Vieira signals Gunners decade of dominance

FIRST it was Liverpool in the ’80s and then Manchester United in the ’90s. Now Patrick Vieira is warning that Arsenal’s decade of domestic domination has begun.

If that was not enough to worry Sir Alex Ferguson, Vieira made it clear just how unimpressed he had been by the United’s boss apparent attempt to unsettle him in public.

Ferguson claimed ‘‘there is no player in this country who would not want to play for Manchester United’’ and that ‘‘Patrick Vieira would have loved to come here last season but they wouldn’t let him.’’

The French international’s riposte was brief and to the point. ‘‘I have no comment to make about that. I am just disappointed that someone like him is talking like that,’’ he stated simply. That Vieira is now captaining Arsenal in place of the retiring Tony Adams and is involved in talks over a new contract should be enough to persuade even Ferguson that he is committed to Arsenal.

Especially as the midfielder can see great things ahead for last season’s Double winners as they approach this weekend’s Community Shield against Liverpool. Ferguson may have scoffed at Arsene Wenger’s assertion that Arsenal could dominate English football and he will not like the Frenchman’s fresh claim that while he believes United will sign a new striker, the Gunners squad is already complete. However, Vieira backed up his manager’s confidence in the club, making clear his own belief that players - like World Cup winner Gilberto Silva - want to play at Highbury.

‘‘United were the best team of the 1990s in this country but I believe that will change now because we are here to make it change,’’ declared Vieira.

However, despite Vieira’s assertions and the fact that Arsenal strode to the Double so convincingly last season - when the Gunners emerge to face Liverpool in the Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium there are definitely some answers being demanded.

While statistics show the outcome of this weekend’s Cardiff encounter will probably not be a pointer to what lies ahead, Arsenal do need to make a positive start, in fact their entire season may depend on it.

The Highbury title triumph was founded on the inspirational performances of two men: Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg. Both will be missing until at least the end of September through injury. Tony Adams, a peripheral figure on the pitch last term but a colossus off it, has gone too, an Arsenal bedrock for almost 20 years no longer around to call on in hard times.

Another veteran remains in David Seaman but he will need every ounce of that famous Yorkshire grit to recover his confidence after the horror blunder which saw Ronaldinho dump England out of the World Cup. And if Seaman is down, what of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Sylvain Wiltord, cruelly exposed in France’s frightening demise. As one of only three realistic contenders for the Premier League title, Liverpool will be eager to expose any frailties within opposition ranks.

It is 12 long years since the Reds last took the league trophy they virtually made their own for two decades. The Anfield side have improved consistently under Gerard Houllier’s reign and last term’s second place finish has convinced the club’s patient supporters that their time has come again. It could be argued that Houllier’s own recovery from that shockingly severe heart complaint puts any football-related triumphs into proper perspective.

However, now fully fit, the Frenchman is unlikely to see it that way and knows that despite five trophies in two seasons, it is time to deliver the big prize. The presence of El Hadji Diouf will send a shudder through the Gunners’ French connection, for it was the speedy Senegal front-man who ripped the world champions apart in the opening game of this summer’s Far East extravaganza, causing the collapse in morale which eventually ended in complete capitulation.

Houllier will be hoping his new arrival can have the same effect at club level, although whether the £10m capture from Lens signals a more offensive approach remains to be seen.