Manchester United legend Roy Keane helped Arsenal play better, claims Patrick Vieira
The latest edition of the Stick to Football podcast from The Overlap had a very special guest in Patrick Vieira. In the 1h23min interaction that contained a lot of subjects, the group also talked about what made the Arsenal-Man United rivalry of the early noughties a “challenging” affair.
During this time, Vieira talked about how Roy Keane played a huge part in making sure the Arsenal captain helped his side perform better.
“Because I think we [Keane and myself] have the same kind of quality.
“We are competitors, we are winners, we don’t like to be done on the field, and of course when two people like that come together, it became quite challenging [sic].
“But in the end, I think it was about the respect, and I never had any kind of nastiness.
“From my side, when I was going on the field, I said to myself, ‘If I manage to win my duel against you [speaking directly to Keane], that will help the team play with more confidence, more belief to win those kind of games.'”
The podcast made for a fascinating watch as it brought back two former footballers that led two sides that, back in the day, made for one of the fiercest rivalries in football.
Early-2000s Man United-Arsenal rivalry will remain unmatched
The rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal that came about in the late 90s and early noughties was just…different.
This wasn’t a bout borne out of local geographical proximations; it was embodied by the two managers and their two captains. Arsène Wenger had come from “JAPAN” and upset the Premier League apple cart that was at the time being run by Sir Alex Ferguson as his own show. It was personal.
Genuine vitriol ran in the veins of the players that took to the pitch in those days, and none symbolised it better than Vieira and Keane.
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Now, as those days are behind them, they can reminisce about them fondly while holding respect for each other. And there was indeed respect back in the day too, but there was also an undeniable urge to not lose to the other party.
