Just as Patrick Vieira tells his Genoa players that now is their time, not his, the former midfielder believes this generation of Arsenal players can create their own piece of history by winning the Champions League and becoming “as big as the Invincibles”.
The Champions League was the one that got away for Vieira, who won the Premier League title, the FA Cup, Serie A titles and was part of the legendary Arsenal team who went through an entire league season unbeaten.
Should the current Arsenal team overturn their one-goal deficit against Paris St-Germain – as he believes they can – and go all the way, then Vieira is happy to concede they will have earned a place alongside the “Invincibles”.
“How many times have Arsenal won the Champions League?” asked Vieira. After waiting for me to reply “zero”, he added: “Exactly. So this group of players would be remembered as much as the Invincibles [if they win the Champions League] because they would achieve something really quite special for the football club. For me, they would be as important and as big as the Invincibles.”
Asked if he would be happy with having to share top billing with Mikel Arteta’s players, Vieira grinned and immediately answered: “I will be really happy if that becomes the case.”
Vieira is one of the most decorated players of his generation, having also won the World Cup and European Championship with France. But, now in charge at Serie A club Genoa, he likes to draw a line between his playing and coaching careers.
“I never like to talk about myself when I was a player,” Vieira said. “I never start a conversation with a player like ‘when I was a player, I used to…’ No, I don’t talk about it. It’s not about me. It’s about the players. They are the ones who are more important. But, of course, I can use my experience more globally to guide the players about their careers, about how to manage certain situations when you play or when you don’t play, how you manage injuries.”
Vieira took over at Genoa in November, with the club 17th in the table and in danger of being relegated. He admits the stakes were high for both the club and his own career, having been sacked by Crystal Palace and after leaving Strasbourg.
But in less than six months, Vieira lifted Genoa to safety with four games of the season to spare and the comfort of a mid-table position, while also managing the team through a takeover of the club.
“I think it’s difficult to go into a job with no risk,” Vieira said. “No risk doesn’t exist, because everything is about getting results, putting the philosophy in place and having the result. So it’s about having the courage to take responsibility and to take challenges.
“I felt as well, the last couple of experiences that I had made me a better manager and I was ready to face that challenge, and I was really glad to take it. Because that showed I learnt a lot from those experiences that I had before and that was really positive for me.”
📣 Sound ON 📣 pic.twitter.com/WxojaRishG
— Genoa CFC (@GenoaCFC) April 5, 2025
Vieira was also attracted to Genoa’s history. The club are the oldest in Italy and have a collaboration with Boca Juniors, who were founded by emigrants of the port city. “The club is known internationally and I was impressed by the ambition, on and off the pitch,” he said.
Aged 48, Vieira is still relatively young in coaching terms, but has already worked in four different countries at New York City, Nice, Palace, Strasbourg and now Genoa.
He is the only Frenchman to occupy one of the 78 managerial positions available in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League.
“I wasn’t aware of that and it is a surprise, yeah. But I’m also proud to hear that,” said Vieira, who speaks four languages –French, English, Italian and Spanish. “When I was a player, I always liked to test myself and I wasn’t scared to go abroad, and it is the same as a coach. Learning different languages and cultures when I was a player is a massive help to my career now.”
Vieira also recognises that being a leading black coach could help to change attitudes and open doors for others.
“Of course, I want to inspire black and minority coaches to succeed,” Vieira said. “I still believe it is about how hard you are prepared to work to be successful because opportunities come with hard work, with commitment, with sacrifice. So it’s important to put all the stuff together to one day get that opportunity. But, obviously, there’s a question there regarding black and minority coaches, and if I can inspire some of them to have more visibility, then that will be something that I will be proud to do.”
At Nice and Strasbourg, Vieira had experience of working for Ineos and BlueCo, the Manchester United shareholders and Chelsea owners who have been learning on the job with mixed results.
“It was really interesting for me, honestly, and I don’t want to put my finger on what was good or bad,” Vieira said. “Obviously, these are two brands who are new in the game, learning about the game. But when you’re looking at what they try to do, I believe there are different ways of being successful and I had a really good experience with them. Those experiences that I had with them, the positive and the negative, helped me to be a better coach.”
On why he left Strasbourg by mutual agreement last summer, Vieira added: “There’s a vision that the club have and it gets to a stage where sometimes you are not on the same page, and both sides decide to work away.
“I have full respect for those guys at Strasbourg. I had a really good relationship with Marc Keller, who was the president. I’m still in touch with him and there is no kind of bitterness. It was really constructive for me. It was positive for me and that’s why my experience today in Genoa is successful. Those experiences, I take it in a really positive way.”
