Michael Olise Living Up to Expectations

The most shocking result of last weekend’s Premier League fixture was the 2-0 home drubbing of Manchester City by Crystal Palace, and one of the players that helped achieve the feat was Super Eagles invitee-Michael Olise. Little wonder his manager reserved special praise for him after the encounter

Patrick Vieira led the Crystal Palace to hand Manchester City a rare home defeat, and he did not fail to recognise the input of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) target, Michael Olise.

Vieira applauded the contribution of young midfielder after the Eagles provided one of the shock results of the season at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday.
Olise was impressive after coming on as a second-half substitute to assist Gallagher’s late finish.

There were only five minutes left on the clock when Vieira decided to send in the Crystal Palace number seven, and the manager was asked after the match why he did not try to add another defender to protect his side’s slender lead.

In his response, Vieira attributed his choice of a substitute to Olise’s form and ability to cause damage to the opposition.
“It’s the quality of the teams that we’re facing as well; we know that we have to keep trying to score that second goal,” the former Arsenal captain said, as per Football London.

“And we know that Michael (Olise) is doing really well at the moment; he is working well in training. With the quality that he has, that he can create something or can score you goals.

“So that was a good decision from the staff,” Vieira said.
In the summer, Crystal Palace made a shift in recruitment, bringing in a young manager in Vieira and focusing on bringing in young, exciting talents from other leagues, including the Championship. One of the players brought in was 19-year-old Franco-Nigerian midfielder Olise.

Olise made the move to London from Reading after the former activated his release clause of around £8 million. He was highly rated going into the summer window and looked set for a move due to his low release clause. The midfielder was being watched by a number of top clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Leeds United – but it was Palace who made the move for the player.

Since arriving, Olise started the season with an injury and has only managed four Premier League appearances to date. It was in his third appearance that Palace fans got to see a glimpse of what the youngster can do.

Palace, trailing 2-0 to Leicester City, introduced Olise in the 53th minute and he made a real impact, leading his team to recover and get a 2-2 draw. The Franco-Nigerian scored the first goal of the comeback, volleying past Leicester keeper, Kasper Schmeichel.
Aged 19 years and 295 days, Olise is the first teenager to score for Crystal Palace in the Premier League since Clinton Morrison in May 1998.
Olise, who can play anywhere across central and the left side of midfield, created a real spark for Palace that dragged them back into the game, with Jeffrey Schlupp eventually scoring the equaliser.

The teenager came up through the ranks of Manchester City and Chelsea before landing at Reading. With this added pedigree, he could be the ideal player for Vieira.
Vieira is attempting to get Palace playing more efficient passing football that involves intelligent short passes, which allows players to move into space quickly and continually create space.

When Olise came on, he opened up play and helped allow this type of football to transpire on the pitch, eventually leading to his goal.
One of his biggest strengths is picking out passes to bring players forward, or slot players in, making him perfect for this style of play.
During the Leicester game, we saw the real potential of Olise; if he can stay fit and cement his place, he could be a real integral part of what could be an exciting season for Eagles fans, as they welcome this new dawn at the club.

Former Reading FC midfielder Charlie Adam has explained why Olise’s rise has not surprised him after his summer transfer to Crystal Palace.
The 19-year-old made the summer switch to join the Eagles after being named the Young Player of the Year in the EFL, having scored seven goals and 12 assists in 44 appearances for the in the Championship last season.

And one of his former team-mates at Reading has explained why Olise’s success is of little surprise to him, with Adam heaping up raises on the teenager, who he played alongside in the 2019-20 season with the Royals.

“He’s as good a talent coming through that you will see; he told the South London Press.
“I knew we had some good players in Michael Olise, Danny Loader and a couple of younger boys at U-18 level, but Michael was the one that you could see stand out.
“There were moments in training when Michael would pick the ball up and drive, and all of a sudden, you were 50 yards up the pitch. He has that pace and he’s strong.

“He could do things in training and in games that didn’t surprise me because I knew that he was a good player. It was frustrating at times, but I love mavericks – people that try to be different.”
Michael Olise is a player whose potential has no ceiling. After recovering from a back injury that delayed his top-flight bow, the 19-year-old is flickering into life at Selhurst Park.

No one who saw Olise shimmer in the Sky Bet Championship would doubt that he will light up the Premier League. The former Chelsea and Manchester City youth-team player is a wonderfully poised, yet explosive, attacking midfielder or winger who last season found the net seven times and registered 12 assists in the second tier.

Olise was born in England to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother. He is therefore eligible to represent France, Algeria, England and Nigeria internationally.
On 27 May 2019, he was called up to the France U-18 for the 2019 Toulon Tournament and made his debut against Qatar U-23.
In March 2021, Olise was named as a standby for the Nigeria squad for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho.