Preparing to face Manchester United on Wednesday off the back of promising performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – if ultimately frustrating results – Vieira is backing his players’ approach to games to pay dividends sooner rather than later.
In doing so, the manager reiterated that long-term progress as a club is Palace’s goal, saying: “The table will change from one week to another. The ambition that the players have – the ambition the football club has – is to try to finish higher than we did last year.
“We want to improve every aspect of the football club. Look at the performance we had [against Chelsea on Sunday]. In that performance, we showed ambition in the way we want to play the game.
“We keep working and we keep believing in ourselves, because the chances are there. I want my players to be more ruthless inside the box and take those chances.
“When you are on the field, it’s 11 [players] against 11. We went toe-to-toe with Chelsea and we will try to do the same against United. With a little bit of luck, we can score those goals.
“We have to compete on the field with the quality, ambition and values we have. We will compete, and this is good for the football club.”