Mamadou Sakho on his new handshake with Max Meyer and how he’s helping steer Crystal Palace through horror run

Big presence | Mamadou Sakho takes his role as a senior member of the Palace squad seriously
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Jack Rosser @JackRosser_9 November 2018

Crystal Palace may be in the midst of perhaps the toughest run of games handed out to any side this season, but Mamadou Sakho is hoping the bond he helps to form between the players can see them through.

Having scored their first goals at Selhurst Park against Arsenal in their last home outing, Palace were unfortunate to lose 3-1 at Chelsea. Tomorrow they host a third London rival as Tottenham head south for the late kick off, before a trip to Manchester United following the international break.

One factor in upsetting Mauricio Pochettino’s side could well be first consecutive Premier League starts for summer signing Max Meyer. The German has impressed those in the stands but has not seen as much time on the pitch as many would have liked.

“Max is a good, good player. I think we have a few really good players in the squad but we have only one boss, he is the manager. He decides to make his squad and the most important thing is that all the players are ready to give 100 per cent for the shirt,” Sakho told Standard Sport.

“The League is new for him and the language but I think he has really adapted well, with the squad he speaks with the players in training and I have a really good relationship with Max, we just created a handshake last week. I think I have 15 handshakes in the team now.

“Having that sort of relationship is really important, outside the pitch when you have good relationships between players it can help in difficult moments, you are more like brothers.”

The former Liverpool defender, who was given a second consecutive call-up to the France squad this week, feels the luck has not quite been there so far this season, but if their effort levels continue, things will change.

“When you watch each game we played from the beginning of the season we played well,” he said. “But in football sometimes you are unlucky, you miss a few chances but that is football. It is like life, the most important thing is that if you give your best one day the luck will change.”

Meet and greet | Mamadou Sakho meets Crystal Palace fans at pop-up shop in Croydon (Dan Weir/PPAUK for CPFC)
Dan Weir/PPAUK

Sakho was speaking after meeting fans outside the new pop-up Crystal Palace club shop in Croydon and, while Selhurst Park has perhaps not been quite the fortress it was last season, when Spurs arrive under the lights this weekend, the defender dubbed ‘The Soldier’ knows they will have an extra man behind them.

“Of course we have great fans,” he added. “They are always behind us when we are playing away or at home, we need them and they are always with us, when we are at home we are playing 12 against 11.”

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