Patrick Vieira bullied Tottenham for years with Arsenal… now he’s back with Crystal Palace

Tottenham fans could be forgiven for taking a daily peek at the Premier League table during the two-week international break.

After a summer of turmoil, as they feared losing star man Harry Kane to Manchester City, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side find themselves atop the table as the only side to come out of the first three matches with a maximum of points.

However, the mere presence of the opposition manager at Selhurst Park during Saturday’s kickoff will bring back horrible memories for the traveling support.

Patrick Vieira may still be cutting his teeth as a coach, but his record in England as an Arsenal player was phenomenal, especially against their more passionate rivals Spurs.

In 16 appearances against Tottenham for the Gunners over nearly nine years, the Frenchman has lost just once, with Arsenal winning nine. Vieira often kept his best for Spurs.

Not recognized as a prolific goalscorer or creator, he has managed five goals and four assists in those 16 games. He even made sure to keep his discipline – not always one of his strengths – with only three warnings and no red cards in those matches.

Vieira’s dominance over Spurs began 25 years ago in their first North London derby in November 1996, with Arsenal winning 3-1 at Highbury in one of their first games for the club. The following season, Arsenal could only manage two draws against Spurs as they won the title, but could still claim them as crucial points as they owed Manchester United with just one.

In November 1999 Vieira tasted defeat to Tottenham for the first and only time as an Arsenal player, but he scored his first goal against Spurs with a consolation strike after Steffen Iversen and Tim Sherwood scored .

As spurred on by the bitter taste that remained, Vieira took it up a notch in the North London derbies from that day, going undefeated in the next 10 and winning seven of them. In the most famous of these games, the Crystal Palace manager has always played a central role.

In the 2001 FA Cup semi-final, it was his equalizer that calmed Arsenal’s nerves after Gary Doherty’s opener, before Robert Pires scored the winner.

Almost a year to the day, Arsenal have again beaten Tottenham 2-1 en route to Vieira’s second Premier League title.

Two years later, in April 2004, Arsenal won the final title-crowning day in their neighbors’ backyards, as a 2-2 draw won it for Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles at White Hart Lane. Vieira was immense that day, marking the first and creating the second.

The following season would be Vieira’s last in north London, so of course he signed another memorable victory over Tottenham. Arsenal lost 1-0 at the start at White Hart Lane in November 2004, but roared in the second half to win 5-4 at the home of their fierce rivals.

As if Vieira’s mere presence weren’t enough, to make matters worse Spurs got the straw of this international break by receiving an early kick off away – albeit in London. Vieira also had away players, but nowhere near as numerous as Nuno.

Kane played a grueling 90 minutes against Poland on Wednesday night, while Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez are all unavailable as they are serving quarantine periods after traveling to South America for international matches without permission.

Son Heung-min, Oliver Skipp, Ryan Sessegnon and Steven Bergwijn have all received blows in international service and are dubious.

Vieira is yet to register his first victory as Palace boss, but performances have steadily improved, culminating in a 2-2 draw against then-league leaders West Ham the last time around.

With new additions Odsonne Edouard, Will Hughes and Michael Olise now set for action, and with Vieira looming again in the presence of Tottenham, it might just be Palace day.