我试一哈~
BOOTIFUL ... Vieira shows off the new adidas Predator Pulse boots
WINNING TEAM ... our man Eric Beauchamp with Vieira and Cole
No Arsene no Arsenal
By ERIC BEAUCHAMP
PATRICK VIEIRA has admitted Arsenal would fall apart if boss Arsene Wenger was ever forced to leave.
The Gunners skipper believes Wenger knew exactly what he could achieve when he took control at Highbury in 1996.
Vieira, 27, was the foundation of that blueprint — arriving from AC Milan for £3.5million on Wenger’s recommendation a month earlier.
Since then, Arsenal have battled with Manchester United for English football supremacy.
Wenger has overseen two Premiership titles, three FA Cups and a new stadium in the pipeline.
But one piece of his masterplan remains to be realised — and midfielder Vieira is determined to claim the honour of lifting the European Cup with Wenger as the crowning glory of his mission.
He said: “In football you never know. Good things and bad things can happen. But the way he has taken Arsenal so far makes me believe he could never leave the club until he has achieved everything he wants to.
“He has built something special at the club. He is the one who bought the players and he is the one who has tried to build something. If he had to leave that would break everything.
“I know he wants to win the big trophies — and that means the Champions League.
“When he joined Arsenal he knew what he wanted to do. For the first few years he knew where he could take the club and I think every year we achieved something and got bigger and bigger.
“Now we are playing Champions League football every season. For the last seven years we have finished first or second and won so many trophies like the FA Cup and the league.
“But if we want to be up there with the biggest clubs we know what we have to achieve.”
Arsenal lead the way in the Premiership and are on course for an historic FA Cup hat-trick after knocking Chelsea out last Sunday.
They can take another massive step towards reclaiming the title with victory today in the second of back-to-back clashes with the Blues.
And the Gunners resume their Champions League campaign on Tuesday against Celta Vigo. Vieira and full-back Ashley Cole have teamed up to star in a new adidas advert ahead of Euro 2004.
And Vieira insists the arrival of £20million Spanish sensation Jose Reyes symbolises Arsenal’s growing status as one of the biggest clubs in the world.
He added: “When we buy a player like Reyes it is another sign of how good we want to be. When you think that Reyes has left Spain and turned down Barcelona and Real Madrid to come to Arsenal it really shows we can attract the best players.”
Chelsea have spent £121million on new players since the summer to create a dressing room packed with megastars competing for a starting place.
But Patrick admits he would not favour too much team rotation at Arsenal. He said: “It is fantastic for Chelsea to have players like Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard. But only 11 players can be in the team.
“To be honest, I don’t understand how they cope not playing every week. Footballers want to play every game.
“It is difficult to have so many top quality players around. Yes, they need time to build a team but there is no doubt that with all the money they have they will challenge for the title.”
Chelsea will have to stop goal-machine Thierry Henry this time after he missed the Gunners’ 2-1 FA Cup triumph over the Blues last Sunday with a foot injury.
Cole insists there has never been a better time to be an Arsenal player as Wenger drives the club forward with all guns blazing.
The England left-back, 23, said: “Thierry, Patrick and Sol Campbell have all said they want to stay here for the rest of their careers and if you can keep a core of players like that and bring young ones through, then we will remain a force to be reckoned with.
“And with the new stadium on the way, there is no reason to leave. We just want to keep winning things for Arsenal.
“It is going well at the moment and we are defending well as a team. But when you have Thierry banging in the goals it makes life really easy.”
Vieira added: “We know how difficult it is to win the Champions League but I don’t feel we are too far away from winning it.
“It is the only medal that I have not won yet. I really hope I can do it with Arsenal.
“You learn from your mistakes. I have made mistakes and been sent off but I have learned from it.
“I just try to enjoy myself now, but one thing that has not changed is my commitment.
“On the pitch I still give 100 per cent in EVERY challenge I go in for — and I will not change the way I play.”
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Bad-boy Cole will be legend
By ERIC BEAUCHAMP
ARSENAL skipper Patrick Vieira has told Ashley Cole never to lose his determination and insists he will become an Arsenal legend.
Cole, 23, told SunSport last week how he feared he was in danger of being labelled a bad boy because of a series of run-ins with refs.
But Vieira threw a protective arm around the England left-back and believes the youngster will learn from his mistakes — and go on to be one of Highbury’s all-time greats. Vieira said:
“He is not a bad guy. Ashley and I have something in common with our commitment and you can judge a player on that.
WINNING TEAM ... our man Eric Beauchamp with Vieira and Cole
“Ashley is very important to the team now. I believe that in the next few years he can be one of Arsenal’s greatest left-backs.”
“We give 100 per cent every time we are on the pitch. Sometimes we go over the top. But that only happens because of our commitment and determination to win the game because it is so important.
“But Ashley or any other Arsenal player never go on the pitch to hurt a fellow professional.”
Cole added: “I would love to finish my career at Arsenal. I have to cement my place in the England squad because I don’t take it for granted. But if I keep winning things with Arsenal I don’t see why I can’t get into the team.”
[此贴子已经被作者于2004-2-21 10:05:35编辑过]
