Roy Hodgson was full of praise for Dean Smith and his Aston Villa side ahead of welcoming the Villans to Selhurst Park for the Eagles' second home league game of the season.
Hodgson, speaking in his pre-match press conference live on Palace TV, revealed: "I noticed that Dean [Smith], when he was first appointed, he took on a group of players that he’d inherited and had been there for a period of time. However, as his reign continued towards the latter part of last season, we saw already his thoughts on how he wanted the team to play and in particular the type of players he wanted at the club.