Is Patrick Vieira the man to bring the good times to Crystal Palace?
The last time an exciting new era was in the offing at Crystal Palace, things didn’t quite go to plan.
Frank de Boer’s short tenure was defined by four consecutive defeats at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, and before long he was out the door, with the steady hands of Roy Hodgson brought in to replace him, initially as damage limitations to ensure survival, but then staying in South London until the end of last season.
Following Hodgson’s departure from Selhurst Park, another new dawn is breaking at the south London club. Patrick Vieira is the man charged with beckoning in this new beginning, and whilst the Frenchman boasts little in the way of top-level managerial experience, he knows a thing or to about leadership and fostering a winning mentality. Palace are unlikely to ever be among the contenders in the Premier League winner odds, instead, the Frenchman’s task will be to make them a formidable mid-table outfit, with an eye towards European qualification down the line.
Vieira has previously managed New York City and OGC Nice, where he made a decent impression, although there were too many defeats at the French club for his tenure to be considered a success. Taking the reins of a Premier League club in the tough school that is English football will be a whole new proposition for the Frenchman. He said all the right things when he was unveiled as Palace boss, touching on his excitement at the club’s potential.
“It is a project that is really appealing to me,” Vieira remarked, “having spoken a lot with the Chairman and Sporting Director about their ambition and plans for the whole club including the Academy. The club has fantastic foundations in place after many years in the Premier League, and I hope we can make further improvements and continue to drive the club forward.”
It’s understood that Vieira is placing a heavy emphasis on youth development, and on bringing in young players who can grow at the club and increase in value. Hodgson perhaps wasn’t the most forward-thinking when it came to recruitment, usually favoring players who can immediately make an impact rather than prospects for the future.
Palace’s signings so far this summer suggest that Vieira is attempting to build something for the future at Selhurst Park. Reading’s exciting talent Micheal Olise has been brought in to inject some excitement in forward areas, while talented young center-back Marc Guehi has arrived from Chelsea for another significant transfer fee. But Vieira’s best addition so far in this transfer window is undoubtedly the capture of defender Joachim Anderson, who impressed greatly at Fulham last season despite the Cottagers’ campaign ending in relegation.
Of course, it’s one thing bringing talented players into the club, it’s another implementing a tactical system that gets the best out of them. That is the challenge facing Vieira, to prove that the Crystal Palace hierarchy made the right decision in bringing the former Arsenal midfielder to the managerial hot seat.
There are parallels between Vieira’s appointment and De Boer’s, in that both arrived at Palace as relative unknown quantities. It will be interesting to see how long chairman Steve Parish persists with Vieira if they don’t get off to the best of starts this season, but you’d expect that he has more faith in the Frenchman than De Boer.
It’s tough for the football betting tips to predict how Vieira will get on, but it seems as though both the manager and club are building for the future. Even if the Eagles don’t pull up any trees this season, Vieira could well prove to be the long-term solution Palace fans have been craving for so long.
