Vieira Hopeful Of Champions League Glory For Gunners

voldemort · 03-13-2008, 10:55 AM

Vieira, who played in the 1-0 defeat at San Siro, spent nine years in England with Arsenal before heading back to Italy to join Juventus and eventually Inter.

Having watched his former Gunners side take apart another ex-club, AC Milan, at San Siro just a week before, the defensive midfielder is left in no doubt that English club football is at its peak right now.

Remarkable Achievement

"This shows how good the Premier League is," said Vieira. "It’s a remarkable achievement to get four teams in the last eight but it is not really a surprise.

"The performances of the English clubs at San Siro show the quality there is in the Premier League - and the strength. They have beaten two of the best sides in Italy and the scoreline would say it was quite comfortable in both games. There is quality, but there is also the spirit of the English sides and that makes them hard to play against.”

Liverpool Impressive , Arsenal Glory

As for Liverpool, who beat his side home and away, Vieira admits he was very impressed - though his heart still dreams of an Arsenal triumph.

"Liverpool were tough opponents and they can go on to win it now," he said. "They have done it before and know exactly what it is about at this stage. They know how to get through these ties as they showed against us and they know how to win the cup. They are the side the others will want to avoid now but I hope Arsenal win it," he said of the club he left in 2005.

"They have been waiting a long time to win this trophy and they deserve to win it. We came very close a couple of seasons ago and I hope this is their year. I watched them in the San Siro last week and they were incredible," he added of the Gunners' 2-0 win over Milan. "In terms of quality they have an outstanding chance now and I really hope they do it."

03-13-2008, 10:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
voldemort Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 8,202	Vieira Hopeful Of Champions League Glory For Gunners Vieira, who played in the 1-0 defeat at San Siro, spent nine years in England with Arsenal before heading back to Italy to join Juventus and eventually Inter. Having watched his former Gunners side take apart another ex-club, AC Milan, at San Siro just a week before, the defensive midfielder is left in no doubt that English club football is at its peak right now. Remarkable Achievement "This shows how good the Premier League is," said Vieira. "It’s a remarkable achievement to get four teams in the last eight but it is not really a surprise. "The performances of the English clubs at San Siro show the quality there is in the Premier League - and the strength. They have beaten two of the best sides in Italy and the scoreline would say it was quite comfortable in both games. There is quality, but there is also the spirit of the English sides and that makes them hard to play against.” Liverpool Impressive , Arsenal Glory As for Liverpool, who beat his side home and away, Vieira admits he was very impressed - though his heart still dreams of an Arsenal triumph. "Liverpool were tough opponents and they can go on to win it now," he said. "They have done it before and know exactly what it is about at this stage. They know how to get through these ties as they showed against us and they know how to win the cup. They are the side the others will want to avoid now but I hope Arsenal win it," he said of the club he left in 2005. "They have been waiting a long time to win this trophy and they deserve to win it. We came very close a couple of seasons ago and I hope this is their year. I watched them in the San Siro last week and they were incredible," he added of the Gunners' 2-0 win over Milan. "In terms of quality they have an outstanding chance now and I really hope they do it."