Lacroix will forever be remembered in South London as a key cog in the history-making Palace team which secured the club’s first-ever major trophy, the FA Cup, last season.
In early April, however, not long before the semi-finals, Palace conceded five goals in two successive away Premier League games – at Manchester City and Newcastle – which Lacroix highlighted as a turning point.
On his team’s defensive solidity, he said: “I think it's the DNA of this team. We have a lot of character, and this is what we showed.
“I remember when we lost against City last year and Newcastle. We lost two times, five goals. But after, we won the FA Cup – so I think this is the DNA of this team, the good spirit, and this is what we showed.
“I think we learned a lot \[from those games\]. We spoke with the guys. You know, when you forget the feeling of losing… when you lose, you're a little bit angry. And also, you get a little bit more humility, I want to say.
“\[Losing three games last month\] showed us that we have the quality, but we have to still improve, and still put everything in to win games, because it's quite difficult to win games. This is the difference, I think.”