‘Meeting Patrick Vieira face-to-face was a big moment for me’ – Jeffery Schlupp

Ghana midfielder Jeffery Schlupp has said that the appointment of Patrick Vieira as manager of Crystal Palace was exciting.

The former Arsenal and France star joined Palace before the start of the season replacing Roy Hodgson.

Schlupp is convinced the club made the right decision to replace Vieira with Roy Hodgson who stepped up at the end of last season.

According to Schlupp, meeting the Frenchman face-to-face was a big moment for him and the playing body at large.

“We saw reports of him being appointed as manager,” Schlupp told Premier League Productions. “Obviously everyone knows who Patrick Vieira is. He’s a legend of the game, he’s a Premier League legend.

“It was exciting. Then to meet him face-to-face was a big moment for me personally and for everyone else. He got his message across straight away, told us about his philosophy and the way he wants to play.

“I think everyone bought into that straight away. Everyone demands respect, but the respect for him was there straight away.

“We knew who he was and what he stands for. I think we took to him straight away and believed in his philosophy straight away.”

Since his arrival, Vieira and his staff have been hard at work on the training ground trying to implement his particular style with the squad. Schlupp points to certain key areas of focus.

“I think it’s on our structure and shape,” he said. “I’ve had different managers, but I think this is probably the most we’ve focused on playing out from the back.

“It’s a different time, a different era from when I started playing in 2010. The main focus is of course to play out from the back, to spread teams open, and to press high up the field.

The 28-year-old has featured 13 times this season under Patrick Vieira.