Vieira could have followed some of his old Arsenal team-mates into punditry. But, despite dismissing the notion it would have been the “easy life”, he insists that only coaching can fulfil his determination to succeed.
“I think it is something that I need inside me,” Vieira said. “You know, I had it when I was a player, this kind of fire inside my body, this passion and this excitement, and I think coaching is the best second thing after being on the field as a player.
“As a coach, I still have that burn inside me, even if I want to control my emotions. And I still have this kind of pressure that I like, that I love and that is important not to lose that.”
‘Rice is better with the handbrake off’
Vieira usually starts work at 7am and does not leave before 7pm, but he has found time to follow Arsenal’s Champions League progress. He remains optimistic his former club can come from behind in the semi-final second-leg against PSG, despite their drop-off in the Premier League.
And if they are to do it, Vieira believes one of the key men will be Declan Rice, who has earned comparisons to Vieira since moving into a more traditional No 8 role in midfield.
Thomas Partey’s suspension meant that Rice had to be more careful in the first leg, but Partey’s availability in Paris means the England midfielder should return to the role that Vieira believes is his best.
“I don’t like to make comparisons, because I think we are all different with our strengths and weaknesses,” Vieira said. “But I think first is all the credit with the manager, with Mikel [Arteta], because I think from Declan being a holding midfielder, he went a little bit more as the eight. I think he saw the physical side of him doing the box-to-box and to be the player who can get to the box, in with the second line, and then can score goals.
“I think the change of position is quite important, so credit to Mikel for that. And then, of course, he is the player that I love watching. I love his spirit. I love his competitiveness. I like the fact that he’s always going forward and he is a winner.
“I think this position, No 8, suits him much better, because previously you can say ‘OK, he may play with the handbrake’. But playing as a No 8 and having this will to go to the box and score goals. I think this is something that suits his style of play.”
On Arsenal’s hopes of a comeback in the Parc des Princes, Vieira said: “Honestly, I strongly believe that they can come back. And I’m 100 per cent sure that the group of players and the manager know that they can come back, there’s no doubt about it.
“They will have to play the perfect game away from home. They did it before and they have a quality of players who can do it. They still have a good chance. They are still alive.”
Just as Patrick Vieira tells his Genoa players that now is their time, not his, the former midfielder believes this generation of Arsenal players can create their own piece of history by winning the Champions League and becoming “as big as the Invincibles”.
The Champions League was the one that got away for Vieira, who won the Premier League title, the FA Cup, Serie A titles and was part of the legendary Arsenal team who went through an entire league season unbeaten.
Should the current Arsenal team overturn their one-goal deficit against Paris St-Germain – as he believes they can – and go all the way, then Vieira is happy to concede they will have earned a place alongside the “Invincibles”.
“How many times have Arsenal won the Champions League?” asked Vieira. After waiting for me to reply “zero”, he added: “Exactly. So this group of players would be remembered as much as the Invincibles [if they win the Champions League] because they would achieve something really quite special for the football club. For me, they would be as important and as big as the Invincibles.”
Asked if he would be happy with having to share top billing with Mikel Arteta’s players, Vieira grinned and immediately answered: “I will be really happy if that becomes the case.”
Vieira is one of the most decorated players of his generation, having also won the World Cup and European Championship with France. But, now in charge at Serie A club Genoa, he likes to draw a line between his playing and coaching careers.
“I never like to talk about myself when I was a player,” Vieira said. “I never start a conversation with a player like ‘when I was a player, I used to…’ No, I don’t talk about it. It’s not about me. It’s about the players. They are the ones who are more important. But, of course, I can use my experience more globally to guide the players about their careers, about how to manage certain situations when you play or when you don’t play, how you manage injuries.”
Vieira took over at Genoa in November, with the club 17th in the table and in danger of being relegated. He admits the stakes were high for both the club and his own career, having been sacked by Crystal Palace and after leaving Strasbourg.
But in less than six months, Vieira lifted Genoa to safety with four games of the season to spare and the comfort of a mid-table position, while also managing the team through a takeover of the club.
“I think it’s difficult to go into a job with no risk,” Vieira said. “No risk doesn’t exist, because everything is about getting results, putting the philosophy in place and having the result. So it’s about having the courage to take responsibility and to take challenges.
“I felt as well, the last couple of experiences that I had made me a better manager and I was ready to face that challenge, and I was really glad to take it. Because that showed I learnt a lot from those experiences that I had before and that was really positive for me.”
