Frank de Boer is already starting to feel settled in south London. The 47-year-old has spent most of his life in Amsterdam but he has embraced his new city, and even the rain has been unable to dampen his excitement about the challenge under way at Crystal Palace.

De Boer has based himself in Blackheath so he is near the club’s training ground in Beckenham and can immerse himself in the job. The Dutchman has been hard at work as he looks to implement his ideas at Palace, and is looking forward to the prospect of managing in the Premier League and facing Huddersfield Town at Selhurst Park tomorrow.

“London is a little bit like Amsterdam only much, much bigger,” says De Boer. “I had been here a couple of times, so I knew the city and I feel very comfortable here.

“We live under the river so I do not have to worry about traffic. This morning it was only 15 minutes to the training ground. When everybody goes back to school maybe it will be 30 minutes, but I do not want to be far from the training ground.

“Sometimes I have been there until seven o’clock in the evening, but I have no problem with that. Nobody died from working hard.”

De Boer was one of the finest defenders of his generation and he is an exciting appointment for Palace.

During an illustrious playing career he was capped 112 times by Holland, played in two World Cups and three European Championships, won the Champions League with Ajax and also played for Barcelona. It was his 60-yard pass that set up Dennis Bergkamp for his iconic World Cup goal against Argentina in 1998.

De Boer misses playing. He has been demanding of the Palace players during his first six weeks in charge and has constantly challenged them as they adapt to his way of thinking.

“As a player I was always a leader because I was always the captain,” he says. “I was always talking, and now I am constantly coaching. Sometimes I have to stop myself doing it because the players have to take responsibility. Sometimes it is quite hard for me to shut my mouth.

“Every ball you play you play with an idea. I never played a ball without an idea. Do I play it hard because it is between the lines? Do I play it on his right foot because then I know he has to turn that way? Every pass has a message. That is the person I was as a player and also what I demand from my players.”

De Boer has a long-term vision for Palace based on the principles of his mentor, Johan Cruyff. He wants to change the style of play from counter-attacking football to a more possession-based, high-pressing game. Palace will play 3-4-3, but he expects his players to be tactically flexible.

De Boer has acknowledged that imposing the Ajax philosophy on Palace will not happen overnight, but he is seeing progression.

“The players are starting to believe,” he says. “Results help that progress, but this system is very suitable to the players here.”

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It helps that De Boer can show the players himself exactly how he wants things done.

“Sometimes I do passing drills,” he says. “When I think, ‘OK, I can really show them what I think’, then I always give an example. That is the best thing to do. It is always better to see it than to say it. I think it helps.

“I want to participate sometimes, like in the eight-against-two or the small-sides games. When the space is bigger I do not because I will rupture some muscles! But I still love the game. Every former player, whenever they see something round they just want to touch it! I will always have that.”

De Boer and his managerial style are heavily influenced by Louis van Gaal.

“They called me the son of Van Gaal when I was playing at Barcelona,” he says. “He is one of the best managers I have ever met. His ideas … when things were not going well at half-time he said two or three things and the whole game changed. In training he demanded everybody gave 100 per cent. You were afraid not to, because he noticed everything.

“There was also Guus Hiddink, who was totally the opposite. He was more a manager than Van Gaal, who was more a coach on the field, demanding. I am more on the side of Van Gaal. If you want to get better, you have to show it every day, and that is what I expect.”

De Boer won four Eredivisie titles during six years as Ajax manager, and has learned from his chastening experience at Inter Milan, where he was sacked after just 85 days.

“You have to focus on the short term, and in the beginning we wanted to change quite a lot. If we had focused more on some things and put aside other things for the long term – and bring them out when things are under control. That is the biggest lesson.”

Palace hope to avoid another relegation battle this season, and De Boer knows a good start is important for the transition of the team.

“Winning helps the ambience,” he says. “And then the things that you want to implement are much easier.”