Arsenal can match United in Europe
Ever since Arsene Wenger has been at Highbury, the Gunners have flattered to deceive in the Champions League, reaching the quarter-finals on just one occasion.
They were just two minutes from going out this season, with the scoreline goalless in their fourth group game at home to Dynamo Kiev, before Ashley Cole's late strike.
However, Vieira made it clear that Arsenal now "have no reason to fear any other team" in this morning's draw for the last 16, after defeating Inter Milan and Lokomotiv Moscow to top their group.
"We are still learning and maybe this will be our year. You never know as there's still a really long way to go, but it was important for the spirit of the team to win the group," he declared.
"Manchester United have done really well in the Champions League and, of course, they are one of the big clubs in Europe.
"We want to be a big club as well. To do that, you must have success in the Champions League and I think we will get there as we have won the last three games and shown how good we are."
However, former Gunner, Nigel Winterburn has warned that Arsenal need to reach the last four of the Champions League to finally silence their Euro sceptics.
"The problem is, they've got the belief in the Premier League because they've won it on a number of occasions, but in the Champions League, they haven't done themselves justice over a number of years," he said.
"Until they get to the semi-finals or finals, they are going to find it difficult to justify their standing in Europe.
"Arsene Wenger wanted to prove his players are good enough to compete in the Champions League he knows they are. But, as I say, until he gets them to a semi-final or final, he'll know they have under-achieved."
Winterburn also believes qualification for the last 16 is crucial in keeping the big names at Highbury. "I think all along that Thierry Henry has said Arsene Wenger resurrected his career, so I don't think he's going to leave, but for the likes of Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires and the other great players they've got, they want to be pitting themselves against the best teams, so it's a massive result for them," he said.
As group winners, Arsenal are one of the eight seeded teams in the draw and will therefore avoid the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus, as well as Chelsea and United.
"It's fantastic for the three Premiership teams to finish first in the group. It shows how strong the English league is," added Vieira.
Instead Arsenal, who play their second leg at home, will be drawn against one of seven teams Bayern Munich, Deportivo La Coruna, Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart, Sparta Prague and Porto.
While Bayern and Deportivo would seem the main dangers, Vieira's increasing confidence lies inis the Gunners' strength in knock-out situations.
"Now we have the self-belief to go out and perform freely. When we had three group games left, we had no choice but to go out and win those games so I think the knock-out stages will be good for us," he explained.
"We didn't make things easy for ourselves but beating Kiev at home was the turning-point, and then winning 5-1 in Milan showed that we can beat any team.
"Now, with the way that we performed against Lokomotiv Moscow, it showed things look really bright for us in the future."
Vieira accepts that Arsenal have all too often failed to bringtranslate their superb Premiership form into the Champions League., which has frustrated not only their fans but also the team.
"That is just Champions League football. When you play against good sides and make a mistake, you get punished straight away," he observed.
"We just have to learn to win games when not performing really well. Of course, I have a big role but it's about the team all giving a bit of themselves to build something strong to get through to the end." Henry similarly believes the key to success lies in Arsenal imposing their attacking style on opponents.
"We have to play really high up the pitch and put pressure on the opposition. That's how we played against Milan.
"We're not a team who can just try to stay at the back. You have to play your own game," he said.
"I would say that the knock-out is more enjoyable. If you do well away, then the other team have to come out at Highbury. You have to attack if you want to go through.
"Sometimes it seems that Arsenal like to make things difficult but let's just be happy that we are through. After we lost our first game 3-0 to Inter Milan, it didn't look like we were going to qualify.
Meanwhile, the shadow of Besiktas is hanging over the three British seeds Liverpool, Newcastle and Celtic ahead of today's UEFA Cup draw.
UEFA have begun disciplinary proceedings against the Turkish club following crowd trouble at the Champions League match with Chelsea on Tuesday in Gelsenkirchen.
Besiktas lost the match, tumbled out of the group and into the third round of the UEFA Cup.
Surprisingly they are not among the third round seeds, setting up a potentially explosive clash against one of the British trio.
Another unseeded Turkish club is Gaziantepspor, which is only 50 miles from the Syrian border.
The good news for Liverpool, Newcastle and Celtic is that they will avoid the likes of Barcelona, Inter, Roma and Galatasaray.
Thierry Henry has revealed that his most fearsome opponent is his mother. "Anyone can be a tough man on the street or whatever, but when they go home, they know who is king!"
Group winners: Man Utd, Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, Lyon, Arsenal, Monaco, Juventus.
Group runners-up: Stuttgart, Porto, Sparta Prague, Celta Vigo, Bayern Munich, Lokomotiv Moscow, Deportivo La Coruna, Real Sociedad.
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