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Much has been made of the fact that it’s been 6 years since Arsenal last won any silverware. The team is still playing pretty football on the pitch, Wengerball if you will, but not since 2005 and the FA Cup victory over Manchester United have the Gunners won any major silverware. Sure, our consistency has seen us remain in the upper echelon of English football over the years, and fans are treated to a constant diet of Champions League football, but anyone who grew up like me watching the Double winning sides and particularly the Invincibles striking fear in the hearts of the opposition surely wish for those triumphant days again. To put it simply, Arsenal have not won any competitions since we moved into the Emirates. I don’t know about you, but I’m yearning for Highbury.
On Sunday, the 27th of February, Arsenal will face Birmingham City in the final of the Carling Cup. Manager Arsène Wenger believes that this could signal a revival of sorts for the Arsenal, the first in a possible quadruple sweep of silverware this season. It remains to be seen if the current Gunners side will go down in history, or indeed flatter to deceive as they have these past few ‘transitional’ seasons.
But before any of that happens, why not take a step backwards into history and see how the current side matches up against the Invincibles of 2003/04? In this edition of Yearning For Highbury, we take a look at the defence.
Goalkeeper
Invincibles
1. Jens Lehmann
2. Stuart Taylor
3. Graham Stack
Present
1. Wojciech Szczęsny
2. Łukasz Fabiański
3. Manuel Almunia
Ever since David Seaman left at the start of the 2003 season, a long line of goalkeepers have attempted to fill his gloves, some with more success than others. It is hardly surprising that none of the 3 goalkeepers from the Invincibles side remain at Arsenal. Lehmann has retired from professional football, Taylor hardly ever makes the bench at big spenders Manchester City, while Stack has undergone somewhat of a journeyman career that has seen him end up at current outfit Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League.
So how do they stack (pun unintended) up? While Lehmann was ever present in the 2003/04 season, playing every single Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup game (Stack took over in the League Cup as is the Arsenal way), this season has seen the heavy rotation of all three goalkeepers. Such a situation has come about sadly due to inuries, loss of form and the occasional high profile blunder in goal. While Lehmann was one of the more eccentric characters around during his time, he matched that with his excellent goalkeeping ability and eye for the big occasions. While his form dipped midway through his Arsenal career, resulting in Almunia taking over his position between the sticks, he did manage to win his place back eventually due to the Spaniard’s ineptitude.
Since Lehmann left the club though, Almunia has come to the fore, starting this season as first choice. High profile mistakes have relegated him down the pecking order though, with him being displaced by first Fabianski and then Szczesny. His latest appearance on the bench against Barcelona while Szczesny kept his place in goal show that he has probably dropped down to third choice.
It is still early days on the young Pole’s career to make a judgement, but signs are infinitely promising. His first league appearance against Manchester United has been quickly followed by an European debut against Barcelona. They don’t come any bigger than that and it is a credit to the 20 year old that he has not looked out of place at all. Fabianski certainly faces a fight to regain the number 1 jersey when he returns to the side.
So how do we score this one? Would Arsenal be better off with Lehmann as number 1, or would we rather have two promising young keepers in Fabianski and Szczesny duking it out? I would have to give the advantage to the former German international. On the big stage that is the Champions League, and when the going gets tough while the team fights it out on four different fronts, experience is certainly key. Time will tell if either Fabianski or Szczesny will grow into their gloves and if they’ll ever become Arsenal legends, but for now Lehmann and the Invincibles edge this by a hair.
Winner: Invincibles, just barely
Right-back
Invincibles
1. Lauren
2. Justin Hoyte
Present
1. Bacary Sagna
2. Emmanuel Eboue
Lauren was an indispensable member of the Arsenal squad in the 2003/04 season, though he was forced to sit out a couple of matches after verbally abusing Ruud van Nistelrooy in a now infamous incident. After a serious knee injury on League Cup duty in 2006, his position was usurped by Emmanuel Eboue and he never regained his spot again. Lauren was sold on to Portsmouth while Eboue initially flourished on the right flank, hailed more for his attacking play than his defensive instincts. This convinced Wenger to splash out on bringing in Bacary Sagna from Auxerre. These days, Eboue serves as a backup rightback or right winger when called upon.
It is plain to see that when comparing the two sides, Arsenal has been much improved since its Invincible days. Sagna is hailed as one of the best rightbacks in the Premier League and Eboue provides more than adequate backup when needed.
Winner: Present
Central defence
Invincibles
1. Sol Campbell
2. Kolo Touré
3. Pascal Cygan
4. Martin Keown
Present
1. Thomas Vermaelen
2. Laurent Koscielny
3. Johan Djourou
4. Sébastien Squillaci
The Invincibles side was a force to be reckoned with, marshalled superbly by the presence of Kolo Touré and Sol Campbell. The latter was a real threat at set pieces, his heading ability useful at both ends of the pitch. The much maligned Pascal Cygan provided backup, as well as Martin Keown who was winding down on his career.
These days, set pieces are said to be Arsenal’s Achilles heel, no doubt because of a lack of height across most areas of the pitch. Thomas Vermaelen was a revelation in his debut season at Arsenal, combining a rocket of a left foot with a determined presence at centre back. However, this season has not been kind to the Belgian captain as he has hardly appeared for the first team after being blighted by injury. New boy Laurent Koscielny has had the spotlight shone on him as a consequence, and together with fellow recruit Sebastien Squillaci, has been found wanting at times. Though his recent form has been good, Koscielny has seen been put into the shadows by the timely emergence of Swiss international Djourou. If Vermaelen can come back to full fitness in the run up to the season, Arsenal may yet possess one of the best central defences in the league. If not, one has to hope the remaining three defenders stay healthy, or Alex Song might be called upon as a makeshift central defender again.
Winner: Draw, but only if Arsenal’s current remaining defenders stay healthy
Left-back
Invincibles
1. Ashley Cole
2. Gaël Clichy
Present
1. Gaël Clichy
2. Kieran Gibbs
Say what you want about Ashley Cole, but the former Arsenal darling remains one of the finest leftbacks in the world, let alone the Premier League. Gaël Clichy remains the only surviving member of the Invincibles side that is still playing for Arsenal today, but while he made the leftback position his own since Cole’s departure, he now faces serious competition in the form of newly minted England international Kieran Gibbs.
While Clichy’s emergence meant Cole’s ability on the left flank was not missed as much when the latter defected to Chelsea, his form over the last two seasons has been found wanting at times. Clichy’s speed on the ball and excellent ability to track back at pace means he still holds on to his position in the first team, but mistakes over the course of the season has meant that Gibbs is breathing down over his neck. Injuries have meant the younger man has not been able to mount too much of a challenge, but that may yet change in the future.
Winner: Invincibles
