Vieira highlights West Ham strengths and how Palace should respond
Patrick Vieira was happy to praise Saturday's opposition West Ham United in his pre-match press conference, saying the Hammers are "in a really good moment".
He pinpointed what has earned David Moyes’ men such a strong start – two wins and eight goals from two games – and a sixth-place finish last season.
“They are really solid, really clinical, really physical. They’ve got the power, the physical strength to compete. They have pace and some really good talent. This team has been built really well. I was not surprised at all they did well last year and started the league the way they did [this season].
“David has been in the game quite a long time; he knows the league better than anybody else.”
Asked to comment on in-form forward Michail Antonio, who has scored three from two league games, Vieira acknowledged the frontman’s ability, but drew attention to West Ham’s wider team, suggesting the whole XI enables Antonio’s goalscoring.
“I don’t think it’s just about him, it’s about the way West Ham are playing at the moment. They’re really strong in every department, they’re in a really good moment. They’re playing well, scoring goals. He’s a really good player obviously but the players around are doing a really good job to allow him to express himself.
“We’ll focus on the team, not an individual. We’re going to go there with a good game plan and try to express ourselves. We have to play to our strengths.”
With the two London clubs facing off this Saturday, there have been several figures drawing comparisons between the sides, something Vieira was keen to avoid.
Asked how he sees the Eagles progressing both in the coming weeks and the coming years, he said: “When you look at the first game in pre-season and how we expressed ourselves against Watford, there is an improvement there. Obviously to win football matches you need to score goals. It’s important to see if we’re creating enough chances, getting enough people inside the box. These details we need to improve, but overall we created enough chances to score.
“West Ham have been working in the last couple of years to get the results they’re having today. There’s consistency in the squad, not so much rotation. I think in every single club you want to have time to build the team, that will require time.
“We know where we are at the moment, we know where we want to go. We have had a few players arrive who are doing quite well, we will improve the squad and I think we will be strong enough to compete in the Premier League.”