📣 Sound ON 📣 pic.twitter.com/WxojaRishG
— Genoa CFC (@GenoaCFC) April 5, 2025
Vieira was also attracted to Genoa’s history. The club are the oldest in Italy and have a collaboration with Boca Juniors, who were founded by emigrants of the port city. “The club is known internationally and I was impressed by the ambition, on and off the pitch,” he said.
Aged 48, Vieira is still relatively young in coaching terms, but has already worked in four different countries at New York City, Nice, Palace, Strasbourg and now Genoa.
He is the only Frenchman to occupy one of the 78 managerial positions available in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League.
“I wasn’t aware of that and it is a surprise, yeah. But I’m also proud to hear that,” said Vieira, who speaks four languages –French, English, Italian and Spanish. “When I was a player, I always liked to test myself and I wasn’t scared to go abroad, and it is the same as a coach. Learning different languages and cultures when I was a player is a massive help to my career now.”
Vieira also recognises that being a leading black coach could help to change attitudes and open doors for others.
“Of course, I want to inspire black and minority coaches to succeed,” Vieira said. “I still believe it is about how hard you are prepared to work to be successful because opportunities come with hard work, with commitment, with sacrifice. So it’s important to put all the stuff together to one day get that opportunity. But, obviously, there’s a question there regarding black and minority coaches, and if I can inspire some of them to have more visibility, then that will be something that I will be proud to do.”
At Nice and Strasbourg, Vieira had experience of working for Ineos and BlueCo, the Manchester United shareholders and Chelsea owners who have been learning on the job with mixed results.
“It was really interesting for me, honestly, and I don’t want to put my finger on what was good or bad,” Vieira said. “Obviously, these are two brands who are new in the game, learning about the game. But when you’re looking at what they try to do, I believe there are different ways of being successful and I had a really good experience with them. Those experiences that I had with them, the positive and the negative, helped me to be a better coach.”
On why he left Strasbourg by mutual agreement last summer, Vieira added: “There’s a vision that the club have and it gets to a stage where sometimes you are not on the same page, and both sides decide to work away.
“I have full respect for those guys at Strasbourg. I had a really good relationship with Marc Keller, who was the president. I’m still in touch with him and there is no kind of bitterness. It was really constructive for me. It was positive for me and that’s why my experience today in Genoa is successful. Those experiences, I take it in a really positive way.”
Vieira could have followed some of his old Arsenal team-mates into punditry. But, despite dismissing the notion it would have been the “easy life”, he insists that only coaching can fulfil his determination to succeed.
“I think it is something that I need inside me,” Vieira said. “You know, I had it when I was a player, this kind of fire inside my body, this passion and this excitement, and I think coaching is the best second thing after being on the field as a player.
“As a coach, I still have that burn inside me, even if I want to control my emotions. And I still have this kind of pressure that I like, that I love and that is important not to lose that.”
‘Rice is better with the handbrake off’
Vieira usually starts work at 7am and does not leave before 7pm, but he has found time to follow Arsenal’s Champions League progress. He remains optimistic his former club can come from behind in the semi-final second-leg against PSG, despite their drop-off in the Premier League.
And if they are to do it, Vieira believes one of the key men will be Declan Rice, who has earned comparisons to Vieira since moving into a more traditional No 8 role in midfield.
Thomas Partey’s suspension meant that Rice had to be more careful in the first leg, but Partey’s availability in Paris means the England midfielder should return to the role that Vieira believes is his best.
“I don’t like to make comparisons, because I think we are all different with our strengths and weaknesses,” Vieira said. “But I think first is all the credit with the manager, with Mikel [Arteta], because I think from Declan being a holding midfielder, he went a little bit more as the eight. I think he saw the physical side of him doing the box-to-box and to be the player who can get to the box, in with the second line, and then can score goals.
“I think the change of position is quite important, so credit to Mikel for that. And then, of course, he is the player that I love watching. I love his spirit. I love his competitiveness. I like the fact that he’s always going forward and he is a winner.
“I think this position, No 8, suits him much better, because previously you can say ‘OK, he may play with the handbrake’. But playing as a No 8 and having this will to go to the box and score goals. I think this is something that suits his style of play.”
On Arsenal’s hopes of a comeback in the Parc des Princes, Vieira said: “Honestly, I strongly believe that they can come back. And I’m 100 per cent sure that the group of players and the manager know that they can come back, there’s no doubt about it.
“They will have to play the perfect game away from home. They did it before and they have a quality of players who can do it. They still have a good chance. They are still alive.”
