Arsenal need to forget the emotions and just take the points off Vieira

Emotions need to be pushed aside as points are on the line!

There is nothing better than seeing former legends of our beloved club take the next step after their footballing career ends.

Call it a blessing or call it a stereotype, but once footballers finish their playing careers more often than not they either go into punditry or as we are seeing more often now they take up their coaching badges and begin a managerial career.

So, to name a few as we know already, some former legends have taken the route down one of these roads.

Thierry Henry has graced our screens with some va-va-voom as a Sky Sports pundit and in Renault adverts 😉, Ian Wright has graced our screens on Match of the Day and many other football programmes and more recent to grace our screens, Patrick Vieira, who was the unexpected appointment as new Crystal Palace coach.

Although an achievement, surely it makes it bittersweet for him no doubt, knowing that he will come up against Arsenal at least twice a season to try and take points off of us or knock us out of cups depending on the competition.

Eyebrows were raised no doubt when news broke that Vieira had been appointed, but despite sitting 14th in the Premier League on seven points after two losses and four draws, he has one win to his name so far and what a win it was, a 3-0 drubbing of our North London rivals Spurs.

Not a bad result for a former Arsenal man to have on his CV now, is it?

However, with that also comes the fixtures against Arsenal. And so our legend Vieira will surely want and have to push his love for his old club aside and make it a North London double when his side take to the Emirates for some Monday night football.

After all everyone has a job to do and Vieira would only be doing his.

So, as nice as it would be to see Vieira on the touch line in an Arsenal stadium of course, as Arsenal fans, we too have to push that love for him aside and pray for a victory against a decent Palace side, regardless of who is on the touchline.

I have no doubt there will be mixed emotions from both fans and Vieira himself, but for 90 minutes there is work to be done and I hope it’s a high-quality game that we come out on top in with all three points, as anything less will not be acceptable.

But, if the worst-case scenario happens and Vieira does get the North London double after just eight games, then us Arsenal fans will surely forgive him, as long as we don’t get relegated right? 😉

Gooners, how do you feel when former players and legends come up against Arsenal for opposing teams?

Shenel Osman

@sh3n3l_