Patrick Vieira admits his Crystal Palace side come up against a different Manchester United team they beat last season as Erik ten Hag’s men immerse themselves in the Premier League title race. Palace claimed a 1-0 win against United at Selhurst Park last season and have won two and drawn once in their last four meetings with the Red Devils. But Vieira admits that it is a different United this time around.
Patrick Vieira said: “When you look at the last couple of games [Manchester United have] played, the number of wins they had and how close they are to the top [of the table], I think they can be [in a title race]. It’s a different United [to the one we beat last season]. What will be important for us is to play like we did [against Chelsea]: with a lot of intensity and with a lot of discipline. At home, in front of our fans, if we manage to play the kind of game we played [against Chelsea], we will have more chance of winning the game.”
Despite their poor run of form, Vieira’s men have shown signs of improvement in their last two games against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, despite disappointing results. Palace had the better chances against Spurs in the first-half but crumbled to a defeat by conceding four second-half goals. Against Chelsea, again Palace had opportunities but a lack of cutting edge in front of goal led to a narrow loss at Stamford Bridge.
Patrick Vieira said: “We want to improve every aspect of the football club. Look at the performance we had [against Chelsea on Sunday]. In that performance, we showed ambition in the way we want to play the game. We keep working and we keep believing in ourselves, because the chances are there. I want my players to be more ruthless inside the box and take those chances. When you are on the field, it’s 11 against 11. We went toe-to-toe with Chelsea and we will try to do the same against United. With a little bit of luck, we can score those goals. We have to compete on the field with the quality, ambition and values we have. We will compete, and this is good for the football club.”
