patrick vieira manager
Team news?
Everybody trained this morning. Eberechi Eze had a really good week, a full session with the team. Nathan took part in some training this week so everybody outside of Macca [James McArthur] are fit for the game.
What battles do you remember against Steven Gerrard?
We really enjoyed playing against each other. Every single game that we played against Liverpool was tough and challenging because of Steven Gerrard. I think he was a real leader and a real captain of this team. He was one of the best players in that position. I think he was part of those players who changed the role of the holding midfielder. Every game against Liverpool I remember – the final of the FA Cup that we lost. But we had some games that we managed to get the result, so there were some good games.
Proud of the start you’ve made?
Yes, but I think it’s a credit to the football club. It’s not easy when you decide to change managers and what allowed me to work well is the support that I have around me and the foundation of this football club allowed me to put my ideas in place and to work. At the moment everything is good, but we know that in our world we have to take one game at a time and keep working and keep being humble and try to win the next game. It’s difficult to get a result, to win football matches. In every game, we face different challenges but we have to work hard and be prepared to be up for it.
Do you think you might need to bring in new players in January?
I think it’s a bit too early to evaluate the squad at the moment because some players that we were expecting to take a little bit more time to get to the level that we were expecting got there faster. There are some players who will go to the African Cup of Nations, we have to look at the number of injuries we will have in those periods and we will try to to make the best decision for the football club and for the team. At the moment I think it’s too early to get into that kind of debate.
What have you done for Christian Benteke? And what have you said to him to get him into this form?
All the credit to Christian I think he showed that he wanted to be part of this football club. You know, the fact that we bring Edouard as well, we bring challenges for those players to challenge themselves and Christian is up for the fight and to show to everybody that he wants to be part of the football club. He puts his head down and is working really hard and is really close to his best. He is playing with a lot of confidence and belief and he is somebody who can score goals I think when you score goals you believe even more in yourself. When the team’s playing well with confidence I think we’re creating chances and that allow some of the players to express themselves and that’s good and we have to maintain that. That’s going to be our challenge.
Jordan Ayew not scoring but still getting into the team – what is he doing right for you? What is he seeing that you’re enjoying?
The only thing that Jordan is missing at the moment is that goal to give him the confidence that he needs. Outside of that his work ethic for the team is fantastic. So when you’re making a squad, you’re not just looking at the goals that they scored, you have to look at as well the work ethic, the sacrifice those players making for the teams and I’m happy with what Jordan’s doing at the moment. But I would like him to score the goals because the way he’s been working for the team, he needs to be rewarded with a goal and it will come.
Set-piece defending, what have you done this week in training?
We have conceded too many goals on the set-pieces so far and this is one of the areas of the games that we need to focus on a little bit more on to improve. The mindset is for us to realise that when there is a set-piece against us, we have to be more determined, we have to be more concentrated to defend and not to not be thinking about counter-attacking, not thinking about attacking. So we have to defend and this is a mindset that we have to change. And we talk about it we show images and we will improve, we will improve and after we have to practice those kinds of set pieces in training.
James McArthur’s injury – can you give a timeframe as to how long he might be out for?
We don’t have a timeframe on the injuries. What we decided to do with the doctor is that we will evaluate every week the progress that he’s making, and things are moving well. But obviously, it’s still too early for him to start training with the first team.
How big of an opportunity will this be for someone like Will Hughes?
He will have to get a chance. We have a squad where we have players who have not had their chance yet, but at the same time, they have to be ready for it. We will get to a time where the team needs them and they will have to perform. Will is one of them. I’m really happy with what he is showing me in training and he is just waiting for his opportunity.
Unbeaten Selhurst Park run important?
I think if we want to do well in the Premier League, we have to be strong at home. And so far everything’s been really good. We have fantastic support when we play at home. We have managed to perform well and we have to try to keep going.
Are you seeing improvement from Wilfried Zaha?
Yes, I think he shows how good he is by his work ethic. I think he shows a lot of people are wrong that he can work for the team out of possession as well. And the quality in the one vs one and in scoring goals. This is something that he used to do in the Premier League and the challenge for him now is to do it week after week. I know that he’s capable of doing it and I expect him to do it. He’s got the talent, he’s got the experience, he’s one of our leaders and that comes with responsibility. So I want him to perform week after week.
What challenges will Aston Villa bring?
They managed to win their last game, so that was Steven Gerrard’s first game. I think when you have a positive result, you start to build the momentum and the belief around the camp. He’s come in with different ideas about how he wants this team to play. When you’re looking at the quality of the teams, they’ve got some really good players, it will be a challenge for us. You know, I think there is no easy game in the Premier League, every team that you will face will challenge in different ways. And we have to be prepared for those challenges.
Have you kept an eye on Steven Gerrard’s managerial career?
Yeah, finishing his career and doing his badges and going to the Under-23s. This is the pathway that I had and I followed him at Rangers. I saw him when we played a tournament in Lyon, when he was at Rangers and I was at Nice. It was nice to see him so we caught up a little bit and were talking about our journeys. So it’ll be nice to see him tomorrow.
Did you prefer playing against someone like Gerrard rather than Roy Keane?
I think they’re both quite similar in the way that they are quite competitive. I think both players – and I will put Scholes in that bracket as well – were part of some of the best players or holding midfielders we’ve seen in the Premier League and in Europe.
Why do great players go into coaching more now?
I think it’s love, the passion for the game. At the same time, it is this kind of adrenaline we love, this is part of who we are. Overall I believe it’s the love of the game and to work with players, share our experiences. We enjoy it and I think all the players who played at that level and going into coaching it’s the love and the passion of the game.
Have Crystal Palace been the Premier League’s surprise package this season?
We had a couple of challenges and I don’t know if we are the surprise team of the league so far but we believe in the way we want to play and I have a really good group of players who are prepared to work hard and sacrifice themselves for the good of the team and the football club. The season is so long and you go up and down, and at the moment we are in a really good period. The challenge is now to maintain that level and the challenge to myself and the players is about how long can we maintain the quality of the football that we are playing, the hard work we put in every day and then it will be interesting to see how we react when we go through a difficult period. It’s too early to talk about success or how well we are doing – we are doing well, yes.
Is the Premier League stronger now than when you played?
I don’t like to compare this kind of generation of players or if the league is better now than it used to be or vice versa. I think it’s just different. Maybe it is more transition than it used to be. Maybe the game is of course faster because you have faster players on the field. But you still have some top players in the Premier League like ten years ago.
Mikel Arteta wants Arsene Wenger to come back to Arsenal. Is that a good idea and would you call Wenger to get him to come to Crystal Palace instead?
Arsene will make the right decision but I think FIFA is very busy with convincing people about the World Cup. I still speak to Arsene quite often about everything. I’m not going to just call him when things are not going well or when we are doing well. He is somebody who I think is difficult to find somebody who knows the game better than him.
