Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi says his side put on a “very positive” performance against Liverpool on Saturday despite losing the game 3-0. The Eagles held their own for long periods in the match and created several chances in front of goal, though at times they were guilty of not making the most of them.
Marc Guehi said: “It’s a tough one to take. The team’s performance was a very positive one. To come to a place like this and play the way we did and create so many chances and be brave – it’s a tough one to take and it’s one we have to learn from and move on quickly. The backline and everyone defended quite well and we were let down a bit by our set pieces. We all have to take responsibility for that. But we know there are loads of positives to take from today. The way we played, the way we defended. As it’s the Premier League it’s very ruthless but [we move] onto the next game.”
Guehi signed for Palace from Chelsea for £18million over the summer and was immediately partnered with fellow new recruit, Danish international Joachim Andersen. The two have started each of Palace’s last four Premier League matches together at the back, and have kept two clean sheets in that time. When Vieira took over as manager in July he immediately set about changing the style of play, with Palace moving from a counter-attacking style under Roy Hodgson to a more possession-based brand of football under the Frenchman. A lot of the responsibility of playing that way rests on the shoulders of defenders who are comfortable on the ball and passing it, with Guehi and Andersen both fitting the bill.
Marc Guehi added: “The manager really wants us to progress in that and get better at that and it allows for us to start attacks from the back as well as getting the ball out to our front players as quickly as possible. I’m really enjoying playing with Joa [Andersen] and everyone else, hopefully, there are many more games [to come].”
Palace are next in action on Monday Night Football next week against bitter rivals Brighton. For Guehi it’ll be his first time taking part in the A23 derby, but the youngster said he’s ready for the challenge.
Marc Guehi said: “It’s going to be a tough game but one step at a time, if we analyse this game first and see where we went wrong and where the positives are, then step by step when that time comes we’ll definitely be ready for that game.”
