patrick vieira manager
Patrick Vieira has called on his Crystal Palace players to be more ruthless as the Eagles prepare to face Brighton. Palace head to the south coast to face their bitter rivals at the Amex Stadium, with the Eagles still searching for their first win in any competition in 2023, having endured a poor run of form in recent weeks. Vieira’s men have picked up points at home against Manchester United, Newcastle United, Brighton and Liverpool since the turn of the year, but with their winless run in the league now stretching to ten games, Palace now find themselves just five points above the relegation zone. Palace have failed to register a shot on target in each of their last three games against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City, with Vieira admitting that there needs to be a change in mindset in front of goal.
Patrick Vieira said: “The mood in the squad is the same: there is a lot of determination. What I mean is that we felt, after the game [against Manchester City] that we defended well as a team, but going forward we didn’t play as we were planning and as we wanted to. We know this is a side of the game we want to improve if we want to win games. You can always read the stats in a way that suits you. What is clear is that we are not scoring enough goals. That is a fact. We have to play better and create more chances. It is about working a lot in the last third, about having people inside the box, about the quality of our passing. It’s about changing our mindset to be more ruthless in front of goal.”
Meanwhile, Vieira has given an update on the latest team news in the Palace squad ahead of the game against Brighton, with the Eagles set to be without two midfielders in Will Hughes and James McArthur.
Patrick Vieira said: “Will [Hughes] is not going to be involved [against Brighton], he is still not feeling well. It is the same for Macca [James McArthur], both of them are not possible. Everyone else is OK.”
