Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner Criticises Premier League Over FA Cup Scheduling
The manager of Crystal Palace, Oliver Glasner, has expressed his disappointment with the Premier League’s decision to schedule his team’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa on different nights. Villa played against Manchester City on Tuesday night, while Palace will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium 24 hours later.
According to reports, Palace had requested that both teams play on the same night in midweek, but the Premier League rejected the request due to television requirements and scheduling conflicts. The league’s decision has been met with criticism from Glasner, who believes that it is unfair to have his team play on a different night. “Yes, we wanted it, but sometimes you are shouting against the wind and nobody hears you,” Glasner said, as quoted in an article by The Guardian (The Guardian).
Glasner believes that having both teams play on the same day would have been fairer, as it would have given both teams an equal amount of rest before the semi-final. “Villa play tonight and we play tomorrow – fair would be if both teams were playing on the same day, on Tuesday or on Wednesday,” he said. “At this stage of the season it can influence if you have two or three days to rest. But we have to accept it and I’m pretty sure we will be top fit on Saturday.”
Despite the scheduling concerns, Glasner intends to play a strong side against Arsenal, with Eddie Nketiah poised for a rare start against his former club. The Palace manager has emphasised the importance of not disrupting his team’s rhythm, with the Villa game on the horizon. “My approach is clear: nothing changes tomorrow,” he said. “It’s the players’ approach, and I spoke to them. If someone believes they have to save their energy for Saturday then it would be quite easy, but they said ‘no’ and want to show our style, identity and who we are by giving our best. For me you can’t say tomorrow is not important.”
The scheduling conflict is not the only challenge facing Palace, as they look to bounce back from a difficult period. The team conceded 10 goals in their two previous outings, but steadied the ship with a goalless draw against Bournemouth on Saturday. Glasner will have to make changes against Arsenal, due to Chris Richards’ suspension, but he is keen to maintain his team’s momentum.
Glasner’s comments on the scheduling conflict are supported by his experience as a younger manager. He recalled a midweek cup tie against a non-league team, where he changed 11 players and his team performed poorly. “When I was a younger manager in Austria I played a midweek cup tie against a non-league team and we had a derby at the weekend. I changed 11 players for the cup game but we were awful but everything went how we planned and we went through to the next round and every player was fit for the derby. But we went on to lose the derby 2-0 and I said I would never do it again,” he said.
The FA Cup semi-final between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa will take place on Saturday, with both teams looking to secure a spot in the final. According to The Guardian, Palace will be looking to make a strong impression against Arsenal in their midweek match, ahead of the semi-final (The Guardian).
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