Former Premier League footballer Danny Higginbotham has slammed Crystal Palace’s determination to sack Patrick Vieira – and sensationally claimed that the one supervisor who may assist the facet enhance in entrance of aim is Mauricio Pochettino.
What is going on on at Crystal Palace?
The membership parted methods with Vieira after a nightmare run which noticed them fail to win a league sport beneath him in 2023, and so they scored simply 4 objectives in that point.
Palace have been in twelfth place when the Frenchman was dismissed, however discovered themselves hurtling in the direction of the relegation battle.
Their lack of objectives proved to be the principle situation, as they even went three video games in a row and not using a shot heading in the right direction.
Talking on NBC Sports activities, Higginbotham slammed the choice to dismiss Vieira, claiming that Palace’s defensive report was nonetheless adequate for survival, whereas the one accessible supervisor who may are available in and enhance their assault was ex-Spurs man Pochettino.
He mentioned: “If Patrick Vieira was nonetheless supervisor of Crystal Palace, they might not be getting relegated, as a result of most of the time, the groups that keep up are the groups are defensively strongest. And Crystal Palace, they’re able now the place they may have their finest defensive report ever of their Premier League historical past.
“And the explanation we’re not going to listen to many names talked about is as a result of there’s not many individuals that may go into that membership and truly change the fortunes of the membership, until you are a prime, prime supervisor.
“Now, I have a look at it – and it is by no means going to occur – but when you are going to wish to deliver a supervisor into Crystal Palace, the one one the place you suppose, ‘okay, yeah, perhaps I may see sense’, is a Pochettino, somebody like that.
“However he isn’t going to return to Crystal Palace; he does not want to return to Crystal Palace; they do not want a firefighter.
“It is only a actually poor determination. Over the past two years, they’ve struggled to attain objectives. They struggled to attain objectives beneath Roy Hodgson. Defensively, he [Vieira] would have stored them up this season, after which they may have appeared for issues in the summertime.”
What does a brand new supervisor have to do at Palace?
The shortage of objectives within the facet is a serious drawback, and any new supervisor coming in will be unable to usher in attacking reinforcements.
Whoever is available in must get the very best out of Palace’s present choices up entrance. Wilfried Zaha is the membership’s prime scorer with six strikes, adopted by Odsonne Edouard on 5.
Edouard appears essentially the most succesful choice by means of the center, as Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew have only one aim every this marketing campaign, and whoever replaces Vieira could have to have the ability to coach robust attacking play into the squad.
Pochettino appears to be like a wonderfully succesful choice given his previous success within the English prime flight, however we predict it appears extremely unlikely that he would take the position given the stature of his most up-to-date golf equipment.
It stays to be seen who Palace will go for, however given their proximity to the relegation zone, it could possibly be one of many membership’s most vital selections in years.
