Patrick Vieira has been speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Southampton on Saturday.
The Frenchman was asked about comments from Kalvin Phillips, after the Leeds midfielder accused Wilfried Zaha of being a diver following Monday’s 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park.
Unsurprisingly, Vieira was not happy.
What’s the story?
Well, as quoted by the BBC, the 45-year-old said: “It’s a very strange comment. You can all see the game & watch it again. Some of them were lucky not to get a yellow card. Their plan was clear, to target Wilfried and he remained calm and concentrated on his game.”
Clearly, Vieira disagrees with the England international, who did not come across as too professional when making the accusation on Monday.
In our view, the £70,000-a-week man is right to defend Zaha, who was kicked all over Selhurst Park by Leeds players, and to his credit, managed to not land himself in trouble.
As WhoScored shows, the Ivory Coast international won four freekicks as he caused all sorts of problems, while Luke Ayling – who was up against him – registered three fouls, but somehow escaped a yellow card.
Since his Boxing Day red card against Tottenham, Zaha has visibly improved his temperament, probably after a stern word from Vieira.
Kalvin Phillips comments are not fair on Wilfried Zaha
Yes, Zaha does moan, and the 29-year-old will often wind up opponents, but it was harsh of Phillips to outrightly call the Ivorian a cheat.
There is a big difference between being a bit lightweight on the ball, and actively trying to con the officials into making the wrong decision.
The media have clearly done a fantastic job of portraying Zaha as a diver, to the point where even his fellow professionals are buying into it.
We will leave it at this. After 273 Premier League appearances and 12 seasons in England’s top-flight, we challenge you to find footage of Zaha diving once.
Phillips should think twice before making such defamatory comments again – Zaha didn’t let the hurtful comments get to him, at least.
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