IRREPLACEABLES
How could Arsenal find another midfield general like me? I had Thierry and Dennis in front of me... Petit next to me plus Adams & Co behind me. I played in the..
ARSENAL v C PALACE Emirates Staidum, 8pm PATRICK VIEIRA reckons it is no surprise there have been no midfield legends at Arsenal since he left.
The powerhouse of the Invincibles season brings his Crystal Palace side to his former club for an emotional derby tonight.
Vieira is revered as one of the superstars of nine glorious seasons under Arsene Wenger between 1996 and 2005. Many have since tried and failed to emulate the Frenchman’s lofty achievements in the middle of the pitch, including current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
But Vieira argued those who came after did not have the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp ahead of them and Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and Martin Keown behind to help them out.
He said: “When I was playing I had Emmanuel Petit and Gilberto next to me, and Edu in the midfield. That was a really good partnership. The new players may not have had those players around them who allowed them to express themselves. I had
Dennis or Thierry ahead of me, Sol and Martin and
Tony behind me. They all made my job even easier. So it’s difficult to be critical of players who maybe didn’t have the same help around them.”
Arsenal invested £50million in the summer on Brighton defender Ben White in the hope he might become as good as Keown or Campbell.
The England fringe man raised a few eyebrows by revealing he never watches football so does not know much about Vieira.
Palace boss Vieira reckons truly elite players always have an eye on games involving other teams. He said: “It matters. Watching games shows the passion and love you have. Thierry would watch any kind of game in any league in any country. He knew everything about the game.
“I played with Cesc Fabregas and the Spanish players watched games every day.
“It’s a different culture here in England. Not better, not worse. But in France or Spain players watch football. Also Italy where I played as well.”
Palace also invested in a new centre-back, paying Chelsea £18million for Marc Guehi (left) in July.
Vieira believes Guehi will soon be challenging White for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad, unless the former England Under-21 skipper opts to declare for Ivory Coast.
He said: “His work ethic, his concentration, they’re really good. This is why I believe he has the attributes to be an international player one day.
“As a manager and a football club, we will give him that support to improve and challenge himself.
“He’s really calm, really composed and his competitiveness is unbelievable.
“It’s a pleasure for myself and my staff to work with him.”