Ghana winger Jeffrey Sclupp says he has had a great season physically, revealing that staying fully fit was a major goal set for him this season by Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.
“One of the most important things for me personally was to stay fit all season,” he said. “Previous seasons I’ve had spurts here and there where I’ve played well and then I’ve been out of the team with long injuries.
“Speaking to the manager at the start of the season, that was one of the main things for us: to stay fit. I think that’s one of the main reasons why I’ve managed to perform personally.
“I feel amazing. I’ve had a great season physically. I’ve stayed fit for most of the season. I feel as good as I have done for my whole career, so I'm sure there is plenty more to come.”
It’s an example of Vieira’s strong relationship with the players, and Schlupp says he admires how quickly the manager got to grips with the squad.
“He’s definitely got to understand everyone personally,” the versatile midfielder explains. “He understood everyone’s strengths and weaknesses to work on. I think that’s the sign of a good manager.
“You’ve got to understand your players really quickly in such a short space of time. It’s his first year. He’ll only get more and more understanding of the players and unlock more from the boys.
“It’s a mentality shift. I’m sure everyone goes into every game trying to win it, but I think teams are really starting to not like playing against us. Coming to Selhurst Park, especially with the backing that the crowd gives us, is unbelievable.
“We definitely don’t want to make it a nice place to come, so I think we’ve done that and scared some opposition coming to us.”
Schlupp has four goals and one assist in 31 games this season.