SINGAPORE - As a player, Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira was a dominant figure in midfield known for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, as well as his leadership.
While the Frenchman's playing days are behind him, some of these traits are still evident in the current Crystal Palace manager's coaching style.
Veteran Palace defender Joel Ward told The Straits Times: "He demands, expects and sets standards which as a professional you need to do. To achieve what he's achieved, you have to make sure you're raising the bar on a daily basis and he's very involved in driving us and making sure that we maintain our standards and get in the best shape for games."
Ward, 32, was speaking on the sidelines of a football clinic at Assumption English School on Wednesday (July 13), ahead of Palace's match against Liverpool in the Standard Chartered Singapore Trophy 2022 on Friday.
Along with teammates Jack Butland, Ademola Ola-Adebomi and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Ward played futsal with over 100 students, taking the time to pose for photos with them and sign memorabilia.
Former Gunners captain Vieira, who had also played for AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Manchester City, took up coaching after hanging up his boots in 2011. He had coaching stints with City’s reserve team, Major League Soccer side New York City and French Ligue 1 outfit Nice before taking the helm at Crystal Palace last season and guiding them to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-finals.
Noting that last year was also a transition to new style, Ward is confident that the Eagles can propel themselves into the top 10 next season.
Ward said: "His vision and his commitment to improving us is outstanding, he's put his own stamp on the team. It's exciting for the club, fans and players to actually be working with him because of his experience in the Premier League and across the globe.
"If you look at the whole season last year, we were unfortunate in a lot of games so we want to turn those draws into wins and if we can do that then we can be in the top 10."
Vieira has also had a strong impact on younger players like winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, 19, who made his senior team debut last season.
On Vieira, he said: "He's been very encouraging, saying that I should just be confident because I've worked hard and I should keep working hard. He's just been like that in training every day, always giving me advice."
Although Palace will be without a pivotal figure in the form of England midfielder Conor Gallagher – who has returned to Chelsea after scoring eight goals from 34 appearances during his loan spell with the Eagles last season – Rak-Sakyi is confident they can improve on last campaign’s performance.
He said: "Last season was our first season under the new manager and this season we want to finish as high as possible because we have a very strong squad and a very good manager.
"We're just going to keep working hard and training - we want to improve and finish as high as we can this season."
