For a player who says he had to work twice as hard as anyone else when he got to Europe because he lacked natural “talent” compared to those around him, it’s been a much smoother ride in coaching for former Socceroo James Holland .

Smooth, actually, is an understatement.

His first season as a coach, with Crystal Palace in the Premier League, has taken place at the game’s highest level. His very first match as an assistant to Oliver Glasner ended with a trophy in the Community Shield against Liverpool .

And he could win another in his last match, too.

Assuming Holland – who, Ange Postecoglou aside , is the only active Australian player or coach in England’s top men’s division this season – follows Glasner, his former coach at Austrian club LASK, out the door, he could leave as a major contributor to the club’s most successful era.

Palace holds a 3-1 advantage over Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of the second leg of their UEFA Conference League semi-final at Selhurst Park on Friday (5am AEST).…