Schlupp on confidence, Hodgson and the Palace DNA

“Our main task, as I see it, having taken over a group which is clearly stronger technically than the one we left behind two years ago, is to make sure those players don’t lose faith or start thinking we aren’t capable.”

If there were any such doubts before the game, consider them extinguished.

Palace’s players responded to their manager by producing a stunning display – capped by the most dramatic of winning goals – against the Foxes.

The Eagles' shots total – 31 – was the joint-highest by any one team in a Premier League game this season, and the club’s joint-highest shots total in a top-flight match on record.

It was not just offensively they excelled; Palace conceded just three shots to Leicester during the course of the game, recording a ‘shot difference’ – if you will – of +28, the biggest margin recorded in any Premier League game this season.

Starting with a trip to face Leeds United at Elland Road this weekend, nine big matches remain ahead for the Eagles in their bid to retain Premier League football.

In his tenth season as a Premier League player, Jeffrey Schlupp has formed part of sides both title-winning and battling for survival – and knows of the power of confidence, a property which Hodgson has been working to restore.

He explains: “Confidence, for any player, is what you need to perform well.

“I don’t think you can be taught it. You’ve got to have confidence, self-belief – whatever you want to call it – to perform well at anything.

"You have to block out the noise and believe in yourself to perform at your best. It’s the most important thing for any player.”

There can be no doubting the level of talent in Palace’s current squad, but as Hodgson has made clear, there is simply no replacement for self-belief.

“It’s been positive,” Schlupp describes the mood at Palace’s Copers Cope training ground since Hodgson’s return. “For many of us, the new manager is a familiar face. A lot of us know how he likes to work.

“We saw the international break as a chance to refresh and really have a crack at the last bit of this season. We’ve had a managerial change, and we wanted to come back from the international period with a clear mind, ready to go.

“Roy is obviously a familiar face, with familiar tactics to a lot of us. He’s getting his message across early because it’s not like we’ve got a whole season to work on stuff – we’ve got two months of the season left to get results.

“The manager has just been getting some positivity back into the group. Obviously, with the way things have been going, some people’s confidence – and in general that of the team – might be a bit low, so he’s been getting that positive factor back again.

“We want to be on the front foot, and take the game to teams. We want to play games to win, not to just show up. We want to have that mindset. Everybody’s just excited to be playing again now.”

Excitement, mindset and confidence – all perfect complements to Palace’s stocks of natural talent.

The midfielder himself is nearing 200 appearances in Red and Blue since joining the club from Leicester in January 2017, and – now in his seventh season in south London – recognises this team’s affinity with Palace values.

He smiles: “I’ve been here a few years now, and I think I have a good idea what this club is about. We’ve got a good fit with everyone here at the minute.

“We try and explain it to any new players who come in. We tell them about the DNA of the club. I think, even recruitment-wise, we look for that when we bring players in.

“In some of the games we’ve played in the last couple of years, since we brought a lot of the younger players in here, we’ve performed at a very high level. The argument is that we probably haven’t done it consistently enough over that time.

“When we’ve performed at a really high level, it’s hard then to follow it up by doing it for long periods like the top teams do. We know the quality is there in this team – it’s just about bringing it out on a more consistent basis.”

Having made just over 100 appearances previously under Hodgson, Schlupp retains a positive relationship with the returning manager.

Indeed, Hodgson himself has spoken about the advantages of knowing many of the squad already, while also recognising that the club has taken steps forward in terms of the quality of its recent additions.

Schlupp explained: “My relationship with the manager was always really good when he was here last time, and with [first-team coach] Ray [Lewington]. Whenever I was called upon by them, I feel like I gave my best, and we’ve got good trust between us.

“The new players here, who didn’t really know about them, have come to us ‘senior guys’ – as you might want to call us – to ask questions, and we’ve given them an insight as to what it’s going to be like working under the manager and Ray.

“We obviously had a great time before under them – a great four seasons with them, which were successful for the club – and we’ve told everyone what to expect.

“Everyone loves [assistant manager] Paddy [McCarthy], obviously. We worked with him over pre-season and everyone knows him and respects him. The message that he is bringing across is really important as well. He’s someone you can chat to, but who will also give it to you straight and tell you exactly how you need to hear it.

“With the gaffer, Ray and Paddy, we’ve got some great staff, and a great opportunity to go and do something good. It helps everyone buy into it really quickly and everyone’s happy and ready to go.”

It is an opportunity which Schlupp, Hodgson and everybody connected with Palace will be looking to embrace over the coming weeks.

The 30-year-old explains: “It just shows how competitive this league is. It’s so close. There are only a few points between eight or nine teams. Everyone’s competing, everyone’s building, and it’s showing in how tight the league is at the minute.

“We’ve got nine games left, so everyone’s buying into what we’re doing straight away so that we can get some good results on the board, and get that good feeling back.

“To the supporters: thank you for sticking by us. We’ve gone through a tough run together – but we’re going to try everything we can to win games to repay you.”

In a season of tight tables, a campaign of fine margins – and in a league where confidence has on so many occasions proven itself pivotal – Schlupp knows all too well that the smallest lift can have the largest effect.

This interview originally appeared in the Crystal Palace v Leicester City programme - you can get programmes delivered to your door by clicking HERE.