The only undefeated team in the Premier League, no pressing at high positions, no retreat at low positions

On Thursday, October 2, 3,500 Crystal Palace fans who were expeditioning to Poland could not hide their excitement. Their home team had just defeated Dynamo Kiev 2-0 "away" in the first round of the European Union. You should know that this is the first European match in more than 100 years since the establishment of the Crystal Palace team, and this victory was achieved with one person being sent off. After winning Dynamo Kiev, Crystal Palace's unbeaten record across seasons has continued to 19 games, also setting a team history record.

Last weekend, when Crystal Palace defeated the defending champion Liverpool in the Premier League and climbed to third place, fans on the scene began to repeatedly shout "We want to win the league championship."

Perhaps, the shouts of Crystal Palace fans are a bit ridiculous, but if there is any moment worth their bold dream, it is now.

After defeating Liverpool, Crystal Palace has become the only team in the Premier League this season to remain unbeaten. In those wonderful times, Crystal Palace fans have witnessed their team's glory. Who can guarantee that there will be no better ending?

They spend most of their time in midfield

The secret to Oliver Glasner's success is to create tactical strategies that suit the status quo of Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace's gameplay is very unique. They spend most of their time in the midfield - they won't retreat too deeply, and they almost never press high positions. They start to defend one-third of the opponent's bottom line. After the

trigger conditions and traps are set, their strategy is to wait for the best time to grab the ball and then quickly rush into the offensive zone three. This approach makes their defense more stable and allows them to follow the trend of modern fast offense and defense, as they rarely break through compact formations.

This also means that Crystal Palace can only perform at its best when it is at a disadvantage, or at least when facing opponents who want to control the ball. This explains to a certain extent the recent performance of Crystal Palace; nine of their 19 unbeaten games were against Premier League "BIG 6" and Aston Villa.

In the Premier League this season, only Burnley has a ball possession rate lower than Crystal Palace's 39.9%, and when the opponent controls the ball, no team defends in the midfield longer than Crystal Palace, and no team exerts less pressure in the opponent's third zone than Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace allows the opponent to pass the ball each time they defend, which reflects their lack of oppression. When they grab the ball, they will hit the frontcourt in just 2.11 seconds, and their speed from defense to offense is the best in the Premier League. They are very fast, play very straightforward, and are very focused on midfield defense.

These are just basic elements, of course, the tactics of Crystal Palace are much more complicated than this. Their tactical philosophy is easier said than done. This requires some organization and detail, and few coaches in European football can do this.

The departure of the big brand will not affect the system operation

Crystal Palace's 3-4-2-1 formation is perfectly practiced. Even if there are important players leaving the team, it will not affect the overall operation of the team. Olisse's transfer to Bayern in the summer of 2024 and Eze's transfer to Arsenal at the beginning of this season has almost no impact on Crystal Palace. The

system is more important than the individual, but whether every position can withstand the loss of personnel remains to be seen. Gee, Adam Walton and Matthat may be irreplaceable.

Gey's talent is well known and he has also performed well in the three-back formation, but we should not ignore Lacroix and Chris Richards' outstanding performance on the solid defense of Crystal Palace, who teamed up to contribute 11 clean sheets in 20 Premier League games.

Adam Walton has become one of the smartest and most elegant midfielders in Britain. He has keen insight, and whether it is a direct pass or a cross from the bottom, it is an important means for Crystal Palace to quickly counterattack.

He is the core of Glasner's passive response strategy, which will continue to show its strengths in the Premier League and even in the European arena. This strategy seems to be very suitable for the Cup, especially in the FA Cup and League Cup, where Crystal Palace is both favorites to win the championship.

Close to the level of playing in the Champions League

The bigger problem is their ambitions in the Premier League. Crystal Palace ranked third after 6 rounds, and according to the predictions of Opta's "Expected Points" model, their rankings may be higher. In the forecast table, they tied for first place with Arsenal.

It is hard to say whether this momentum can continue, but it is a good sign for Crystal Palace. Their form is built on solid defense (conceded only 12 goals in 19 unbeaten games), and set pieces and crosses have become the feature of their game lately.

Crystal Palace ranked among the top in the expected number of set pieces in the Premier League, reaching 4.27. This season, they have scored 4 goals using set pieces, and they have only scored 8 goals in total, and 4 goals in sports games are achieved through crosses.

Glasner's team pays great attention to quick conversions, but once they enter the offensive zone 3, they will become more and more patient, constantly dispatching and passing the ball back and forth until they pass the ball into the penalty area.

Crystal Palace has diverse game styles and diverse sources of goals. This indicates that they are expected to be in the top five, and their form has been maintained for a whole season under Glasner's coaching. Crystal Palace has scored 62 points in its last 38 games, while the fifth-ranked team last season has scored 66 points.

Traveling between European and domestic events may cause some trouble for the team, but Crystal Palace has been close to the level needed to qualify for the Champions League in the past year.

Crystal Palace may not be able to replicate Leicester City's championship miracle in the 2015-16 season, but that doesn't mean they can't hit another peak.