New Telegraph

VIEIRA, GERRAD REKINDLE RIVALRY AS PALACE HOST VILLA

Steven Gerrard will today continue his managerial journey in the English Premier League and incidentally, his Aston Villa side will travel to London to face a club managed by another former great midfielder Patrick Vieira, and the two arguably biggest midfielders of their era will be looking to grab the points. Garrard joined Aston Villa penultimate weekend from Rangers where he enjoyed huge success having led the team to the Scottish Championship last term and expectations are high to see the former Liverpool captain guide his new side to a respectable position at the end of the season.

It has been suggested that Villa’s job is just a precursor to Gerrard taking over at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp quits the club but his success or otherwise at Villa Park will largely determine his future. Vieira has been doing a great job at Palace as his side is progressing under his guidance, scoring quite a number of goals and it will be interesting to see how Gerrard is going to organise his side against a rampaging attack line his French counterpart has built. Gerrard certainly needs to get his new team plays the way he wants, he has only spent a few days with them and it will look like asking for too much if expectations are that Villa should pick all the points in London.

There has always been a buzz around Gerrard. He creates excitement. His debut victory at Villa, a 2-0 win over Brighton, was the perfect start to his new job. The Villa manager has not experienced the same managerial growing pains as Vieira. He was an instant success at Rangers but the leap from the Scottish top flight to the Premier League is a big one. Villa are just three points behind Palace and the margins are so tight that either club could be contending for a European place or in a relegation battle by the new year. It will be fascinating to see the impact of two of the most inspirational players in Premier League history in their grown-up roles as managers.

Greatness on the pitch is no guarantee of success in the dugout. Vieira and Gerrard have impeccable credentials. They were once the best at what they did and Gerrard admitted Crystal Palace manager was “one of the toughest battles” he faced as a player and anticipates another fierce test when they go head to head as managers this weekend. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the former Liverpool captain said of ex-Arsenal skipper Vieira: “He’s a man I have a lot of admiration and respect for, first and foremost as a player.

“I had many battles against Patrick, some highs, some lows. He was certainly a player you could really go and compete against. You could kick him, fight him, compete against him and he’d shake your hand after the game. “He was a top, top footballer and one of the toughest battles I ever faced in terms of being a player, and I expect the same to be the case from the side. I know he’s a winner.”

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