Saturday 9 September 2017 23:53, UK
Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer insists he will remain committed to his philosophy at Selhurst Park because of a conversation he once had with former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal.
De Boer already finds himself under immense pressure just four games into his spell in charge of Palace, with the Eagles without a point in the Premier League at the start of the new campaign.
The Dutchman heads into Sunday's fixture away at Burnley, live on Sky Sports Premier League, knowing a defeat could mean the spell of his tenure at the club.
However, De Boer is unwilling to change his style of play so early in the season after receiving advice from Van Gaal prior to his appointment at Selhurst Park.
"I spoke to him before I came to Crystal Palace. 'How's the Premier League? What about assistants? Did you bring your own staff?' Those kind of questions you're going to ask," De Boer said.
"The only thing he regretted: he played 3-4-3 in pre-season, and then he lost the first game and changed it to 4-3-3. He regretted that, and that's why you have to stick to your own philosophy.
"He did the same at Barcelona when he put Rivaldo in the number 10 position; suddenly the team wasn't the team anymore, and we went down in performance.
"Always stick to your own philosophy: that's a very important lesson."
De Boer believes it is only a matter of time before his philosophy begins to reap rewards at Palace, although he admits the pressure of management is greater than what he experienced as a player.
"As a manager you always have more pressure," said De Boer. "As a player I was nervous before games, you need tension to perform, and when the referee whistled, it was over, I was focused on the game. As a manager, you don't have that influence on the game itself.
"I want players that recognise what they have to do in certain situations. They have to recognise 'Okay, now we have to do this, now we have to do that'. That takes time. Automatically, so I don't have to shout from the bench. All those things.
"After six months, you'll see you're getting more back in every game. It always takes time. I was a youth coach, and after six months it was 'Hey, now they're playing the way I think they have to play'.
"Continue what you believe in. That's a process, and it takes time."
