Arsenal: I’d rather talk title hopes than Patrick Vieira hopes

Arsenal fans have wanted the next Patrick Vieira since Patrick Vieira, but can we talk about title hopes instead of jinxing another player?

I understand why every Arsenal fan, including myself, wants to find the reincarnation of Patrick Vieira. He was one of the best midfielders in club history and it felt like, after he left, Arsene Wenger purposely didn’t replace him, instead taking his midfield in a different direction.

Now that Lucas Torreira is here, fans want to call him the next Patrick Vieira. It’s not that far off. I mean, he’s fast, athletic, fearless, and covers so much ground, but again, they are two different players with two different paths.

Thankfully, Torreira played down the link, admitting that he was flattered, but jokingly stating that he needed to get a bit taller before he could be compared to the likes of Vieira.

While I understand why every fan wants another Vieira, I don’t understand why every player has to be the next Vieira. Granit Xhaka was too, but that fell flat on its face. There won’t be another Vieira. But there can be a Torreira and a Xhaka and whoever comes next.

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Meanwhile, premonition prevents many fans from talking about the club’s title hopes. I guess talking about them is too soon, or maybe it’s a jinx, or maybe they just don’t want to talk about something until it is clearly within our grasp.

How is that any different than calling Torreira the next Vieira? It is most certainly too soon, as he’s only been here for a few months. It may be a jinx, because everything could be a jinx. And he’s certainly young enough to the point that it’s far from being in the bag.

Excitement is great, I love being excited for Torreira. But let’s be excited for Torreira for Torreira sake, and not because we want him to be Vieira. Also, it’s fun to use ‘Torreira’ and Vieira’ in the same sentence.

Maybe I’m overreacting, but my point is simply that if you don’t want to talk about title hopes because you think it’s foolhardy and reckless, then don’t go calling Torreira the next Vieira because it’s the exact same thing.

In the meantime, I’ll go simmer down and shut up about what people will and won’t talk about. But since we’re all here, let’s get three cheers for Lucas Torreira. Hip hip…