Just as some lingering relegation worries may have been creeping in, Crystal Palace are enjoying a real upturn in form in the past few weeks.
Oliver Glasner’s side have beaten Liverpool at Anfield, thrashed West Ham 5-2, and seen off European hopefuls Newcastle United 2-0 over their past three games, thus claiming a trio of consecutive victories for the first time in over a year.
What is behind this remarkable turnaround? New training methods? Tactical genius from their new gaffer? Or…a refined palate for coffee?
Serious coffee culture abounds at Crystal Palace
Austrian Glasner would no doubt approve of the throwback to the Vienna coffee houses that once served as the backdrop for central Europe’s great football evolution of the mid-20th century.
Speaking to GQ, Crystal Palace and Denmark defender Joachim Andersen reveals that he shares a ‘serious’ coffee-based WhatsApp group with two of his teammates.
He said: “It’s massive for me…in the national team, yes, but at Palace, too. We have some connoisseurs here, you know?
“I’m in a WhatsApp group” — it’s called ‘Coffee Talk’ — “with Joel [Ward] and Will Hughes and some others. We talk about everything: beans, machines, where to get the best coffee at away games.”
Ward adds, thrillingly: “When he moved house recently, he treated himself to a nice little home set-up.
“He’s got a La Marzocco machine now, the Micra. I tried to get him on the pour-overs, like the V60. The king of coffees. But he’s settled with the Micra.
“He’s got the Niche blender, too: a single-dose grinder with zero retention which is helpful for getting the single origins in.”
We're sure that means something to somebody.
More Premier League stories
Liverpool are reportedly looking at Andersen this summer, so we can look forward to fascinating insight into what exact model of coffee grinder Alexis Mac Allister has in the near future.
Plus: here's why this has been the most entertaining Premier League season EVER and the goals are going to keep coming.
