£8.5m Crystal Palace man now makes interesting Patrick Vieira claim
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards has spoken about the quality of duo Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.
He made a big claim about former manager Patrick Vieira whilst talking about the pair.
So what did Chris Richards say about the quality of the Crystal Palace duo as well as Patrick Vieira? Let’s take a look…
Richards is currently on international duty with the United States of America. He was being interviewed whilst training with his nation.
Speaking to journalist Andrew Jerrell Jones, Richards was asked about the quality of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, both in training and also during matches. He said: “Not to say that (Patrick) Vieira wasn’t a good coach. But I think once Roy Hodgson came in and gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted to, I think you can really see their quality and see why they are rated so highly.”
It is no shock to see him praise the quality of the pair, but it was perhaps surprising to hear what he had to say about Vieira.
The defender’s claim about the Palace duo’s quality coming out more under Roy Hodgson over Vieira is a big one, but it definitely does make sense.
Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards makes interesting Patrick Vieira claim
There is no doubt that Eze and Olise are the two most talented players at the club. The skills and talent they possess, combined with the potential they have, make them a very frightening proposition for any opposition.
Richards, who the Eagles signed for £8.5m, has struggled for game time and arguably deserves some more minutes this season.
Last season, Olise, who is still only 21 years-old, managed 11 assists in the Premier League. This was the fourth most in the division. Meanwhile 25 year-old Eze managed 10 goals in the Premier League.
Six of Olise’s last season assists came under Hodgson in the last three months of the season, whilst six of Eze’s goals also came under the current Palace manager.
These stats emphasise that Hodgson did get the Palace duo back to their best and get the best out of them compared to Vieira.
They are so crucial to Palace’s success this season and it is great that they will both finally be fully fit and ready to go for the match after the international break against Luton.
No doubt Vieira provided some amazing memories for fans of the club, but when the results started slipping he couldn’t get the squad playing to their best. The next Eagles manager will need to get the best out of Eze and Olise in order to thrive at the club.
