Crystal Palace sack Patrick Vieira after a run of one win in 13 Premier League matches

Joe Williams
Patrick Vieira, Crystal Palace, February 2023

Crystal Palace have sacked manager Patrick Vieira after a run of one win in 13 Premier League games.

Palace chairman Steve Parish told the club website: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made.

“Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.”

Vieira had been in charge at Selhurst Park since July 2021.

Parish added: “That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival.

“Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.

“We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Saïd the very best for their futures.”

Reflecting on their 1-0 defeat to Brighton on Wednesday night, Vieira said: “When you look at all the aspects of the game, the way that we were organised, the discipline we had, how aggressive we were… I was pleased with that.

“I think we defended well and managed to win the ball in some really important parts of the field, but what let us down was our offensive play. Not taking the opportunities we created let us down today.

“The difference between the two teams was that they had one shot and managed to score. We had a lot of opportunities, we had chances, but we didn’t score. This was the issue for us.

“It’s not about showing more positivity, it’s about showing the ingredients you need to compete and to win football matches. The players worked hard and worked well and we had those opportunities. The difference between the two teams is they took their chances and we didn’t.

“This is the frustration I have because for parts of the game, the team, the players, did well.”

Vieira added: “We decided to press higher and showed a lot of positivity in the game but again not scoring those goals, not making those right decisions in an important part of the game and part of the field, let us down. This is the biggest frustration of tonight.

“I am concerned about scoring goals. When I look at the team’s performance today and I look at the work ethic and our organisation and how the players executed our plan, I was pleased with that.

“The worry I have is when you create those chances and you don’t take them. We have to score those goals. Our front players have to change their mindset. We have to be more aggressive going forward and in the last third.”

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