Will Hughes says 'intense' Oliver Glasner will have Palace playing the kind of football that saw them end the 2023/24 season in emphatic fashion, as he tipped the club's new signings to thrive in South London.
“[The mood is] positive,” he said. “It's not easy coming off the back of two defeats at the start of the season, in games where we were very much in it, and it's just fine details in the Premier League.
“We weren't a million miles away from winning those two games, but unfortunately we didn't. That's a matter of fact. It's good to bounce back in the League Cup [v Norwich].”
Now Palace face a Chelsea side fresh from their demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux last weekend.
“[It will be] a very tough test,” Hughes said. “They started the season really well in the league; they scored six goals away.
“Again, we know it's going to be challenging, but likewise, when we know we're on it and we're playing well, at our maximum, we can give any team a challenge. Hopefully, that's what's going to happen on Sunday.”
Palace have added seven new signings over the break, including Hughes’ former teammate at Watford, Ismaila Sarr.
“They're gelling really well,” the midfielder said of the new additions. “Obviously, it's going to take time to integrate new players into a system from what they've known previously.
“It's a new way of playing, with and without the ball, new manager, new environment. It's not easy for some players, especially if they've come from abroad, but everyone's been spot on so far and integrated really well.
“[Sarr] is top. From my time at Watford with him, I know his ability and what damage he can cause in this league. He's proven it already in years gone by, so we're looking forward to seeing what he can bring. A different dynamic to our front line, which I think will be good.”
The Eagles are beginning their first season under Oliver Glasner after his arrival in March, and Hughes says that the change in culture around the training ground has been a positive.
“Intense - and I think that's good,” he said. “I think that's what football is about nowadays.
“He's very understanding off the pitch, which is a big help. The fans don't see that side of it – obviously, they see the matchday side of it – but he's been brilliant.
“You can see from the end of last season how well we finished. Yeah, we've not started very well, but the process is there. We have to trust him. We know the results will change.
“[It’s] just the way he's been, how intense he is. He demands a lot from the players, which I think we've given him in response. I think we need that to be successful.
"That starts with a training pitch, five or six days a week, however many times that is. Then you get the rewards on the weekend.”
