In a good place after the win, did you feel the win was coming?
Yes, that is something we wanted. Before Watford, we had a couple of games where we had a good performance but we didn’t get the result we wanted to. So with the Watford game I was really pleased - the performance was there and we won the game so it was a real positive for us.
Glowing in praise of Zaha, especially out of possession, need more consistency from him?
The challenge is for Wilfried and for the team to be consistent in their performances. There's no doubt about the quality and what he can do but when he's like that it's good for the team. The challenge for us is about being consistent and repeating those performances. When we managed to play like that we created chances, we scored goals and managed to win the game. It's important for us to keep challenging ourselves and keep consistency.
How pleased with him since he’s come back from AFCON?
Wilfried is at home at Palace, he's been really good for the club and I strongly believe he has a lot to give. Since he came back from AFCON he has wanted to take the team forward, and the team have responded well to him. What's important to me is the work ethic he had out of possession. He worked well with other players around and that’s what I want from him because it makes the team stronger. When we are stronger, he can express his talent and we know what he can do.
Do you want to extend Gallagher’s stay at the club?
We honestly didn't speak about it. We know that we will have him for the year and then we never know what can happen. Conor, the way he's playing, he is really happy at our football club, he knows how important he is for the team and he is enjoying his game. For a player like that, what is important is to keep playing week after week which will allow him to improve. I think we give him the support that you need for him to be on the field to express his talent.
Back to back wins for Burnley without defeat, what are you expecting?
They are in a really good period. They won the last two games without conceding a goal. They are a really strong team to play. They are well organised and don't give you many chances. It will be important for us to play as well as we can, we know their strengths and how they can hurt us. But we know how can hurt them as well. We’ll have to respect our game plan, to play with tempo and try to create those chances.
Describe your players’ performance against Watford?
It was a good performance. The difference from this performance to the other one is we scored those goals. We defended well as a team and when we had those chances we managed to score in an important period of the game and that is good because those moments give us more belief and confidence to express ourselves.
What impact will Burnley’s form have on their confidence?
There’s no doubt with the manager and the last two wins that there is confidence about what they try to do and how they want to do it. When you win two games the confidence gets higher. We want to concentrate on how we try to play, we know the game is important for us as much as it is for them. We will have to stick to what we've been doing since the beginning of the season, try to play well and hopefully take our chances.
How much of a relief to get that win, especially after putting in good performances lately?
It was really important for confidence. We didn’t have any doubt about how what we wanted to do and how we want to do it. I think we were quite pleased with the performances that we had lately but we were missing something - to win the game and score those goals. We had a more complete game and in a lot of areas, we were good.
But we were missing something. What we were missing is to win games and score those goals to allow ourselves to win matches. I believe against Watford we had a more complete game in a lot of areas. I think the challenge as well for us is to keep that momentum, we know how difficult it is to win back to back games in the Premier League and that is our challenge.
Do Burnley pose more of a threat as they’re in the relegation zone?
We don't think about the relegation zone or how we approach any games because of the position in the table, we look at strengths and weaknesses and try to put a game plan where we can win a game. This is our main focus. We know if you win two or three games your position can change really quickly so any games will have their own challenges and we have to be ready for it.
Squad news?
Two players not in the squad will be Nathan Ferguson and Joel Ward. All the other players are fit and can be in the squad.
Jack Butland impressed when he’s given a chance?
Every time that Jack played he did well. We have two good goalkeepers in our football club who are challenging each other and that is what I want.
What’s the issue with Ward?
Just a groin issue, hopefully, he will be back training next week.
Will Palace be safe if they win against Burnley?
There’s a lot of ‘if’ there, a lot of games to play. Our main focus is to try to play as best we can. We want to do well, we want to win, the table is what it is. We don’t want to have a game plan regarding the team’s position. We have a really clear idea of how we want to play the game. It’s about expressing ourselves on the day, creating chances and taking our chances. We are in a really good place. Now what I want from the players is to keep the momentum going and be clinical in front of goal to win football matches.
What is it about the 4-3-3 system you like so much?
It’s the system we use often but I like to talk about the animation more than the system. I like how we played against Chelsea. People will call it 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 but what was important is players understanding their role and responsibility and having a clear idea of how they play the game.
