Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Patrick Vieira criticises Crystal Palace for playing ‘with the handbrake on’ in Leicester draw

Patrick Vieira called on his Crystal Palace players to show more “trust and belief” in front of goal after failing to score in a drab draw at Leicester.

The Eagles have won just two of their opening nine Premier League games despite some promising performances, although the Saturday lunchtime stalemate at the King Power Stadium did not impress the Palace manager.

Vieira lamented his side’s “really flat” display, particularly in the second half, and urged his players to take more risks in attack.

“We didn’t play to hurt them, [we] played without taking risks, with the handbrake on, making it comfortable for them - even more in the second half,” he told BBC Sport.

Vieira added: “We have to keep believing a little bit more, trust in each other a little bit more, and play to score goals.

“I think we have the quality to do it but today’s game doesn’t reflect the quality we’ve shown so far, so of course disappointed but we played against a good team and taking a point away from home is the positive side of the game today.”

Still bottom of the table, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers asserted his confidence that the team will escape trouble despite fans’ calls for him to be sacked after another winless outing at the King Power.

He stated: “It’s just going to be a season where, I always felt it after our summer, we were going to have to fight our way through this season.

“The players are doing that and, gradually, we should get better results as the season goes on.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.