Returning Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has outlined what he is demanding of his players when they host Leicester City this weekend.
The veteran manager made a shock return to Selhurst Park earlier this month, nearly two years on from when he left the hot seat in south London.
The former England boss has been tasked with keeping the Eagles in the Premier League after signing a deal until the end of the season and he is keen to start his second spell with a bang, starting against the Foxes.
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Palace, who sacked manager Patrick Vieira just over a week ago, sit 12th in the table but are just three points ahead of the relegation zone and are winless in 2023. Leicester are also in deep trouble as they have lost four of their last five games and are down in 17th.
Ahead of this huge game, Hodgson spoke about four things he wants to see from his players: energy, enthusiasm, optimism, and no fear. He has also called on the home fans to make their voices heard and cheer on their team this weekend.
When asked what he wanted to see from his players this weekend, he told Palace's website: "I want to see some energy. I want to see some enthusiasm. I want to see that they are aware of our situation, and they are aware that the fans need to be boosted as well, [and want] to see a team that they can believe in, and get behind.
"Any tactical changes or tweaks we want to make, we’ll be working on from now until the end of May, but for this first game… I want energy, I want enthusiasm, I want optimism, and I want a lack of fear.
"I want players with the quality we have to show those qualities, and not be frightened that they’re going to fail in some way. Go out there, don’t be scared to fail, trust in yourself, trust in your teammates – and trust our fans to pull us though."
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