A trip to Selhurst Park is on the agenda for Steven Gerrard and his Aston Villa squad on Saturday.
And ahead of their third Premier League game of the season, the head coach spoke to the media at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
Here’s what he had to say…
On Diego Carlos...
“It’s certainly a blow to lose a player of his importance.
“We’ve had a week for that to sink in and for us to process that. He’s had successful surgery yesterday, so we’ll look forward and try and be positive.
“Each day that passes he’s closer to a return, and we’ll give him all the patience and support he needs from a medical point of view.
“It’s important that he stays in amongst the group because he’s still got a part to play. That’s something which is forgotten in football: injured players taking a backseat. I don’t want that to be the case. I want him to be very much involved in the dressing room and to show his leadership skills.”
On Villa’s attacking threat…
“We’ve got a lot of attacking options and big talents who all bring different skillsets. They’re all extremely important to us and they will be over the course of the season.
“For me, it’s very much about making decisions about what’s right for the opposition, what’s right for the game plan. We want contributions from them as individuals and as a front unit.
“It’s not a case of having favourites or a best front three, it’s about horses for courses and what we think the game in front of us demands.”
On picking up a first win of the season…
“Winning is the drug for everyone. Everyone wants that medicine – that feeling is what we’re in the game for.
“We were really pleased with our performance. We felt our performance deserved the three points. We were in control for 80 minutes.
“There was a lot for us to take from the game and learn from, in terms of our focus and how we manage games when we go 2-0 up because we could have been talking about a ‘what if’ situation.
“We passed it very well and we could have scored more goals. The mood has obviously been very different to after the first week.”
On Crystal Palace...
“Since Patrick’s (Vieira) taken over from Roy Hodgson, he’s changed the style of play. He brought his own way and his own philosophy across to the players in really admirable fashion.
“He added exciting players and he’s made the group very dynamic and exciting. He’s added youth and talent into the group, so he’s done an amazing job.
“I’ve got a lot of admiration for the work he’s done there, and I’m sure he’ll continue to progress Crystal Palace.”
