Could Patrick Vieira one day be in the Emirates dugout?


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Could Patrick Vieira one day be in the Emirates dugout?

By Oscar Maung-Haley 

In a short space of time, Patrick Vieira’s appointment at Selhurst Park has seen Crystal Palace go from dull and dismal to exciting and entertaining. 
It leads us to ask, could Vieira ever find himself in the Emirates dugout one day should things go wrong for Mikel Arteta? 

Transformative effect 

Under their previous manager Roy Hodgson, Palace were compact, solid and hard to break down.  
However, they were also pretty unimaginative but they always stayed up under the ex-England manager’s guidance. 
But since Vieira took over in the summer, that hasn’t been the case. 
Palace are exciting to watch and have been one of the surprises of the Premier League season so far, with their most notable scalps this campaign including a 2-0 away win over Manchester City. 
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Turning a style of play around in just one summer, which featured a notable amount of upheaval in terms of new arrivals and departures at Selhurst Park is impressive. 
And Palace forward Christian Benteke is certainly a fan of their new style of play. 
“The way we are playing now, we are creating more chances,” Benteke said. 
“For me as a striker, it is a pleasure to be up front. The most important thing is to get points. We took one [at Burnley], and hopefully we will get three next weekend. 
“As you can see, it’s going fantastically for the club in a short space of time. The way we are playing is nice to watch. We are creating more chances, and that is good for the team and the club.” 

Premier League growing pains 

If there could be one knock on Vieira’s time at Palace so far, it’s that their points tally has yet to match their performances. 
The Eagles sit 10th in the Premier League through 12 games and have drawn seven of those. 
One of those draws was against Arsenal in mid-October. 
In that game, Palace led 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard, but conceded a late equaliser to Alexandre Lacazette to share the spoils. 
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Again, last weekend against Burnley, Palace squandered a lead in a 3-3 draw at Turf Moor. 
Recovering from 2-1 down to take a 3-2 lead, Vieira’s side conceded shortly after the break to Maxwel Cornet, at a time in the game they should have looked to consolidate. 
If Vieira has aspirations to take Palace further, they will need to be able to find a way to see these games out. 
Additionally, it’s been noted that the Eagles need to improve when it comes to defending set-pieces. 
No team has conceded more goals in the Premier League so far this season than Palace, with Burnley scoring two in the first half in their recent encounter. 
That said, while Arsenal have improved defensively of late, the fact that Vieira’s side can’t defend set-pieces might make him a perfect fit for life at the Emirates one day… 

Verdict 

In the era of former players returning to their old digs to take up the managerial hot seat, Vieira will almost certainly always be linked to Arsenal should he continue to progress as a manager. 
That link will only be stressed more and more if Mikel Arteta, or anyone else, should struggle at the Emirates. 
Vieira has done a stellar job so far at Selhurst Park and seems to have Crystal Palace ticking right now. 
Of course, there would be a question marks over whether or not the former Arsenal midfielder could handle the step up in expectations at a bigger club. 
But right now, with how he’s performed, Vieira could absolutely find himself in the Emirates dugout one day. 
PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES  

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