When Crystal Palace followed that up by thrashing West Ham United 5-2, it was regarded as the latest embarrassment in a dreadful second half of the season for the Hammers. David Moyes’ side had sat pretty in the top six at the turn of the new year before dropping off a cliff post-Hogmanay – a downturn that has now effectively cost the Scot his job.

When Crystal Palace then beat Newcastle United 2-0 three days later, it was another indication that Eddie Howe’s side are still not the finished product. Each couple of steps forward Newcastle took – including a 4-0 win over Tottenham the previous week – invariably followed be an embarrassing step back.

The results are plain to see. According to FBRef data, since Glasner’s came to the club, Palace are doing a lot more of their defending in the middle of the pitch, rather than at either end of the field. Tackling is only up by 3% overall, but tackles won are up 10%, and tackles in the middle third of the pitch are up 29%.

To emphasise that: prior to Glasner’s arrival, they reached double figures for tackles attempted in the middle third of the field just three times in 24 league games. They have now done it in all of their past four outings, including a whopping 21 in that victory over West Ham. Opposition passes are being blocked or intercepted 25% more often.

Intriguingly, for a high-pressing side, they are also attempting far fewer tackles in the final third, perhaps suggestive of a team that is picking its moments intelligently, rather than blindly chasing the ball wherever it goes.

The effect on their patterns of play have been dramatic. They averaged 1.11 expected goals per game before Glasner’s arrival, conceding 1.48 expected goals per game. Now, those numbers are close to having switched over: 1.43 xG for, 1.18 against.