Why Arsenal fans should be more appreciative of the current squad
Many fans have been critical of Arsenal for throwing away the title this and last year, but many forget that we have our very best side since the Invincibles.
The men who went 49 league games undefeated and lifted the one and only 2003/04 Premier League golden trophy have certainly set a near enough unattainable bar in today’s era. Every team which has merited the Premier League title since have lost at least one game during their successful campaign such as the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City too.
To state that, unless we come close to going undefeated during the season and winning the title to have a team we can all be proud about, is simply unreasonable. We should still be proud of what we achieved 20 years ago but it was more or less a one off, the only other team in the history of English top-flight football to win the title and go undefeated for a campaign was Preston North End in 1889 who completed nearly 20 games less!
In terms of overall points gained in a season Arsenal did worse the season just gone than the 2003/04 Invincible campaign, but by only a point. In 2004 Arsene Wenger’s team reached 90 points in comparison to Mikel Arteta’s Gunners who ramped up 89 points this year, which is near enough nothing no difference at all.
However this year we have been far more clinical in front of goal and a greater attacking team than that of the Invincibles, we scored nearly 20 goals more! At the end of the 2003/04 season the The Gunners collected 73 goals less than the current 91 strikes bagged exactly two decades later remarkably.
We have also finished second for two seasons on the trot and despite the heartache of having not clinched the Premiership at least once, we certainly haven’t come that close since the Invincbles.
Maybe Gabriel Jesus isn’t Thierry Henry and maybe David Raya isn’t quite Jens Lehmann, but at least we were as good as Manchester City if not better who later went onto win a record breaking four Premierships in a row, all without beating us throughout the 2023/24 season!
Liam Harding
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Arteta would’ve won EPL with Arsenal if Guardiola didn’t manage an ultra-wealthy English club with an almost limitless transfer budget
And he’d likely strengthen his squad with at least one marquee signing this summer. Fabrizio Romano said Arsenal have been monitoring Joao Neves for months, but Benfica might insist on £120m fee since his contract will only expire in 2028
Yes I’ll agree with that. After the invincible team, Arsene Wenger didn’t produce a. Team as good as the team we have now. Especially because he didn’t believe in getting a top defensive midfielder *he was a totally attacking minded manager who openly admitted that he doesn’t rate defensive midfielder important) or top high goal scoring striker/midfielder (until the end when he spent a lot on Lacazette and. Aubemyang). Yes the building of the Emirates affected transfers for a few years, we did stay in the top 4 for several years and won FA CUPs but we really didn’t challenge for the title in well over a decade
Now we have challenged for Premier League title the past 2 years and will challenge next year and hopefully win it
Stephanie, what a passionate post!!
As a Wenger fan, can I ask you where you found out that AW didn’t rate defensive midfielders or top high scoring striker / midfielder?
The likes of Henry, Adebayour, Podolski, RVP (JUDAS) Eduardo, Wrighty and Reyes were all high scoring strikers.
The list of defensive midfielders is equally as long, although not with the same pedigree, maybe, as the strikers listed above.
I’m not trying to cause any disagreement, just really interested in where you got your facts from – thanks.
I do agree that this current squad is the best since The Invincibles by the way, but coming second isn’t a legacy that MA needs.
Yes, but in terms of trophies, they are all the same. The only difference is that there is hope for this team based on the progress made but no one will remember Arteta if fails to win the big trophies. He will be just another Brandon Rodgers. I hope he turns to be a better version Klopp
at least we were as good as Manchester City if not better ?
We were not as good or better
They were better
Not if you take our one on one results Dan, as we were better!!!
Four points out of six and the CS trophy has, surely, laid that scenario to bed…. at least for last season.
But based on points and league table they were better
But based on one to one, we were better.
That wasn’t the case last season.
Table is a reflection on who was better
That’s like saying Villa and Fulham had better season and Newcastle had the same
If someone gave you a choice to only draw with Man City once next season but win the league would you then say Man City were better ?