Patrick Vieira faces his second game in charge of Crystal Palace as Ipswich Town welcome the Eagles to Portman Road

Despite being part of the Invincibles squad during a glittering nine-year spell with Arsenal, Patrick Vieira is yet to manage his first game in the Premier League.

The Frenchman’s 17-year playing career saw him feature for the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Manchester City, but the bulk of his appearances came for the Gunners, with whom he won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.

Stepping into management was a natural next step, although he spent a number of years working in the academy of his final club, Manchester City. This saw him earn an opportunity with the City Football Group as manager of New York City FC. The 45-year-old oversaw a drastic improvement of the MLS side, taking them from 17th to second in the space of just three seasons.

However, his subsequent spell at Ligue 1 club OGC Nice was a major disappointment. His first season in charge of Les Aiglons saw him lead them to a seventh-place finish, but things quickly turned sour and he was sacked following a run of five straight defeats in December 2020.

Many fans were incredibly surprised that Vieira was announced as the successor of veteran manager Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace earlier this summer. Efforts to recruit Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre disappointingly collapsed, while links to Frank Lampard and Steve Cooper never materialised. The former Arsenal captain was appointed completely out of the blue and is yet to win over many of the Palace faithful.

The Eagles’ decision to release a large number of their squad at the end of last season has put an increased emphasis on their recruitment. While some fans have questions over the new manager’s ability, very few can argue that their transfer business so far has been incredibly promising.

Michael Olise consistently shone in the Championship for Reading, and a move to the Premier League seemed all but inevitable following the Royals’ failure to secure promotion. It’s widely reported that his move to Selhurst Park only set Palace back £8 million, which should leave them with enough money to strengthen the rest of their depleted squad.

While Remi Matthews joined the club as a third-choice goalkeeper less than a week later, the big news came when the Eagles secured the permanent signing of Marc Guéhi from Chelsea. The 21-year-old centre-back had an incredible season for Swansea in the Championship, but a lack of first-team opportunities under Thomas Tuchel sealed his departure from Stamford Bridge.

Of course, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but the early signs are promising. Palace have only played one pre-season game under Vieira, a 1-0 win against League Two side Walsall, with Wilfried Zaha scoring the winner just before half-time.

Similarly to their upcoming opponents, Ipswich Town have had to rebuild following a mass exodus at the back-end of last season. A number of players were deemed to be surplus to requirements by manager Paul Cook, while the likes of Andre Dozzell and David Cornell earned the chance to ply their trade in the Championship.

The Tractor Boys’ recruitment has been similarly impressive, with Wes Burns, Rekeem Harper, Joe Pigott and Scott Fraser the standout names to join the club this summer. As a result, they’re considered by many to be one of the favourites to earn promotion from League One this season.

Their pre-season performances have been inconsistent, albeit that the results have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Cook’s side started with a 1-0 win against National League South outfit Dartford before a young lineup lost to Bury Town on penalties and the first team suffered a 2-1 defeat against recently relegated Fulham.

Their upcoming clash against Crystal Palace will provide a much sterner test, and fans will be intrigued to see how their side handles playing against significantly stronger opposition.

There will be immense pressure on Ipswich this season, and Cook has made it abundantly clear that his players will have to earn the right to represent the club.

Unsurprisingly, the main focus will be on Vieira and the Eagles. They won’t be expected to earn a top-half finish next season, but their new manager will be keen to reassure supporters that he’s the right man for the job.

He’ll have another opportunity to fully assess the squad that he has at his disposal, while also providing a chance for some of the younger players to step up and make a name for themselves in the first team.

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