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 obviously 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.
“I’ve learnt a lot from Patrick personally, and playing in midfield – he was obviously a midfielder – there are personal messages that he has passed on that I try to take on.
“One of the main things is the confidence in playing forwards, attacking well and playing together as a team, which is obviously a big thing in what we do.”
Developing a new style at the club is always a challenge, but Schlupp says it’s nothing the players will be unable to adapt to.
“Previously we did a really good job with Roy [Hodgson], which was in some ways different tactics,” he explained. “Everyone has been involved with different managers and different playing styles, so it’s just another different thing.
“We’re here to learn. He got his messages across really well and straight away, and I think we took to that well. It’s obviously a different style: we press high up the field, we play out from the back and we keep the ball.
