‘He gave me the best moment of my career’ – Who is the ‘disgusting’ tactician Crystal Palace want to replace Oliver Glasner?
Crystal Palace are reportedly lining up a move to bring Getafe boss Jose Bordalas to the club if Oliver Glasner decides to leave.
It was reported on Tuesday that Glasner has decided to leave Crystal Palace at the end of his contract, which runs out in the summer.
The Austrian was appointed in February 2024, and led the Eagles to FA Cup glory in last season’s final against Manchester City.
But Glasner has had disagreements with the Crystal Palace board, especially surrounding the future of Marc Guehi.
Glasner threatened to leave Crystal Palace if Guehi was sold to Liverpool in the summer transfer window, with the 51-year-old eventually getting his way on transfer deadline day.
Controversial Jose Bordalas has transformed Getafe
Bordalas‘ Getafe are an outlier in La Liga. They favour defensive solidity and a compact structure where many other teams strive for attacking output.
The 61-year-old spent his career playing as a striker, but his tactics are far more defence-focused, and they have brought results.
Bordalas was first hired by Getafe in 2016, with the Spaniard guiding his team to promotion at the end of the 2016-17 season.
Strong years in the top flight would follow, with the Deep Blues finishing eighth, fifth, and eighth again in consecutive seasons.
After a brief spell at Valencia, Bordalas would return once again in 2023, with Getafe having stabilised as a mid-table La Liga club in the seasons since.
This season, the Spaniard’s side sit 10th, with the stats telling all about their tactics.
| Getafe | La Liga 2025-26 | League rank |
| Goals per match | 0.8 | 18th |
| Expected goals (xG) | 10.8 | 20th |
| Average possession | 41.3% | 19th |
| Expected goals against (xGA) | 14.8 | 1st |
| Fouls per match | 15.3 | 3rd |
| Goals conceded per match | 1.1 | 7th |
Just one team has enjoyed less possession on average, while Getafe also offer the lowest expected goals and the lowest accurate passes per match.
On the other hand, no team has conceded less expected goals against than Bordalas’ team, who also rank high in the league for fouls per game and defensive contributions.
Bordalas is a widely unpopular figure in La Liga
Bordalas’ sets his team up to frustrate, and they are very good at it. After Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw in January, ex-Spain international Ramon Caldere said that the coach’s tactics are “disgusting”.
Mauro Arambarri had equalised for the home side, who subsequently dropped into a mid-block and forced the La Liga champions to resort to efforts from distance and set-pieces.
Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams shared a similar sentiment in 2023, after his side had drawn 2-2 with Getafe.
“I don’t like this type of football. You feel powerless when the game stops like this all the time,” the Ghana international said.
“Everyone in Primera sees through him and knows what his team plays at. It’s legal but many of us don’t like it.”
But the 61-year-old’s players would disagree with that assessment, with many speaking fondly of him after departing.
Juan Cala played for Getafe between 2015 and 2018, and told BBC Sport in September that Bordalas “made me mad, like a father does, but he made me live the best moment of my career.”
The Spaniard’s arrival at Crystal Palace would see a radical change from the flowing football of Glasner, but there is no question about his ability to produce results.