French Worls and European Champion Patrick Vieira played at Arsenal London from 1996 until 2005 where he was captain before moving in summer, with the lure of a five year contract, to Italian giants Juventus Turin. Prior to the Champions League last 16 clash, werder.de spoke to the Senegalese born superstar about Juventus, Werder and his old pal Johan Micoud.
Mr. Vieira, Juve come to Bremen next week and can then decide the two legged tie back home, do you see that as an advantage?
"At this point of the competition, whether you play at home first or second has no influence. More important would be to score at the Weser Stadium. But we've got to be careful not to concede many goals there - Bremen are very strong at home."
Where does this respect for Werder Bremen come from and what are their strenghts?
"Their strenghts are definately in the offensive. They play the ball to the strikers quickly and score many goals and on top of that they have Johan Micoud. 'Joe' is a real number 10, who spreads the ball around well and creates."
You mentioned meeting Johan Micoud. Is it something special to play against each other, you've known one another many years?
"Yes it's a special game and we'll see one another a lot on the pitch. With his position in offensive midfield and my defensive midfield position, we'll surely have a lot to do with each other. It'll be a challenge. We know each others game very well - we both learned our trade at AS Cannes Soccer School. We will surely be friendly to one anoher before and after the game but we each have a job to do during the match.
Werder are the Bundesliga's top goal scorers and notched up tweleve goals in six Champions League game. Will Juve coach Fabio Capello prepare the team specially for that?
"No, I don't think so. One of our strenghts is that we just, or mainly, concentrate on our own game and our system has worked well until now. But, we know that Werder are a side who can score many goals so we will we wary of that."
Last season, FC Liverpool were considered underdogs and then went on to triumph, can Werder take on that roll this season?
Everything, everything is possible in football and that's a good thing. It's on the pitch that the decision is made as to who is the best team. Liverpool may not have played the most beautiful football but the proved, that as a unit, great success can be achieved. I personally believe that the door is still open for every team still involved.
In the championship, Juve have a tweleve point jump on their nearest competitor for the top spot, does this mean you will concentrate more on the Champions League?
No. That would be a big mistake. We've prepared well for all competitions. By next week we'll be playing every three or four days and have to take every game seriously. We will concentrate game for game and only think about the next match after the final whistle in the current game.
If you had to decide between the Scudetto and the Champions League, what would you take?
That's difficult, but, you know, if you play in a team like Juventus, you want to win everything. We want every title, we have what it takes and the club expects that from us. We've got to show, on the pitch, that we're capable of that."
Werder Bremen have a winter break and a winter preparation period behind them. Could that be an advantage for them?
We'll know that after the match! They might be fresher but will have less match practice. They could be lacking some rhythm. I doubt the difference will be all that great though at this level and in this competition all the teams are in top form."
Alessandro Del Piero said after the draw that it's always difficult to play against German teams. Werder are physically strong and possess great individuals. Would you agree?
Werder 'Grew' in the last year and have developed very well. They are in a strong position in the league and play in the Champions League regularly. We are taking them very seriously.
Which team do you see in the final against Juventus Turin?
(Laughing...) As I said, every other team involved could reach the final - everyone could beat everyone. There are so many factors that can lead to success and they must all fit together. The final is still too far away.