They were the symbols of Arsenal under Arsene Wenger for so many years but on Wednesday evening Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira will go head-to-head in the dugout for the first time as Monaco host Nice in Ligue 1. But how are they getting on as managers? The Frenchmen went through so much together at Arsenal and playing for France. They won two FA Cup and Premier League doubles together in North London, including going through the 2003/04 season unbeaten. They repeated that success on the international stage, winning the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000. Image: Henry (L) and Vieira (C) celebrate an Arsenal title success with Arsene Wenger (R) But with their playing days now firmly behind them, the pair have both turned to management, following their mentor Wenger into the dugout. Vieira, who had a spell in charge of MLS side New York City FC, moved to Nice last summer to take his first high-profile job in Europe and he has led the club to eighth in Ligue 1. Meanwhile, Henry, who was an assistant coach to Roberto Martinez with Belgium, left the Sky Sports studio behind to answer struggling Monaco's call in October after the sacking of Leonardo Jardim. 0:49 Vieira says he is excited to be up against Henry as managers for the first time when Nice play Monaco in Ligue 1 on Wednesday So how have they done as managers? Here, journalist Tom Williams - who specialises in French football - takes an in-depth look at how Henry and Vieira have started at Monaco and Nice respectively, how their playing and management styles are developing and how they are viewed by the French media and the fans… What are the early signs at Nice? Nice started the season very slowly. They didn't win any of their first three matches but after that, Vieira hit on a formula during a 1-0 win over Lyon that has served him ever since. They played with a back five in that game and hit Lyon on the counter-attack to pick up an impressive win. They've been playing with that system ever since. Image: Vieira joined Nice last summer Their strengths are that they are very strong defensively, but they do have the joint-worst attack in Ligue 1. They've only scored 14 goals in their 20 matches this season, which is the same number as Guingamp, who are bottom of the table. However, despite the shortage of goals they are still in a decent position in the table and having a pretty decent season. And how has Henry started at Monaco? Image: Henry took charge of Monaco in October The big issue Henry has had at Monaco is this completely implausible injury glut that he's had to put up with since he arrived. There were times in the build-up to Christmas when he could barely put a squad together. There was very little scope for testing things out. He's been forced to experiment because he's had so few players at his disposal. It is starting to clear up now though, plus they have been able to get some new recruits in which has helped them stay unbeaten at the start of 2019 in all competitions. Like Vieira, he would clearly like to be playing attacking football. I noticed during the game against Marseille that his defenders insisted on playing the ball out from the back and that's something that he's keen for them to do. Image: Henry side are in the relegation zone after 19 games However, Monaco's form during the first half of the season was disastrous, although there's an awareness that Monaco had completely messed up their summer transfer window in that they sold seasoned Ligue 1 players and replaced them with a bunch of unproven kids. To add to that you had all the injury issues, so it was a really challenging situation for Henry to take on. If you were being critical you might have expected him to settle on a tactical strategy sooner than he has. So, Henry's continually tinkered with his playing style? Image: Henry has chopped and changed his system regularly at Monaco If you look at the performance Monaco put in against Marseille last Sunday, they played quite well. They played in a 3-5-2 formation, but Henry had to innovate because he had no strikers due to an illness to Falcao. In terms of personnel it's been taken out of Henry's hands to a certain extent, but the amount of different formations he has used and the amount of different systems he has tested is massive, there's been very little consistency in the way Monaco have approached their matches. 1:03 Monaco head coach Thierry Henry says he 're-learned' the game under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, while Arsene Wenger was also a huge influence on him. They used a back four, they used a back three and it has felt like he's a coach desperately testing for a solution that will work in the face of an injury crisis and a deep lack of confidence. Monaco ended 2018 on a real low note with defeat to Guingamp, the only team beneath them in the table. They've started 2019 more convincingly, but the jury is still out. Even though the circumstances have been extremely trying and very unfavourable, we've not seen all that much to suggest Henry has got a clear plan. What about Vieira's playing style? Nice are a team that reflect the player that Vieira was. His desire ultimately is to play more attractive football. I've spoken to people who were on his coaching course - he did his coaching badges with the Welsh FA - and they said he was someone who was attached to proactive football. Obviously, he played under Wenger and had that experience of playing very attacking football and he generally played in attack-minded teams throughout his career. That's the kind of football he'd like Nice to play in the long run but he's pragmatic enough to realise that he doesn't quite have the players at his disposal now to play in that way. So, it's not the style of football he hoped to be playing but he's still managing to get results nonetheless. Image: Vieira's success at Nice has been built on defensive strength A big issue has been the form of Mario Balotelli. He hasn't scored a single goal this season which is pretty remarkable when you consider how talented he is and how well he did in first two seasons at Nice. This has been a recurrent issue for Vieira because they've rubbed up against each other the whole time. Balotelli is currently out of the squad and the expectation is that he's going to leave sooner rather than later. If you stick a fully functioning centre-forward into that Nice team they'd probably be even higher up the table. What about off the pitch? Image: Henry has had a huge injury crisis to deal with at Monaco Vieira has been quite reserved off the pitch. He seems to be much happier keeping his own council whereas Henry is a much livelier presence on the touchline. At Nice, Vieira has tried to instil some discipline. There was an example early in the season ahead of the win at Lyon back in August where Patrick Burner turned up five minutes late for a team meeting. He was then dropped as a punishment and if you also look at the way he has handled the Balotteli situation. Balotelli didn't show up for pre-season training and when he did finally report for training at the start of the season he was overweight. Vieira has taken his time with him, getting him to do fitness drills and more. He's also criticised him in the press and there was an interview quite recently where he said he felt like holding Balotelli up against a wall. He was that frustrated by him. Image: Mario Balotelli's form has been a problem for Vieira<doc-sep>How can Arteta strengthen this summer? Get all your latest Gunners news Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign me up! