Patrick Vieira has opened up on his Hudson River Derby rivalry with Jesse Marsch as the two prepare to meet in the Premier League for the first time this weekend.
Now at Crystal Palace, Vieira began his senior management career with NYCFC back in 2016, spending over two years in MLS before leaving for Nice in Ligue 1. Marsch, meanwhile, began his journey through the Red Bull system in New York, taking charge of RBNY between 2015 and 2018.
Vieira has faced Marsch more than any other manager - winning three, losing five and drawing one of his nine meetings with the American in MLS. Games between the two were often heated, including on the sidelines with the two tacticians often going toe-to-toe.
Ahead of Crystal Palace's Premier League clash with Leeds United, Vieira told reporters of his previous rivalry clashes with Marsch.
“He was in New York with Red Bulls and I was at [New York] City. We had some challenging games in the derby,” Vieira told reporters.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him again. We have a lot of respect. This is the derby. It was tense. Always we had respect.
“I’m really calm on the bench. This is just a rivalry between two managers. We were in New York and he was defending his team and I was defending mine. This is all about passion.”
Though passions have run high between the pair, the respect goes both ways with Marsch recently telling reporters of his 'excitement' when Vieira came to MLS.
"When he first made the decision to come to MLS we were all excited to have his stature in the league," he said last week. "I had to hate him in NYC. Not an easy guy to hate.
"From expertise and work perspective he's a very good coach. Had differing styles and ways of thinking about the game. Made for interesting matches. Heated moments, but over time we got to respect each other."
Source : 90min