Michael Olise’s Instagram account can sometimes give up clues about his enigmatic character.
There was a time he deleted all of his pictures and went dark. Then a change in his follower list. As it is, he follows only 20 people on the site. The only Crystal Palace team-mate on that following list is Eberechi Eze and maybe that is no coincidence.
There is an obvious connection between the two of them on and off the pitch and it makes them one of the most dangerous partnerships in the Premier League — and one of the most enjoyable to watch.
Palace have won five of their last six matches, with only Manchester City and Arsenal collecting more points (21) since Oliver Glasner’s appointment as manager in February, and both Eze and Olise have been instrumental.
The focus may soon shift to their futures, as it did briefly at Molineux as they combined to torment Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3-1 victory, but Sunday’s final game of the season against Aston Villa offers at least one more time to appreciate the skill, flair and pure joy they bring to the pitch together.
Eze’s goal was his 24th in the Premier League, with 33 per cent (eight) of those having been assisted by Olise. Even in this disjointed season, disrupted by injuries to both, the pair have produced many moments of class, with a combined 18 goal contributions in their last six starts together. That is broken down into seven goals and four assists for Olise, and six goals and an assist for Eze.
If there is one major regret from this season, it must be that Palace have been deprived of them for so much of it. Not just for their meaningful contributions, but for the joy and the entertainment they provide.
In the six games Palace have played without either of Olise and Eze, they have taken five points – draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton and a 3-0 win over Burnley in Glasner’s first game in charge. That compares to 20 points from 12 with both of them starting, including six victories.
Wolves were the latest to be subject to the Eze and Olise treatment. Eze played a part in Palace’s opener by laying the ball off to Adam Wharton who, in turn, found Olise and he worked some space to curl a trademark shot into the far corner.
Olise’s run down the line and clever chipped pass to Nathaniel Clyne played a major role in their second, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring from close range after Clyne’s shot hit the post. For the third goal, it was Olise’s perfectly timed and weighted through ball which Eze took on and rounded goalkeeper Dan Bentley.
Eberechi Eze scores Palace’s third goal in their win at Wolves (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
But Wolves should not be too disheartened. Eze and Olise have destroyed more capable, more established teams, not least United on Monday.
“They both enjoy being fit, both enjoy getting chances, creating chances,” Glasner said. “Both enjoy playing, but it’s not just when we’re in possession and scoring goals.
“They have a big contribution in being compact. They didn’t work that well in the first half against Man United and we showed it to them. That’s crucial for being successful as a team. It shows the character at half-time because we showed them just two video scenes from the first half and they changed it immediately.
“It’s just about being in a position and taking responsibility for the team in defence and it’s also when you’re thinking the offensive players, the strikers, the No 10s, it’s their crucial part in our system and they take the responsibility and enjoy it.”
It has taken time, but Eze, who is significantly better when joined by Olise, has settled into a No 10 role. Olise adapted immediately. It was uncertain how they would work in this system, but Glasner says he has “found a very good position” for Palace’s No 7.
Michael Olise was irrepressible against Wolves (Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Eze and Olise have a strong bond off the pitch, too. Olise’s arrival at Palace from Reading in 2021 led to him teaching his team-mate how to play chess.
“I didn’t start learning chess until Michael came in,” Eze told The Athletic last year. “It was him and my brother who nudged me to learn how to play and face them, so that’s when I started studying the game, watching YouTube videos of the best chess openings, things like that. We are always playing something at the training ground.”
Their interview after the United victory showed their serious side but also their lighthearted side, with Olise, now more confident at speaking in front of the camera, laughing at the thought he should have scored more, while Eze ended the interview saying “love” to Olise as an equivalent of goodbye.
The near-hysterical laughter last May when Olise interviewed Eze about his goal of the month award is another example of how comfortable they are with each other at the training ground.
How long they will continue is uncertain. At Molineux, Palace fans gleefully sang “he’s just too good for you” after Olise was clattered in his own half by a Wolves player, with the home supporters responding with the exact same chant before continuing into “you’ll never see him again”.
But it would be unwise to rule anything out. Eze and Olise’s friendship clearly has a meaningful impact on the pitch as well as off it. If Palace can keep them together and fit, then so much more is possible.
(Top photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
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