Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic on pre-season, taking penalties and VAR
Crystal Palace travel to Sheffield United on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1pm; Kick-off 2pm
Thursday 15 August 2019 14:47, UK
Luka Milivojevic is not worried about a rocky pre-season from Crystal Palace as he discusses his superb penalty record and the Premier League's new addition - VAR.
After a month and a half to 'refill the battery', Milivojevic is ready to get back to business, and the season began fairly quietly with a 0-0 draw against Everton last weekend.
It follows on from a tough pre-season for Crystal Palace, where they lost five of their seven pre-season fixtures, including a 6-2 defeat to National League side Barnet.
But Milivojevic is not worried about the results and knows that every fixture in the Premier League will be tough, including Sunday's trip to Sheffield United, live on Sky Sports.
"I've had experiences in the past of some pre-seasons where we didn't play as we wanted but we started the season well and we won titles and cups," he told Sky Sports.
"Pre-season is the games where you can see where you are. You try something that, during the season, it may be very risky to try, but you also try to work on something that you can transfer to the season.
"I'm not so worried about results in pre-season, honestly, but from every single game that you win or lose, you can learn and take the lesson. The most important thing is that you take the positives, transfer them to the team and the negatives, not to repeat them again.
"I expect all 38 games to be hard games. It depends a lot on how we start and I don't expect an easy start, to be honest. We expect very, very tough games but we believe we can take three points. If we take these, then it is a new week, different preparation, a positive mind and we'll see."
'Every penalty is different'
Milivojevic is well known for his penalties. He scored ten in the 2018/19 campaign - one fewer than the record for the number scored in a single season, currently held by former Crystal Palace forward Andy Johnson.
The Serbia international is level with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Alan Shearer, but despite being among esteemed company, believes the achievements are on different levels.
"When you say all these names, it is a privilege for me to be in this group with those players but all of them played in top teams," he said.
"It is not easy because when you are in a top team, you create a lot, you are always there, you will always have chances and penalties during the season. At Crystal Palace, it is different. We are a different team to the others mentioned, but it is a big privilege for me to be in that group.
"We have very good front players so we get a lot of penalties from them. It will be very hard to get more penalties than I did this season, especially to score. It is not easy to score 10, nine, eight in a season, believe me.
"Every single penalty is different. It's a different pressure and different game but in my opinion, a penalty taker has to be very concentrated, very focused. You can never be relaxed and you have to have good technique.
"Every single penalty is different. It's a different pressure and different game but in my opinion, a penalty taker has to be very concentrated, very focused, you can never be relaxed and you have to have good technique."
"Until now, I have been successful and I hope it continues. The most important thing is that I score - yes, it is important for myself - but the most important thing is that when I score, we as a group are going to take something from that."
Of course, there will be a new force at play this season with VAR being introduced in the Premier League, and while Milivojevic was sceptical at first, he is warming to its use.
He explains: "When they spoke in the beginning about VAR, I was against it and let's say I am still against it. But if you use VAR in the right way, I am the first person for using it.
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"We had a big meeting with the PFA about VAR and they explained to us how they were going to use it. If they use it in the way they explained, it is going to be perfect, as they said they will not stop the game very often, which is very important.
"Of course, it is good when someone scores with their hand and we see it but the referee doesn't, but in this moment now, they are going to help the teams."
New deal, new season
The day before their first game of the season, Crystal Palace were boosted when Milivojevic signed a new four-year deal, putting paid to the rumours that Lazio and Fiorentina were circling.
Now, it is full steam ahead into the rest of the season, and Milivojevic is focused on helping the team as much as possible.
He said: "It means a lot [to be captain]. I've said it before, I am not British, I've come from Serbia to Crystal Palace and I've tried to do my best. Some people like Roy [Hodgson] and his coaching staff recognise in me that I have those qualities.
"It's hard to speak about myself, but it shows that people recognise the work I put in on the training field and on the pitch and they respect that.
"As a player, I am just going game-by-game. The best games are against top-six teams but on the other hand, they're the most difficult games. You don't have a lot of possession, you run a lot, but if you do something, it's amazing.
"I know our fans are looking for the game against Brighton, which is very good, and for us as players also because you feel a different atmosphere around the ground.
"Last year, I said it was top ten [to finish for the campaign] and then the start of the season was up and down. My aim is that we are all fit, and if we are all fit, there is no problem for us as a team. My personal aim is very connected to the team.
"If we as a group reach some good positions then as an individual, I will be very successful. I hope that, first of all as a group, we reach the best position we can and then as individuals, we can get something from that."
