Vincent Kompany slams Crystal Palace for sacking Patrick Vieira | OneFootball

Crystal Palace fans will have seen the news this morning that Patrick Vieira had been relieved of his managerial duties – a decision that has now been criticised by Burnley manager, Vincent Kompany.

The Eagles had been on a run of 12 games without a win in all competitions, and sit just three points above the relegation zone.

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That run has led to Palace chairman Steve Parish pulling the plug on Vieira's tenure, deciding that a change of manager is necessary for Palace to remain in the league.

But Kompany had some choice words about the decision to sack Vieira, with the Belgian believing that the now ex-Palace manager had been overachieving given his resources – a viewpoint which has split football fans.

Palace part with Vieira

Twelve games without a win is tough to move past, no matter how you try to spin it, and it was precisely that which led to Palace chairman Parish sacking Vieira.

“It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made,” Parish wrote in the club statement. “Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.”

Vieira was appointed Palace manager back in 2021, and was in charge for a total of 74 matches at Palace, winning 22 of those games and drawing a further 24.

He managed a 12th place finish last year, which is exactly where Palace are now as of the day they sacked the Frenchman.

Kompany slams decision to sack Vieira

But the decision to get rid of Vieira has not gone down well with Burnley manager Kompany.

The former Manchester City man believes that the ex-Arsenal player was overachieving, given what had to work with and who they had played in the last 12 games.

‘When I heard the news, rather than to go emotional on it I tried to understand why,” the Burnley boss said at his press conference ahead of his side’s FA Cup tie against Manchester City.

‘And I looked at the league table first and I thought they were in the bottom three or something and five points behind, and then I see they’re 12th and actually three points ahead of relegation.

‘So from my objective rational mind I would say at the beginning of the season that Crystal Palace would be very happy if they weren’t in the relegation zone based on the squad they have assembled and the quality of the players.

‘And then the second thing I do, because I hear it’s about the run of games, is I look at the run of games and I see Newcastle, Chelsea, [Manchester] United twice, [Manchester] City. In-form teams Brentford and Brighton.

‘I see that Zaha’s been missing for four or five games within that spell.

‘And I look at the next games that are left and I see Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Everton – all the teams they are competing with at the bottom of the league are still to come and they have just had the hardest run of games it could be while missing one of their star players.

‘I have to be honest it doesn’t sit well with me, because if you’re rational and if you’re underachieving in comparison to the resources you have, then I think it’s fair enough if a club makes a decision.

‘But I think if you’re overachieving which is what they’re doing, then I think whoever is making the decisions has got to come forward and say that I made the decision because I think that at the end of the season, we are going to be safe because of that decision.

‘Because actually what you have done is taken out a manager who is overachieving no matter which way you want to turn it.’

Fans react to Kompany’s answer

The responses to Kompany’s answer have been mixed, with some agreeing that Palace had been too hasty to sack Vieira.

But others think that Palace were in the right, with some saying the team’s recent record was enough for Vieira to go.

It remains to be seen who will be in the dugout on Sunday, with Palace travelling to north London to play league leaders Arsenal.