Patrick Vieira joined Strasbourg back in July after Steve Parish handed the Frenchman his P45 at Crystal Palace in March.
The 47-year-old opted to get back into management very quickly after being replaced by Roy Hodgson, amid relegation fears at Selhurst Park last season.
It seemed almost too quick of a return for the Arsenal legend – who often made a number of strange decisions in his second season at Crystal Palace, including odd team selections and a far more negative style in comparison to his first campaign in charge.
Now – after Strasbourg experienced a poor start to the 2023/24 campaign – the Ligue 1 side’s fans are almost echoing what Crystal Palace supporters said about Patrick Vieira last season…
What Strasbourg fans are now saying about Patrick Vieira after Crystal Palace exit
Well, it is seemingly safe to say that Vieira rushed back into management without learning many lessons.
The Dakar-born tactician has overseen just three wins from 11 games in Ligue 1 so far this season, losing five while conceding 15 goals as Strasbourg hover above the relegation zone.
More specifically, the Strasbourg fans do not sound pleased with Vieira’s preferred style of play, which was the main grumble from Crystal Palace fans last term – you may recall we went three games without having a single shot on target.
One Strasbourg fan wrote “L2 (Ligue 2) level, it’s obvious Vieira’s tactical choices are distressing. No class in the game, one-touch game non-existent. Where is the top speed of young people?”
Another tweeted: “Thanks for everything Patrick. You can now leave with the feeling of a job accomplished! Good luck!”
A strong hint of sarcasm in that second message – it speaks volumes that some fans want Vieira sacked just 11 games into the season.
Furthermore, a couple of other Strasbourg fans criticised Vieira.
One said: “More than ever #Vieiraout !!! Phony lineup, pitiful background, no improvement after 11 games, incomprehensible change at the end of the half… enough is enough!”
Another posted: “It’s catastrophic, we always have to go through purges every weekend.”
They really are going through a tough time at Strasbourg – to say the least.
Last but not least, two more Strasbourg fans shared their thoughts on Vieira.
One put: “We have to change things very quickly otherwise we’re going straight to Ligue 2.”
Lastly, another fan commented: “How much longer are we going to wait before we understand that there is a big problem and that a change is needed!!! Not possible to watch the same matches every weekend.”
There are clearly strong parallels here with what Crystal Palace fans said about Vieira towards the end of his time in south London.
Hopefully, the Frenchman can turn things around at Strasbourg, or else he may need to take a moment out of management to reassess his philosophy.
