Manchester City need a manager like Patrick Vieira

 

Ability: Patrick Vieira has the qualities to lead Manchester City

The scene was a sports bar in Milan in 2007.

Patrick Vieira, then at Internazionale but only recently the heartbeat of Arsenal’s Invincibles, was conducting a round of media interviews.

After copious questioning about whatever was wrong with Arsene Wenger at that particular time, it was clear that Vieira was tired and bored by the time I got in front of him.

So almost out of desperation, I chucked in a mention of Roy Keane, then a rookie manager at Sunderland.

Suddenly Vieira’s pilot light sparked, his eyes brightened and he gave a series of animated answers about the greatest on-field and in-tunnel rivalry of the Premier League era.

 

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The mutual respect between those two old warriors was underlined in a compelling feature-length interview with Keane and Vieira by ITV’s Gabriel Clarke a couple of years back.

Again, you were struck not just by Vieira’s ‘passion’ – an important yet over-rated footballing quality – but also his quiet intelligence.

While Keane’s character flaws were obvious, Vieira sounded like leadership material.
They share that view inside Manchester City, where Vieira has been schooled for future greatness.

 

Reputation: Vieira commands considerable respect from the City hierarchy

Even at the age of 38 and with no first-team managerial experience, City’s reserve coach is regarded as a genuine candidate to succeed Manuel Pellegrini – and not only as a short-term appointment if the Chilean is hurriedly sacked before the season ends.

Part of Vieira’s attraction is that he fully subscribes to City’s desire for blooding home-grown kids.

Another part is that he fundamentally ‘gets’ the culture of the Premier League – which may be losing its superiority complex but which remains a very different animal to other major European leagues.

 

Feisty: Viera proved his leadership skills while at Arsenal

This was a boy who arrived at Arsenal and learned these first three words of English – "Tottenham are s***."
And a man whose belly is still stoked by the very mention of Keane.

Thinking how Vieira relished those titanic Arsenal-United battles, you wonder whether a City team led by the Frenchman could ever have capitulated as Pellegrini’s men did at Old Trafford on Sunday.

And in the absence of an attainable A-list manager like Pep Guardiola or Diego Simeone, there are two men City might construct their post-Pellegrini future around – Vieira and the ‘new Vieira’.

 

Champions: Thierry Henry and Vieira celebrate winning the league at Tottenham

Paul Pogba has lived with that billing ever since his days in United’s youth system – even though Vieira himself believes the comparisons, based chiefly on the Juventus player’s looks and stature, are actually unflattering to his fellow Frenchman.

Vieira reckons Pogba is a more complete player than he ever was – more attacking and more technically gifted.

The 22-year-old is the best young midfielder in Europe and, purely on that basis, is a perfect solution for a City side requiring a heart transplant.

But as Manchester was painted red on Sunday, with United threatening a return to Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘****ing perch’, it also felt as if City had lost the noisy-neighbour nuisance value from the days when Garry Cook was gobbing off and provocative posters of Carlos Tevez were plastered on Deansgate billboards.

 

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So what a coup it would for City to land Pogba, the one who’d got away from Ferguson.

The whispers coming out of Old Trafford had suggested Pogba was an ungrateful brat with an overbearing agent, who reckoned himself a little too much.

In truth, Ferguson simply didn’t fancy Pogba enough to reward him with a stellar contract and so United’s best young player of the past decade was jettisoned.

Now it would take around £54million for United to recapture Pogba, after admirable World Cup and Champions League performances and a third straight Serie A title in the offing.

 

Complaints: Vincent Kompany said FFP had hindered City recently

But with a ‘sorry you’re leaving’ cake in the oven for Yaya Toure, City need Pogba more than United.

During the derby-day build-up, City skipper Vinny Kompany moaned about Financial Fair Play rules favouring established clubs like United, rather than nouveau riche City.

Yet if you can shell out £42million on Eliaquim Mangala, restrictions are not as tight as all that.

City’s ‘crisis’ should only be short-term. The Sheikhs have built a club to last. The existing squad is not completely decrepit. They do not need a complete overhaul.

Vieira might do the trick. And two Vieiras would have an outstanding chance.