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Monaco remain without a home win in Ligue 1 after failing to beat 10-man Nice - leaving Arsenal legends Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira to share the spoils in the Cote d'Azur derby. Two years after being Champions League semi-finalists, Monaco are deep in the relegation mire and a failure to beat their south coast rivals leaves them three points from safety. Another former Gunner, Cesc Fabregas, was one of four Monaco players ineligible for the game having joined since the transfer window opened. And Nice, themselves without Mario Balotelli - as he continues to be linked with a move away from the Allianz Riviera - took the lead. Moments after Rony Lopes should have scored for the hosts, Allan Saint-Maximin beat Jemerson to a bouncing ball and stroked home a calm finish to open the scoring. (Image: AFP/Getty Images) The goal stood after a video assistant referee review, with Henry visibly unhappy with the defending from his side. But before the half was up, Nice were reduced to 10 men. Ihsan Sacko was dismissed as referee Benoit Bastien consulted VAR before showing the red card after a high challenge on Benjamin Henrichs. (Image: SEBASTIEN NOGIER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) Monaco drew level soon after the interval, with teenage defender Benoit Badiashile's first senior goal. Badiashile headed home Lopes' corner despite the best efforts of Walter Benitez, who clawed the ball away only for the goal-line technology to confirm it had already crossed the line. The 10-man visitors had the chance to claim all three points late on, when Badiashile was deemed to have tripped Youcef Atal - VAR again coming into play. But Saint-Maximin was denied by Diego Benaglio before Benitez produced a stunning save to deny Radamel Falcao, the substitute's curling effort brilliantly tipped onto the post.<doc-sep>Monaco coach Thierry Henry admitted it was 'really, really weird' to see Nice boss Patrick Vieira in the opposite dugout as the former Arsenal and France team-mates faced off as managers for the first time. The pair were part of Arsene Wenger's all-conquering 'Invincibles' side that went unbeaten during the 2003-04 season. They also played alongside each other for France as they won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. But on Wednesday night they were in opposite corners as Monaco and Nice drew 1-1 in Ligue 1 at Stade Louis II. Thierry Henry (left) and Patrick Vieira (right) squared off as managerial rivals on Wednesday Monaco manager Henry admitted it was 'really, really weird' to face Nice boss Vieira And when asked how it felt to come up against Vieira, Henry said: 'Weird, really weird. When I saw him coming out of the locker room, it felt weird. 'We walked the steps together, we used to climb them together when we played. It was really good, a wink. But then there's the game and you do what you have to do. 'He did what he had to do, but it felt weird. We talked, we said a few things to each other.' Allan Saint-Maximin gave Nice the lead before they were reduced to 10 men as Ihsan Sacko was sent off for nasty tackle and Benoit Badiashile later secured the home side a point. Allan Saint-Maximin broke the deadlock for the visitors after a poor defensive error Monaco's equaliser just crept over the line and was given after the referee checked VAR On the sidelines, the two managers shared a long embrace before kick-off. Vieira was asked about their chat and revealed: 'We both just wished each other luck, that's all.' He added: 'Monaco could have won at the end. In the first half, they had two chances where we put ourselves in danger by losing the ball. But Thierry can also be happy with the draw. 'There is still pride in having held on with 10 against 11. The players showed lots of desire, they didn't want to lose, they doubled their efforts.'<doc-sep>
THIERRY HENRY claimed it was “weird” taking on former Arsenal team-mate Patrick Vieira in the Derby de la Cote d’Azur. And the pair had to settle for a point each with Nice boss Vieira the happier as his team were forced to play for the entire second half with 10 men. 5 Former Gunners legends Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira went head-to-head as Monaco and Nice played in Ligue 1 Credit: Reuters For Henry, it is a case of va va doom. He has won just two of his 11 Ligue 1 matches since taking over in October and incredibly Monaco, who are second from bottom and three points off safety, have yet to win at home this season. Asked about the experience of facing Vieira, Henry said: “Weird. When I saw him coming out of the changing rooms it was strange. “Then we walked up the steps together. We were used to doing that as players and this time it was to meet each other. 5 Vieira watched as his Nice side earned a draw despite being down to ten men Credit: Reuters “We spoke to each other and said two or three things. I think I will see Pat again soon enough. “A point isn't enough but we could have been sat here talking about a defeat. We weren't far away from losing. "You've got to be confident whatever the situation, but you have to have points to feel more confident.” Henry’s big January signing, Cesc Fabregas, was ineligible and Monaco wasted some decent chances before Allan Saint-Maximin fired the visitors ahead. 5 Allan Saint-Maximin broke the deadlock for Nice Credit: Reuters 5 Benoit Badiashile headed Monaco level with a little help from goal-line technology Credit: Reuters Nice were reduced to 10 men in first half injury time when Ihsan Sacko’s caution was changed to a red card after consulting VAR. Benoit Badiashile headed Monaco level after goal-line technology ruled the ball had crossed the line. Monaco keeper Diego Benaglio saved a penalty from Saint-Maximin and Radamel Falcao came close to grabbing a late winner for Henry but his shot hit the post. 5 Monaco keeper Diego Benaglio later thwarted Saint-Maximin from the spot to seal a draw Credit: AFP or licensors Vieira said: “The players showed a lot of desire and we can proud to have held on with 10 against 11. “We weren't missing much but we could have lost at the end when they hit the post. “There's a lot of frustration as well and questions about the referee's decisions. “The red card is very harsh. It's not a dangerous action and it had a negative impact on our team.”