One might excuse Oliver Glasner for preferring to spend a quiet few days with his loved ones in Austria before Christmas, instead of gearing up for Crystal Palace's 29th fixture of the season—a League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. However, the idea that Palace might focus on other competitions was firmly rejected by their manager.
"No, I do not believe that," stated Glasner after his team's side's four-one loss to Leeds. "If anyone tells me that we are defeated on purpose, the following day I'm not the coach any more."
There exists a clear difference in Glasner's philosophy to domestic cup tournaments compared to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson. This initially became clear during Palace's run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in his first complete campaign in command. Under Hodgson, the team had previously been knocked out from each of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by the time Glasner took over at Selhurst Park. Conversely, Glasner selected his strongest team for wins over Norwich, QPR, and Aston Villa, setting up a showdown with Arsenal.
That previous last-eight match ended in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, following a slightly debated hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, despite Palace having been ahead at the interval. Almost exactly twelve months later, Glasner must figure out a plan for payback versus the current Premier League pace-setters in a match that was rescheduled to this week because of European obligations.
Glasner has, in a way, been a victim of his own achievements. Guiding Palace to their maiden major trophy with victory in the FA Cup final subsequently brought the challenges of continental football for the very first time. These demands are catching up with several weary squad members, many of whom have hardly had a rest all season.
The coach fielded an completely different lineup, featuring four youngsters, in their final Conference League fixture. However, for the Arsenal game, he admitted he will have "no option" but to select the majority of his preferred team, which looked decidedly jaded as they unusually conceded four goals from set-pieces versus Leeds. "Have to. Yes, must," he stated.
For Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, the circumstances are distinct. The boss must juggle his ambition to win a second major trophy with considerable pragmatism. The previous season, a hamstring injury to Bukayo Saka sustained in a league game versus Palace only days after their Carabao Cup fightback significantly harmed their title hopes.
Arteta had implemented several changes for that League Cup tie but was compelled to introduce his "big-hitters" after the break. Saka came off the bench to set up Jesus for a decisive goal in a passage of play that left Glasner "furious" over a possible offside, with no VAR available—a situation that will be the case again on Tuesday.
Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten streak versus Palace, including seven wins. Gabriel Jesus, who netted a hat-trick in last season's League Cup encounter and two in a later league win before sustaining a long-term knee injury, is expected to begin for the first time since that injury. Arteta disclosed the forward wrote a "beautiful" letter to his teammates about what football signifies to him.
"We're accustomed to it," commented Arteta on the busy fixture list. "In my view this week was the only complete week we had to prepare. The rest until February at least is will be similar. We have a beautiful opportunity to go into the last four of a tournament so we will be prepared."
With key players coming back from injury and a determination to advance, Arsenal present a formidable test for a Palace side desperately in need of a spark as the festive period ramps up.
