The Eagles face Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final tomorrow and Lacroix has rallied his side to go to Wembley with the confidence needed to push on to the final. The Frenchman is the heartbeat of the Palace side but admits that despite the pressure his mother is feeling it more than him.
“I think she's more stressed than me, right now.
“If I don't speak with her, I'm in trouble! No, of course I speak with her lots.
“For her, it's also the first time in Wembley, the first time to see her son in a semi-final. But I think it's really good for a mother or father to see their son running his dream and playing this type of game, because she knew it was difficult before.”
Palace are chasing down their first piece of silverware which only makes this game even bigger this weekend. The prospect of running out in front of 35,000 Palace supporters at Wembley will be exciting and Lacroix has every belief that his side will become heroes and make history by going all the way.
“I hope on Saturday we’re going to do it again, because I think Wembley will shake,” he says. “Our fans are like the 12th man on the pitch. When you play against us, especially in our stadium, the fans are incredible. I heard there’s going to be like 35,000 fans. So it’s more than our stadium.
“It’s going to be hard for us against Villa. It’s difficult when you play against these guys because they will push us. But (the fans) give us a new energy when it’s difficult on the pitch. When you hear them, they push you, you want to give everything for them.”