patrick vieira manager
A difficult start last weekend away to the European champions. Were you able to take any positives from the loss against Chelsea?
We have to look at what we tried to produce. We had our game plan, it’s always good to reflect on the way we played. Obviously when you lose a game, there’s a lot of frustration. We felt like we could do better than what we produced, I guess. We work during the week on these details to help us improve as a team.
You said last week you were still hoping to sign a midfielder and a striker, have there been any developments in that area this week?
Yeah, but that was the case before Chelsea, and the case after the Chelsea game. The game didn’t really tell us about the players we needed – we knew it before. The chairman and Dougie [Freedman], we are working to improve the squad. We knew that we need to bring players, until the market [closes], everything is still possible. But we are looking to improve the team – to improve the squad.Â
Has anything got closer at all?
The only thing I can tell you is that we are doing our best to bring the players that will make us a stronger team.
New European regulations in January on players coming in from Europe and needing a certain number of points to get a visa – does that make transfers more difficult to get done?
I don’t know if it makes it more difficult, but maybe we have to be a little bit smarter. It will be more difficult, obviously, to bring those type of players because they have the number of points to allow them to continue in the Premier League, but these are the rules we have to take into consideration when we are approaching players, of course.
Focusing on tomorrow and Selhurst Park. Romelu Lukaku spoke about it, saying Palace are the only UK team who have got a European style ground. Do you agree? How much are you looking forward to a packed house?
It’s a really strong statement and a really great compliment from Lukaku – especially a player who’s been travelling around Europe. I think that will make our fans really proud of our football club. The fan base – the atmosphere that they manage to build in the stadium – I’m really looking forward to the game tomorrow because I think fans missed being around the players. The players missed the fans in the stadium because during this difficult period, the world of football is completely different without the fans. So we are really excited to play at home in front of our own fans and looking forward to really give them what they deserve.
Special atmosphere at Brentford last weekend where your opponents beat Arsenal. What impressed you or worried you about Brentford?
It is a team who’s been working quite well over the last five or six years. It is a group who know each other really well. Expecting the same kind of commitment on the field. I think their work ethic on the field is brilliant. They’re working hard, really well for each other; they are really well organised. It will be a different challenge than we had against Chelsea, but it will be difficult, of course – there are no easy games in the Premier League. But we are at home, we are ambitious in the way that we want to play and we are ready to play and give a good performance.
Arsenal suffered a Covid outbreak last week – is that something you worry about? The impact that Covid could have on your team?
Yes, I think it is a concern for us but I think it is a concern for every football team worldwide. I think we are going through a really difficult period with Covid and we have to follow the protocols really well. We have a doctor who is really close to the players, we are respecting the protocol he is putting around the club, and that is why we will improve the situation. But until then we just have to respect the rules following the protocols, and hopefully things will get better in the next couple of weeks, couple of months.
On the subject of vaccinations – what’s your view? What advice have you given to the players?
I think what we did at the club is talk about Covid to the players and explain what Covid is really, and the impact it can have on themselves, family and other people around them. I think this kind of education was really quite important to make them understand and allow them to make their own decision. I don’t believe we can force people or players to make them do the vaccination, but we can direct them, we can educate them, to allow them to have all the information and make the decision.
Did you learn any major lessons from the loss against Chelsea?
I think the frustration of this game is that when we had the ball we didn’t use it well enough to create more danger for this Chelsea team. We had a couple of opportunities where we lost the ball and our decision was not good enough – that was the frustration that I had at that game.
Something to do with confidence, or taking time for your ideas to transmit to the players?
Yeah, I think we can take that into consideration but I don’t want to make excuses. I think we had the players to do better than we did against Chelsea in possession. I think you can see there is a philosophy that we want to implement. That as well is coming with confidence and belief. And that is my responsibility to make players understand what I want and what I expect from them on the field.
Do you think there will be more pressure on the game against Brentford than Chelsea? A team you need to be beating to avoid a relegation battle this year?
Yeah, but this is the mentality that we need to change. These three points are as important as the ones we lost against Chelsea. What we need to do is first to think about the way we want to play the game. I think we have to concentrate on the quality of football that we want to play and that will allow us to win football matches. These three points are important, but the next one against West Ham will be really important and the one against Chelsea obviously we lost, was really important. So I don’t want to put more pressure on this one than before, or the next one. Every single game is not going to be easy, every single one will have different challenges and we have to be prepared, we have to be ready for those.
Were you surprised in any way by Brentford’s win against Arsenal?
No, I think they just played with their strengths. I think they went on the field with really great work ethic, with a lot of passion, and it didn’t surprise me they won against Arsenal. They will do well in the league. They are well organised. They are playing football that – I will say it suits them and it will be a tough game for us. But I think the teams we play afterwards will be as well really challenging for them. And like I said earlier on, there is not an easy game in the Premier League.
First time at Selhurst Park with a full capacity for a long time – how are you feeling ahead of tomorrow?
I’m really excited, I’m really looking forward to it. First home game you will want to do well, we know the fans will be up for it. Hopefully we will give them the game that they deserve.
Just on team news – any injuries picked up against Chelsea or during training?
No, everybody is fit and available for tomorrow.
Conor Gallagher wasn’t available last week against Chelsea. Will he be involved tomorrow?
Yeah, he’s going to be in the squad. Obviously I’m looking forward to Conor’s first game for us. He’s somebody that will bring us different strengths. He had a really good week so he will be in the squad tomorrow, yeah.
You’re trying to implement a new style of play and play out from the back. Brentford press really high up the pitch – something you have to get across to the players this week?
Yeah, obviously it’s a team who like to put pressure on the ball. This is the reason why it will be really important for us to make the right decision. We’ll have to try to create the overload and play with tempo and if we move the ball well that will allow us to get out of pressure.
A new style of football tomorrow. Full capacity, is it important the fans understand that? Think it could get nervy playing out from the back?
I don’t think that I invented football, you know? We just try to play football. At times in the game you will have to go long, at times you will have to keep it on the floor and try to play short. The way they press us will dictate how we are going to play the game. Obviously, the philosophy will be to trying to have the possession of the ball, but we will have to use it well because if we have the ball and don’t create enough chances and don’t go to play forward, having the possession is really useless, I will say. So it will be for us to be really brave and try to make the right decision that allows us to play forward and create chances.
Just to check on James Tomkins, will he be back? And what about Luka Milivojevic? I know he missed out for personal reasons against Chelsea.
Luka is not going to be available. He had his personal reason. James trained the last couple of days with the group so he will be involved in the game tomorrow.
Having James Tomkins back and Joachim Andersen, does that allow you to have a bit more flexibility and maybe play three at the back, or use different formations going forward?
Yeah, that will give us more flexibility, having those players getting fitter. It’s nice for Joachim to play half an hour against Chelsea, and that was his first game I would say since the Euros. He is in a really good shape, so that gives me options and flexibility.
Two wins and one draw during your playing career at Selhurst Park. What did you make of playing there? Did you feel the difference playing there to other stadiums?
Yeah, I feel the difference of course is the atmosphere that the fans managed to create in the stadium. They are really behind the players. Players are feeling their energy. And there’s not too many places like that in the country. And hopefully that will be an important part for us, and really strong tools to use to help us to prepare for even more.
