There is little mystery surrounding New York City FC’s first-year manager Patrick Vieira. After all, his calm, unshakable leadership came to define his trophy-laden career with teams like Arsenal and Inter Milan.
Patrick Vieira, the professional coach, is another story altogether.
Despite a playing career that includes multiple trophies at the club and international level, Vieira is just working his way into the coaching ranks. His only previous experience was his work at the Manchester City Elite Development Squad, which drew praise from both players and management alike. That is a key reason why the City Football Group decided to hire him as the first-team manager at NYCFC.
But what type of manager will Vieira be? There are plenty of questions revolving around the formations and tactics that he’ll work with as well as which players he will rely on. All of these factors will be important as the club tries to rebound from an inaugural season that was considered disappointing by the club’s owners after an eighth-placed finish in the Eastern Conference.
No one is as anxious to find answers to those questions than Vieira himself.
"I think I will wait a little bit before going into those kind of details," Vieira said regarding his coaching style in his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "What will be important for me is to give a proper identity to the team, to be really clear about how we play in possession or without possession. That will be important."
Vieira emphasized that he wants a team that reflects "what New York is all about."
"New York is really lively," he said. "It is full of energy in this city and I would like my team to reflect what New York is all about. So I will ask my players, I would want my team to be full of energy, to be lively and to develop a really positive attitude."
A change in culture is also atop of his list. Vieira went out of his way to stress the need for positivity, on and off the field. That is important for an NYCFC side that seemed to lose their way throughout 2015.
Vieira has been fortunate enough to play for world class managers like Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, among others, and hopes to emulate the best of all of them.
"Something that I really liked about Mourinho is his preparation before the game. He was giving players key information about the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing teams," Vieira said. "I quite like Arsene Wenger with the freedom he gave the players on the field. I liked [Roberto] Mancini's passion and desire he showed when he was on the bench. At the same time, I like [Manuel] Pellegrini's calm when he is on the bench."
However, Vieira insists that he will manage NYCFC in his own unique style.
"I have been really lucky playing under managers and spending time with them and learning from them," he acknowledged. "But as I said earlier on, it is really important for me to be myself and not copy anyone else. That would be the biggest mistake that I could make."
