Patrick Vieira wants his Crystal Palace players to end their season on a high by beating Manchester United on the final day of the season at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles could still mathematically finish in the top half of the Premier League table if results go their way on Sunday, though their efforts weren’t helped by a calamitous second-half against Everton on Thursday. Palace led the match at Goodison Park 2-0 at half-time but conceded three goals in the second period to come back from Merseyside with nothing to show for their efforts.
Vieira was understandably upset with how his players had managed the game in the second half, criticising them for showing a ‘lack of respect' and ‘showboating’ instead of getting on with the task at hand. The Eagles now have a short turnaround before facing United, who ran out 1-0 winners at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture in December.
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Despite that result, the Red Devils have had a poor campaign by their usually high standards, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked in November after a bad run of form and interim boss Ralf Rangnick unable to inspire the team into the Champions League places following his appointment soon after. Former Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag is due to take the reins next season and is expected to be in attendance at Selhurst Park for the game on Sunday.
"It's been a really, really challenging season for them,” said Vieira. “But it's never easy to play United. When you look at the quality that they have in the squad, we need a big performance to get something from the game.”
He added: “I think it's good for us to play the last game at home against one of the best teams in this country in Manchester United who they represent so much in the Premier League. We will want to give a really good performance. I think our fans deserve that and this is what we will try to do.”
Picking up his players and motivating them for Sunday following the dramatic defeat at Everton will be a difficult task for Vieira and his coaching staff. The loss at Goodison Park was the first time under Vieira’s management that Palace had lost a game after leading by two goals.
He added: “We are going to concentrate on ourselves and recover from the game today and find the right words to lift the players to allow ourselves to compete against United.”
