‘I wanted to return’… Former crystal palace player expresses regret over his exit in 2023…..

‘I wanted to return’… Former crystal palace player expresses regret over his exit in 2023

 

 

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira said of his player after the game: “When you have those kinds of qualities, you’re always going to be targeted by opposition teams. He has this fire inside of him that allowed him to get into the game and score goals.

 

“He’s an important player for us and if he keeps playing like he did today in and out of possession, we will be stronger as a teams.”

 

Vieira: We went a step forward today

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira says he was pleased with the attitude and quality shown by the team in their victory over Aston Villa

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira:

 

“It was a really good performance. From the first minute, we were into the game. We wanted to play with a lot of intensity, to press them high, to win the ball as high as we can and today, we did it.

 

“We went through a difficult period in the game, but we managed to keep our calm and organisation. I was really pleased with the attitude we showed and we showed some quality as well.

 

“We always have different tests in any games and going 1-0, we needed to answer straight away. The best way to do it is to keep going forward and with the next chance, Wilfried scored a fantastic goal. That helped us to get back into the game straight away.

 

Credit to him. He has been out of the game for quite a while and the way he’s bene playing so far has been really good for us. His creativity, his strength in the middle, dribbling at people, creating chances, it’s good but I still believe there is much more to come from him.

Patrick Vieira on Eberechi Eze’s performance

“It wasn’t easy at all and you always question the team about how do we grow from game to game and today, character and personality wise, we went a step forward.

 

“In the first half, they were lucky to go in [at half-time] with a draw. We created chances but we didn’t score. What we want is to create those chances and with the quality we have, we know we can score goals. Outside of that, it is a well-deserved win for us.”

 

Gerrard: Players did not react well after penalty

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard:

 

“We started extremely well. We got ourselves in front and scored a good goal, but we never kept the lead for long enough. We allowed Crystal Palace back into the game too soon.

 

“We got to half time at 1-1 and the game is in the balance. We were well in the game for an hour and the big turning point is the penalty.

 

“I’m not sure what the rules say but I’m sure there’s a rule in there that will go against us, but I felt for Lucas. I’m not sure what else he can do, he’s going up fairly to challenge for the ball, he’s trying to gain leverage and height and the header’s hit his arm from less than a metre away.

 

“Our ‘keeper makes a save so it’s not like he stopped a goal on purpose, but the punishment is really harsh.

 

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