Chris Richards has now spoken about a moment under Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace that he claims made him feel quite nervous.
The United States international has finally cemented himself in the starting XI at Selhurst Park after a difficult start to life in south London – following a £8.5m move from Bayern Munich in July 2022.
In his first season, the Crystal Palace No.26 made just four Premier League starts, but went on to make 23 last term as he became something of a fan favourite.
Now – however – Chris Richards has spoken about a moment on his full Premier League debut under Patrick Vieira’s guidance which scared him…
What Chris Richards said about Patrick Vieira
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, the man from Alabama has revealed that he was _____ing himself on his full Premier League debut, which came in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Selhurst Park back in January 2023.
Richards specifically discussed a race against Manchester United No.21 Antony down the right flank, saying: “I was _____ing myself. Vieira was screaming at me on the halfway line. He was saying: ‘Just clean him out’. I knew I could take him. Once he kept going down the line, I knew I had to get a tackle in otherwise he’d be in on goal. Vieira was probably happy I didn’t take him out. I wanted to show I deserved to be there.”
The tackle received rapturous applause from the Selhurst Park faithful, and proved that the 24-year-old possessed the physical capabilities to be an effective performer in the Premier League.
Over 12 months on from that full Premier League debut, Richards now seems a lot more comfortable in his own skin at Crystal Palace, developing a strong relationship with Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen in the three-man backline under Oliver Glasner.
Crystal Palace No.26 in Copa America action
Andersen and Guehi are not the only Crystal Palace defenders involved in a major tournament this summer.
Richards is currently away at the Copa America with the United States – you can see when the Crystal Palace star is in action below.
- Sunday, June 23: USA v Bolivia – Kick-off 11pm (BST), Premier Sports 1 – AT&T Stadium, Texas
- Thursday, June 27: Panama v USA – Kick-off 11pm (BST), Premier Sports 1 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia
- Tuesday, July 2: USA v Uruguay – Kick-off 2am (BST), Premier Sports – Arrowhead Stadium, Missouri
READ MORE: Player compared to Luis Suarez could now join Crystal Palace in £16m deal after Michael Olise news
Hopefully, Richards can return to south London as a champion, and round off a very impressive 2023/24 campaign…
The post "Vieira was screaming at me": Chris Richards opens up on 2023 moment at Crystal Palace that scared him appeared first on We are Palace.