Glasner's 3-4-2-1 Palace // ATOMIC BLITZ, GOALS MACHINE

Hi guys,

Today I emulated Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace 3-4-2-1, an overwhelming powerful tactic, dominant in attack and solid in defense. Overloading central spaces and exploiting the flanks.

Tested it with Crystal Palace and finished 2nd in Premier League and also in FA Cup, scored a lot and conceded not much despite Crystal Palace is considered a underdog team.

Then I tested the tactic with Juventus and won both Serie A and Italian Cup, with best attack (85 goals) and defense (21 goals allowed), but the most important thing is that in both tests our players play a pro-active football, aggressive, high pressing and winning the ball back and starting counter-attacks, exploiting spaces between the lines exactly as Crystal Palace did against Manchester United winning 4-0.

OLIVER GLASNER'S CRYSTAL PALACE 3-4-2-1 SEASON 2023-2024

Under the stewardship of Oliver Glasner since February, Crystal Palace has experienced a tactical transformation, eliciting a spirited response from the players.

The adoption of a 3-4-2-1 formation has yielded fruitful results, with four wins and three draws in their last ten Premier League outings, including a notable 1-0 triumph at Anfield.

With heightened intensity in pressing, wider gameplay, and the dynamic deployment of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise as dual No 10s, Palace's evolution has resonated positively with fans at Selhurst Park.

Selhurst Park, London, saw Crystal Palace triumph 4-0 over Manchester United on Monday, May 6th, showcasing their resilience.

Enhancing their defensive prowess, Crystal Palace has effectively narrowed down opponents' passing options, as evidenced by their reduction in Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) from 15.0 to 12.4 under Glasner's tenure, closely trailing Manchester City's average of 12 this season.

The team has notably intensified pressure on rival players, resulting in a remarkable 18% increase in pressures and a consequent rise in possession turnovers, leading to goal-scoring opportunities.

An example of proactive defending leading to attacking success was evident in Chris Richards' interception against West Ham United, setting up Eberechi Eze's acrobatic goal.

Adam Wharton, a January acquisition, has thrived under Glasner's guidance, excelling in midfield battles with his assertive style and precise passing, significantly contributing to Palace's improved ball progression and chance creation.

Daniel Munoz, another January signing, has seamlessly adapted to the role of adventurous wing-back, complementing Tyrick Mitchell's rejuvenated attacking displays on the opposite flank.

Palace's goal-scoring prowess has surged under Glasner's tenure, with Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line effectively, supported by the creative talents of Olise and Eze in advanced positions.

With a renewed attacking impetus and a more dynamic style of play, Crystal Palace appears poised for an exciting future under Glasner's guidance, signaling a departure from their previous defensive-oriented approach.

Emulating Glasner's 3-4-2-1 on Football Manager

I started with a positive mentality but against stronger teams I switched to a balanced mentality, while I may switch to an attacking mentality when I am desperate to score (example: when I am losing 1-0 and I want to score a goal in the last minutes), and when I do so, I also change my pressing line from a mid-block to an higher pressing line. My defensive line is also higher to reduce the space between the lines as much as possible.

It's my team that has to exploit spaces between the lines, as Crystal Palace did (especially with Olise and Eze) against Manchester United exploiting the big spaces left uncovered between the defensive line and the midfield by the Red Devils.

I asked the central defender Andersen who helps in build up playing also more direct passes and long balls for the striker to have a more defensive approach compared to the other two defenders by instructing him to close down less (to avoid he gets lured away by the forward and leaves open spaces behind hm)i and take fewer risks.

The other two defenders are Richards and Guehi (or Clyne) and they are two ball playing defender in defend instructed to be more aggressive. Why BPD and not wide center backs? Because, instead of having two wider center-backs (like for example Kossonou in Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen), Glasner wants his three defenders to keep narrow while to provide width is the two wing-backs' tasks (Munoz and Mitchell).

That's why in possession the player positioning will create a 3 (the 3 defenders) - 2 ( Hughes and Wharton, the Dm-support and the bwm-defend) - 5 (the two wing-backs in attack, the two attacking midfielders Olise (support) and Eze (attack) and the only striker Edouard (or Mateta, a pressing forward in attack). Olise, Eze and Mateta are instructed to roam from position so you will see them moving all around the pitch sometimes also dropping down to link the play and create spaces that can be exploited by other players running forward.

What we want to see is a "play forward, move the ball forward, run forward" approach that is exactly what Glasner wants. That's why I did not use the play out of defense and work ball into the box instructions because these instructions are fundamental for a possession based play (Guardiola's tikitaka) but if I select these instructions, I will see a lot of back passes that is not what Glasner wants.

With this tactic you will see your team playing very nicely and creating a lot of scoring chances with a great amount of XG and dominating the opponent. Obviously, this tactic will not guarantee you will win everything with an underdog team but as you can see from my results with Crystal Palace, the tactic worked really well.

I hope it works for you too.

Tactic overview



Thanks everyone