weeks and ‘is it about managing the minutes and everything?’.
Especially three days before, when we played at the Emirates against Arsenal, we said ‘no, the best preparation for the semi-final is having good performances’, especially after two heavy defeats and especially these defensive performances against Bournemouth – with one half, with one player less, and then the whole performance at Emirates – I think was crucial for the performance in the semi-final.
This is the same approach now. I think the best thing we can do for the final is to show two great performances against Nottingham Forest and against Tottenham, because then we have self-confidence and then we will be ready.
This was the message before the semi-final and it worked pretty well, and this is the message now before the Final.
“I’ve already forgotten the semi-final!”
Honestly, I've already forgotten! It's gone.
It was a great experience, it was a great day, it was a great feeling and I think of course, everybody is in a good mood now, with lovely weather and we're always talking about the more you win, the better our life is, and especially with performances like this.
But it just makes no sense now always talking about the semi-final, because now it's important to find the focus for the Nottingham Forest game, because we want to win at home.
Of course I watched their semi-final against City, I watched them yesterday evening against Brentford at home, and it just showed what a good team they are. Even when they lost both games 2-0, but especially straight after half-time, they a huge chance against City would have been the equaliser and the closing yesterday was the same.
They were punished by two mistakes after long balls. But they are playing for European places, for the Champions League and the league, and so they will be very motivated and we need to have the same motivation.
But again, when I watched the players training yesterday and today, they gave me a lot of confidence.
“Our clear goal is…”
Palace are currently four points off their club-record Premier League points total (49), with four matches left to play.
I don't know what the position is. It looks like this year you need more points for being in the top half of the table than maybe last year. But our clear goal is we want to have the highest amount of points ever in Palace's history.
That means we need at least five in four games. The best way to achieve it is getting three against Nottingham Forest and three against Tottenham, because then the first goal is achieved, and then we can focus on the final in the FA Cup.
“Every detail, the players showed”
Now, for us, it’s keeping focused on our daily work, what we need for Nottingham and, of course what we need against Nottingham, is maybe a little bit different from what we need against Tottenham ,and it's maybe different from what we need against City.
But it's always about our performance, in and out of possession, and this is what we are talking about. This is what we are focusing on in our training sessions, in our meetings. It's never about a result. It's always about our performance. It's always how we want to play, what we want to do. It's always about team spirit. It's always about mentality.
And, of course, the last game against Villa gave us so many clips we could show the players – why, at the end, we could celebrate in front of our 40,000 Crystal Palace supporters, because there were so many details.
This is always what helps us winning games, and so many good decisions the players took. At the end, yes, we scored three amazing goals, three times winning the ball in the opposite half, but also in set plays, in defending – and Villa are one of the best teams in set plays, so we were so concentrated, we didn't give them a lot.
Every detail, the players showed in this game. The little things are sometimes important. When JP [Mateta] missed the penalty, the first guy who went to him and clapped on his shoulder was Ebere [Eze].
And these things, it's not now then three players thinking: ‘I should have taken the penalty.’ No, it's ‘okay, come on, let's keep going.’ It's the support, and all these details help us to be in the situation where we are.
“It’s the players’ responsibility”
It's their responsibility [to stay focused]. Of course, we can tell it, we can talk it. And yes, of course, I have many ticket requests and everything. This will be the same with the players. But this is, again, positive stuff you have to do.
But it's important to find the right balance. As I said, I was surprised because first of all, I was a player for many years and then I managed teams. For example, in Frankfurt, we couldn't find the switch when we won the Europa League to the league games. Emotionally, we couldn't find it, so then we struggled in the league a little bit.
But I told the players before the semi-final, and this was maybe the evidence they showed at the Emirates, that they can really be focused and ready for this game. And I think everybody who watched the game at the Emirates, everyone would have said they didn't think anybody saved energy, anybody was worried about getting injured, they just played this game.
A standard we developed here is that we play every single game in the best possible way. And then we'll see whether we will lose, hopefully we will win many of them, but this is what we want to do: play every single game on the best possible level.
“Credit to Nuno”
[Earlier this season] twice we hit the post, and it was an unbelievable save from [Matz] Sels – Jeff Schlupp had a finish right at the end for the equaliser.
Forest can be quite direct. They have a lot of pace with the wingers, with Anthony Elanga, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and of course Chris Wood, I think he has 19 goals now, a typical No. 9, physically strong, great header, always having overlapping runs, especially with Ola Aina and Nico Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White from the midfield and a very, very hard-working midfield there with Elliot Anderson and then Ryan Yates next to him.
They’re very well organised – credit to Nuno Espirito Santo – very stable in defending, not giving you many options and always threatening you with so many crosses.
I remember, especially their game, every single cross was dangerous, they always have numbers in the box, they’re very physical and good in set plays – so it will be really a big challenge for us, but again, every single Premier League game is challenging, and we will be ready for this challenge.
“Forest are always threatening”
Yesterday, I didn’t feel that Forest were fatigued or anything. This is a team being so well organised and then threatening you, especially with transitions, with all their pace and then with Wood and Gibbs-White going for their attack.
They played maybe teams where they didn't get these transition moments – against Brentford, they lost against Everton at home, a team that doesn't give you space, defending very compact in the deep blocks.
I think yesterday second-half they had about 65% possession but Brentford defended the box very well, and then it's a little bit in other games where they can show all their strengths with their pace.
They couldn't show it in the last games and this will be important for us to keep the space very tight and giving them all these areas and the space, because they're great in 1v1, and then defending all their crosses well and then giving them challenges to defend our attacks.
This will be important on Monday.
Match Details
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Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
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Monday, 5th May
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Selhurst Park
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20:00 BST