28 February 2022

Patrick Vieira will not look back as Palace bid to go forward in FA Cup

28 February 2022

Patrick Vieira will not draw on past FA Cup glories to motivate his Crystal Palace players ahead of their fifth-round tie against Stoke.

Vieira is one of the competition’s most successful players – winning on four occasions with Arsenal and once during his short spell at Manchester City.

He is also bidding to become only the 16th person to win the FA Cup as a player and manager, and the first since Gianluca Vialli did so as Chelsea boss in 2000.

But speaking prior to Palace’s home clash against Championship side Stoke on Tuesday night, Vieira said: “I never talk about my past in general.

“As a manager you just want to do well in every competition and if you win the FA Cup it would be a dream come true.

“But there is a long way to go and we have an important and difficult game against Stoke.

“They have done really well in the competition, they have nothing to lose, and when you look at their starting 11 they have players with Premier League experience so we will have to be at our best to win the tie.”

Vieira, 45, won the cup in his second season as an Arsenal player in 1998 before further triumphs in 2002 and 2003.

He struck the decisive penalty in a shoot-out against Manchester United in 2005 – his final kick for Arsene Wenger’s side before moving to Juventus.In 2011, he came on as a 90th minute substitute in City’s 1-0 victory against Stoke.

“I will always remember the first and last FA Cups with Arsenal and the one with City,” he added.

“The first time with Arsenal, I really got to know the love and the passion of the FA Cup from the fans, and the last kick I had with Arsenal – after spending nine years there – to win the FA Cup was special.

“I was stopping my playing career at City when they won the Cup. It was a time when they were really building a strong team and to be part of that group was a good memory for me.”

Eleventh in the Premier League, Vieira’s Palace could be seen as a dark horse to win the competition.

He added: “We want to go as far as we can. The tie is at home and a home tie is massively important.

“There are no easy games in the Cup and we have to be ready mentally and approach that game with the same type of intensity as our last game in the Premier League.

“What we want is to compete, win games and build confidence and momentum and we want to go to the next round and that is why we will compete at our best to try and win the game.”

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