TIME TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE

MIKEL ARTETA has told Arsenal’s young stars to accept and take on the challenge of being compared to club heroes like Patrick Vieira.

The French legend and former Gunners captain tonight takes his Crystal Palace side to the Emirates as a manager for the first time.

He is facing the club who he won three league titles and four FA Cups with as an inspirational captain and one of the most formidable midfield forces of his era.

Arsenal have struggled to replace Vieira as a midfield force and leader since the Frenchman left in 2005, a host of players coming and going without ever really establishing themselves.

Now players such as Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga face the daunting task. Arteta was one of them as well but the Gunners manager, whose team will be looking to build on a run of four games unbeaten in the league, insists these players have to take the comparisons on the chin.

He said: “When you get that comparison you need to accept it straight away.

Titles

“If you don’t win three or four Premier League titles, you will always be worse than the previous guy, because he has done it and you have just started.

“So you have to prepare yourself that you’re not going to be as good with every comparison.

“You just have focus on what you are as a player, what you are asked by your manager to do, be yourself and don’t try to be anyone else.”

But Arteta did admit that Arsenal have had a major problem moving on from the Vieira era.

He said: “Players become heroes when they are successful, when you win games and trophies.

“To do that obviously you don’t just need an individual — you need a squad. That really good generation Arsenal had, probably the best ever generation in Premier League history. That has to be the aim.