Crystal Palace boss is stepping up his expectations of his players for 2022-23 Premier League season

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has told the South London Press he is stepping up his expectations of his players in his second season in SE25

“I have a really good group of players who like to be challenged, want to improve and are prepared to work hard,” said the French manager.

“That’s why myself and the coaching staff have to keep being really demanding on them. They can deliver and the group of players, they love that. This is what they want – we have to test them, we have to be more demanding. We have to expect nothing but the best from them every single day and to try to maintain that kind of demand. If we manage to do that, we will have a good season.”

A good season for the Eagles would be a top 10 Premier League finish and Vieira is confident he has the right coaching staff in place to deliver.

“We’ve got what we need and I’m happy with the role and responsibility of every single one of them,” said Vieira about his coaching staff to the South London Press.

“It’s important to have good people, people that you can trust and at the same time having a good group that will understand their role and responsibility.

“It’s about me being really clear to them about what I want, what I expect and then give them responsibility. This is what they want as well, to do more coaching and to bring some ideas to the table.”

That table is in Vieira’s office at the training ground in Beckenham which he ensures is a welcoming place.

“My office is always open, the door is always open, anybody can come,” said Vieira. “We can talk about football, about tactics, about different ideas and different approaches of sessions to put in place.

“Some of [our] coaches have the licence to do individual work with some of the players with the structure and framework that I put in place.

“Everybody has to contribute to the development of the players and the success of the team at the football club.”

On Friday, the squad trained at Selhurst Park with Vieira revealing the importance of keeping things fresh as they look to get their first three points of the season at home against Aston Villa on Saturday.

“I like to mix it up,” explained Vieira. “I like that the day before a home game [I can] start smelling the atmosphere, to feel the field.”

“[Today the atmosphere] was positive. I love the players concentration, but at the same time, [having] determination, calmness. It was really good.”