OF BOSS IN NEW YORK WITH ME’

highs with Arsenal, although he more than compensated at international level by winning the World Cup with France in 1998 and the 2000 European Championship.

Vieira (right) added: “Frank was somebody who was difficult to play against because of his timing to get inside the box.

“When there was a cross, he was always in the right place at the right time, so he was somebody who was difficult to mark because of his football instinct.

“Something he did really well was knowing what were his strengths and weaknesses. You never saw him get on the ball and try to do a stepover because he knew it wasn’t something he had in his game.

“But his timing of getting into the box and scoring those goals was unbelievable, that was his strength and as a holding midfielder it was really difficult to deal with.”

Vieira doesn’t like to talk about his playing days and, like Lampard, he is very much focused on today, with both knowing how much of a boost reaching the semi-final will give their teams and supporters. Lampard has had a baptism of fire at Everton and plenty of people were surprised he took what looked like a poisoned chalice. Not Vieira, however, who said: “No, I wasn’t surprised, not at all. He took the job because it’s really difficult to get a job in the Premier League – there are not so many options.”

Vieira didn’t exactly have clubs falling over themselves to take him, but Palace did and it has proved a very astute signing.

He added: “I did not go to the job to try to prove a point because I believe in myself.

“I know myself really well and who I am as a manager and what I need to improve.”

Vieira may not have set out to prove anyone wrong, but plenty of supporters — Palace fans among them — won’t mind admitting he is doing precisely that.