With an aggregate lead of 16-4 over their last five matches, the verdict is clear: Oliver Glasner is coaching’s equivalent of kryptonite for Unai Emery.
This was Glasner’s fourth win in five matches against the Aston Villa boss and his third this season alone, after Crystal Palace also beat Villa 4-1 at Selhurst Park and won 2-1 at Villa Park in the Carabao Cup.
Throw in the Eagles’ 5-0 triumph at Selhurst Park in the final game of last season — by which time, admittedly, Villa had already secured a top-four finish — and Palace’s superiority in these matches has reached an embarrassing level for Emery.
Not many coaches have had the edge over Emery like this. Jose Mourinho is unbeaten in six matches against the Basque, Zinedine Zidane in five. Emery has also had a grim time against Diego Simeone and Jurgen Klopp, claiming only one win from 17 and 11 meetings respectively.
What makes Glasner stand out is that the other four managers often had stronger hands. Villa are 12 points clear of Palace in the table and finished 19 above them last season.
Those numbers suggest Emery’s collective is better than Glasner’s but the Austrian seems to have Emery’s number face to face.
Oliver Glasner is coaching’s equivalent of kryptonite for Unai Emery after Crystal Palace’s win
The eagles thrashed Aston Villa 3-0 at Wembley to book their place in the FA Cup final
Palace’s superiority in these matches has reached an embarrassing level for Emery (left)
Palace fans will hate to hear it, but if Glasner can have this sort of success against a manager like Emery, who has won 11 trophies in a splendid career, elite clubs will be wondering how he might perform in their dug-out.
Glasner understands already what it is to lead a top club. He led Eintracht Frankfurt to the Europa League title in 2022. He has proved the ideal coach to make the most of Palace’s excellent recruitment and has the right combination of calmness and passion on the touchline. For top clubs, there is a lot to like.
It is no surprise that Glasner was on Bayern Munich’s shortlist last summer and the German giants’ high command will have watched Palace dismantle Villa with interest. He may yet take Palace to the greatest day in their history next month when they take on Nottingham Forest or Manchester City.
For Villa, this was such a missed opportunity and they now have work to do to stop a season that promised glory ending in anticlimax.
They have exited the Champions League and the FA Cup in the space of 12 days, meaning their wait for a trophy will extend to at least 30 years. Brian Little was among the disappointed fans at Wembley and remains the last Villa boss to win a major final here — the League Cup in 1996.
Villa might need to win all four of their remaining league games to qualify for next season’s Champions League — which they may need to do to progress at the rate Emery desires.
Villa’s wage bill is a high percentage of their overall turnover and, although this season’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals will have boosted revenue substantially, another crack at Europe’s top club competition would allow Villa to invest again this summer.
Villa are likely to have to make at least one significant sale before the end of June as, like other clubs, they try to stay in line with the Premier League’s financial rules.
Yet with the income from the Europa League and Europa Conference League so much less than what the Champions League generates, finishing outside the top five could mean Villa have to adjust their ambitions.
So Villa face an uphill struggle to revive the magical nights they have enjoyed in Europe this season.
If they do reach the competition again, it would be no great surprise if they found Glasner in the opposing dug-out once more.
