This week marks 20 years in charge of Arsenal for Arsene Wenger, in what has been the club’s most successful period. The Frenchman has overseen three league titles, six FA Cups and countless legends at the club. Wenger’s put together some incredible teams, none for so than the Invincibles, but who would be in his best XI? We had a go at putting 20 years of talent into one matchday squad.
David Seaman
Wenger inherited an outstanding defence in 1996, with David Seaman being one of the best goalkeepers in the league. He was a classic goalkeeper, calm, reliable and was more than capable of pulling out some outstanding saves. His save in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final against Paul Peschisolido is particularly memorable.
Lee Dixon
Lauren and Bacary Sagna both played key roles in their time in North London, but Dixon beats them due to his longevity at the club. He didn’t offer as much as others going forward. Instead he saw his job as solely to defend, at which he was brilliant.
Tony Adams
“Mr Arsenal” was unsure as to what to expect from Wenger when he arrived and he was worried that there’d be too much change, but he had nothing to worry about. He was good pre-Wenger, and then Wenger made him even better. He was nearing the end of his career, but he was a key cog in both double-winning sides.
Sol Campbell
Wenger’s most controversial signing played a key role in delivering a double in his first season, before repeating the feat with the Invincibles. He also scored Arsenal’s goal in the Champions League football. He returned for a second spell, but he was never going to surpass his feats in the early 2000s.
Ashley Cole
Cole’s now hated by Arsenal fans, but he’s still the best left back of the Wenger era. He came through the ranks at Arsenal to become an England international in the blink of an eye and was the sole home-grown player in the Invincibles. Nigel Winterburn runs him close, but Cole was the first domino to fall following the move to the Emirates.
Robert Pires
The Frenchman suffered a long term injury in the 2001/02 season, but still won the FWA Player of the Season award, such was his quality. He was also a part of the Invincibles side and had an incredible partnership with Thierry Henry. Ray Parlour deserves a mention and was solid on the right of midfield, but he didn’t have as much flair as some others in Wenger’s time.
Patrick Vieira
Vieira is the one player that Wenger’s never been able to replace since he left. He was completely unknown when he arrived in North London, but he was one of the finest midfielders England’s ever seen by the time he left. He had a never-say-die attitude that was integral to Arsenal’s success.
Mesut Ozil
Vieira played alongside some quality midfielders in Emmanuel Petit and Gilberto Silva, but neither were as creative as Mesut Ozil. His arrival signalled the end of Arsenal’s austere period and his stats would be more impressive if he’d been playing with some of the Gunners’ more prolific strikers.
Marc Overmars
Freddie Ljungberg was magical in his years at Highbury, but Overmars was different class. The Flying Dutchman petrified opposition defences and had more pace than Ljungberg. If we were doing this list in 5 years’ time, Alexis Sanchez might also be a contender.
Dennis Bergkamp
Bergkamp thought two steps ahead of everyone else and would then act on those thoughts. He was an incredibly intelligent player and was able to play with anyone, starting off with Ian Wright, then Nicolas Anelka and finally Thierry Henry. The Premier League hasn’t seen a better hat-trick than his one against Leicester, or a better goal than his effort against Newcastle.
Thierry Henry
Henry is one of the best Premier League players of all-time, let alone Arsenal players. Wenger’s greatest triumph was turning him from an average winger into one of the great strikers. He’s the club’s all-time leading goalscorer as well as being the Premier League’s assist record-holder. It would have been wonderful to see him play in the same team as Mesut Ozil.
Subs
Jens Lehmann
He was never going to oust Seaman as Arsenal’s greatest goalkeeper under Wenger, but it’s easy to see how good he was, having seen what Arsenal have stuck in goal since. He didn’t lose a league game for over a year for Arsenal and was truly terrifying, to both his own teammates and the opposition.
Martin Keown
Keown did not shy away from any challenges or confrontations in his time at Arsenal. His commitment could never be called into question and you could tell when he was upset. He was another fine defender that Wenger inherited.
Gilberto Silva
Another player who no one realised was that good until he left. He formed a formidable partnership with Vieira in the Invincibles midfield, and like his French teammate, was never replaced. Mikel Arteta deserves a mention for his service, even though he wasn’t in a successful Arsenal side.
Nicolas Anelka
Anelka was signed for £500,000 in 1997 and left for a club record fee two years later. If he hadn’t sulked as much, he’d had lead the line for Arsenal instead of Henry.
Cesc Fabregas
People might look back when he retires and say that his time at Arsenal was possibly the best of his career. He was exciting as a youngster and emerged as a brilliant captain, his issue stemmed from a yearning desire to prove himself at Barcelona. Unfortunately Xavi didn’t age as quickly as many expected.
Freddie Ljungberg
A player more than interchangeable with Overmars in the Starting XI, his passing epitomised Wenger’s style of play and his pace enable him to get past defenders. He also had an eye for goal and his work rate was unrivalled.
Robin Van Persie
Another player who’s life post-Arsenal didn’t endear him to Gunners fans. His time at Arsenal was injury hampered, but his goals ensured Champions League qualification each year. His goals are also still to be replaced.
Laurent Koscielny
Wenger has bought some poor defenders in his time (think Pascal Cygan and Igor Stepanovs), but Koscielny is probably the best defender Arsenal have seen since those who took the field in the early 2000s. He was relatively unknown on arrival, but is now one of the best in Europe. Kolo Toure also deserves a mention.
