On targets for the remaining games…
Palace set a new club record for Premier League points in a season in 24/25, with 53 – a total they could mathematically still match this season if they secure three wins from their remaining three games…
It would be nice if we had, at least for the second consecutive time, a five in front of the points, because this would mean at least the second best season, and playing 50 per cent more games.
44 points, this is more or less the average in the last seven or eight years of the Crystal Palace points, but playing 50 per cent more games. Playing now, having a European Final ahead, so again, this group of players deserve any credit.
How hard they are working, how committed they are, and how they deal with some setbacks, which we definitely had during the season, and being now at the end of the season in this fantastic situation, being able to play or equal the club’s best Premier League season, or let's say playing the second best season ever regarding the points, playing a European final, they deserve everything.
I don’t think [about the title race]. If we get a point, we can't equal our points records, so that's what we are looking at. But this point can help us get the five in front [of our points tally], so this is our approach.
I'm always very honest with the players. As I said, we have now two-and-a-half weeks to go for our big game. The biggest game we have to play right now will be the final. And what are we doing with the three Premier League games in between?
I just told them my experience is that it's not possible to switch off now for two weeks and then switch on two days before the final. It's just not possible.
Everyone, especially the players, invested so much to get this turnaround after really tough weeks and months in December and January, and we would be really stupid if we throw this away by just now dropping our focus and being laid back and all this stuff.
That’s why we go to City and it’s the same. I said exactly the same to the players today: if you don't want to win tomorrow, let me know, because then we will stay in London and enjoy the lovely sunny weather. It makes no sense making a very long day trip, but they all said: ‘no, we want to go there, show our best performance and, of course, we want to win.’
We know how challenging this will be, because City, they didn't lose for 13 games now in the Premier League. I don't know how long they are unbeaten at home, so it is very challenging, but that's the only reason we go to Manchester tomorrow.
