Vieira sets sights on Europe

"If we manage to remain unbeaten again I think we would be recognised as a very special team." Well, Arsenal are already a great Premiership team and this season have played the best football in the 12 years of the competition. What they are not is a great European team.

This is the challenge now for Vieira and his team-mates. "The Champions League is very important for us," he insisted. "This is the one thing missing. We all feel it. The club needs to be successful in Europe.

"We have a new training ground, a new stadium being built, very good young players and great success in domestic football. The club has the image and status of one of the great European clubs, but we have won nothing in Europe. That must change."

But, on the home front, the enduring excellence of Arsenal's football has swept all-comers aside. "High altitude football," is how Highbury vice chairman David Dein described it to me, but he's biased.

What is true is that in almost 10 months Arsenal have suffered just one serious blip - during two days in April. The mother of all seasons looked a distinct possibility until that 1-0 defeat to Manchester United removed the FA Cup from their grasp at the semi-final stage. Barely had they recovered from that when Chelsea beat them 2-1 at Highbury to knock them out of the Champions League.

Three days after that they faced Liverpool in the Premiership at Highbury and were 2-1 down at halftime. They won 4-2, Henry supplying a hat-trick, and were suddenly bounding forward once more.

"We'd had a difficult week and to lose to Liverpool as well would have been a real psychological blow," said Vieira. "The fact that we came back to win said a lot about our team spirit and strength of character."

The closest they came to Premiership defeat? That didn't take him long. "Manchester United at Old Trafford, when Ruud van Nistelrooy hit the bar from the penalty spot in the final seconds," he grinned, clearly enjoying the memory.

Vieira, three times a Championship winner with Arsenal, is now one of the world's finest midfield players. He's a World Cup and European title winner, approaching his 70th French cap, and next week faces Brazil as the French prepare for Euro 2004 in Portugal.

England are first up for the French next month. "There's a bit of chat in the dressing room now between us and Sol and Ashley," he smiled. "It's going to be fun. I feel good and strong. I'm not tired because I missed a couple of months with injury.

"D'you know why I joined Arsenal? Because Arsene said I'd get first-team football. My target was to get into the French side for the 1998 World Cup but it wasn't going to happen at Milan because I wasn't in the team.

"To be honest, I didn't expect the kind of success I've had here. Not at all."