EZE DOES IT FOR VIEIRA
PATRICK VIEIRA insists Eberechi Eze can help Crystal Palace overcome the loss of Conor Gallagher — but warned the midfielder is not a direct replacement for the departed England star.
Gallagher was one of Palace’s stand-out players during Vieira’s first season in charge at Selhurst Park with his form earning a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
But with Gallagher now back at Chelsea after a season-long loan, the Palace boss must plug the gap left by the attacking midfielder who scored eight league goals last term.
And after seeing Eze return to form and fitness after a long-term achilles injury, Vieira (left) — whose side face Arsenal tonight in the season curtain-raiser — believes the 24-year-old can step forward and take centre stage.
He said: “I think he’d be shining even if Conor was here. Ebe last year went through a really difficult period with the injuries but he finished the season quite well.
“He’s been training every single day. He’s been playing a lot of games. So I believe that he is getting to his best and will be an important player for us. I think we don’t have any doubt about how good he can be for us.
Better
“It’s about the players around him as well that can help him to be in a better place.
‘He is a different player than Conor but again he will be a really important and really good player for us because of his ability on the ball at his feet.”
Vieira earned plenty of praise last season for changing Palace’s style of play but the manager warned his side face an even bigger challenge in his second season.
He said: “From the way we performed last year, I think people will expect more from Palace so this is something that as a football club, we will have to manage.
“We have to maintain those kinds of performances that we showed but do it a bit more on a consistent basis to allow ourselves to be more competitive.”
The manager has brought in four senior players but admits he still wants to add experience to his squad this month.
Vieira added: “We need a bit more experience. We have couple of players who need support to pick up a little bit the pressure on their shoulders to allow them to express themselves.”