The Invincibles- the name alone suggests unrivalled greatness. And indeed, no club throughout the history of English football has bettered their 49-game unbeaten run, including the lifting of the 2003/04 Premier League title undefeated.
To many, that makes the Arsenal side, by default, the greatest team in the history of the Premier League and an independent panel of pundits, former players and commentators officially awarded them such status in May 2012, upon the Premier League’s twentieth anniversary.
But the Premier League is an ever-evolving animal incomparable to its foreign counterparts, blessed with an unrivalled sense of competition and relentless shifts in the balance of power at its summit. Therefore, every achievement, even those as great as Arsenal’s, must be put into context.
So how do the Invincibles stack up against some of the other legendary sides throughout the Premier League’s 23-year history?
THE INVINCIBLES
If not the Premier League’s greatest ever side, then Arsenal’s Invincibles were certainly the most aesthetic. From front to back, the Gunners were blessed with incredible attacking quality, epitomised best by the revolutionary roles of their full-backs, Ashley Cole and Lauren. The former was a winger-forward from the Arsenal academy, the latter was a central midfielder from Mallorca. Their ability to overlap and contribute going forward created a tactical formula 49 consecutive sides failed to outmanoeuvre.
Of course, at the time, they were seen as footnotes of an incredible starting Xi, boasting two beastly centre-backs firmly in their prime, Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell, an engine room consisting of two World Cup winners in Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, and perhaps the greatest strike-force the Premier League has ever witnessed in Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry – not to mention frees-scoring wingers Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg.
But if there’s criticism to be had, it’s that Arsenal’s run happened in a vacuum. The Premier League title was the only trophy they claimed that season, and although the first XI remained largely intact for the next few years, the Gunners never truly transitioned their dominant attacking displays to the Champions League.
It was also only the second year Manchester United had finished outside of the top two since the Premier League’s incarnation, leaving the runners up that season, Chelsea, to incur seven losses. So in terms of competition, the rest of the division left a lot to be desired.
Perhaps most tellingly of all, Arsenal couldn’t sustain it by defending their title in the following campaign, which brings us on to…
MOURINHO’S RECORD BREAKERS
Just when Arsenal looked set to become the new dominant force in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho turned up in west London, anointed himself as ‘The Special One’ and constructed a Chelsea side seemingly based on the ideals required to annihilate The Invincibles.
Whilst Le Professeur’s introduction of forward-thinking full-backs had given the Gunners an unrivalled edge going forward, Mourinho counteracted it with the introduction of the 4-3-3 formation – including the ever-famed ‘Makelele role’ at the base of midfield and a unique supporting role for free-scoring midfielder Frank Lampard, who would go onto become the fourth-top-scorer in Premier League history.
Despite Arsenal’s domination the year previous, Chelsea held them to draws twice during the 2004/05 campaign, eventually finishing twelve points above them in the Premier League table.
The Blues’ more methodical approach, although conquered by Manchester City in a 1-0 win to prevent an undefeated season, saw them claim more wins than The Invincibles, 29 compared to 26, and more points, 95 compared to 90, which are both still Premier League records today – alongside the fewest goals conceded in a season, 15, and the most clean sheets, 25.
Furthermore, Chelsea won the League Cup that year, progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League and retained the English crown in the following campaign.
THE PREMIER LEAGUE AT ITS HIGHEST
In terms of overall quality, the Premier League has never enjoyed better health than during the 2007/08 season, epitomised best by four English clubs making the quarter-finals of the Champions League, three making the semi-finals and Chelsea and Manchester United squaring off for the decider in Moscow.
The match itself perhaps wasn’t the greatest testament to the English game, eventually decided in United’s favour by John Terry’s slip infamous in the penalty shootout, but the talent on display was unrivalled throughout Europe at the time.
Manchester United’s attacking line-up was particularly special; a front three of Carlos Tevez at his absolute peak, future England captain Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, amid a 42-goal season that would soon pave the way for a record-breaking move to Real Madrid, three Ballon d’Ors and a legendary rivalry with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
They were backed up by some of the most decorated players in Premier League history, including 13-time winner Ryan Giggs, Xavi and Andres Iniesta inspiration Paul Scholes and defenders Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand, whilst Michael Carrick and Nemanja Vidic were on the cusp of becoming worldly names.
Although the European final could have gone either way, Manchester United’s accompanying Premier League title underlined their winning spirit. Domestically that year, only four points separated first and third in yet another testament to how almighty the division’s top order had become – and subsequently how talented that Red Devils side truly were.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys retained their title the year after – making them the last Premier League club to do so – but in comparison to the near-impenetrable Arsenal and Chelsea sides mentioned above, United lost five league fixtures en route to the Premier League crown.
TREBLE WINNERS
No Premier League side has ever matched Arsenal’s unbeaten season and at this point it seems unlikely they ever will; but no Premier League side has ever come close to equalling Manchester United’s treble-winning 1998/199 campaign either.
Indeed, in what is widely viewed as Fergie’s greatest ever achievement (which in itself says quite a lot) the Red Devils marched their way to the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League – the latter coming via an inspirational stoppage time double-salvo against Bayern Munich in which United netted twice to overturn a 1-0 deficit.
Likewise, the Old Trafford club battled until the bitter end to win the Premier League by a single point, with Arsenal in second place, before beating Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final.
And that team included perhaps the greatest four-man strike-force the Premier League has ever witnessed; dynamic duo Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke, the former going on to become the second-highest scorer in PL history, England icon Teddy Sheringham and baby-faced super-sub Ole Gunar Solskjaer.
A midfield four of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs wasn’t too shabby either, whilst Jaap Stam, indisputably one of the greatest defenders of his generation, propped things up at centre-back and Peter Schmeichel remained as monolithic as ever between the sticks.
Although there was no definitive style to speak of, United were a well-oiled side that simply knew how to win. The treble has proved impossible for Premier League clubs to replicate, and the 1998/99 title became the first in three consecutive for the Red Devils – another triumph yet to be matched.
But if there’s one criticism, it’s that it came during a period of complete United dominance. They were the most powerful side in the Premier League, the foremost representative within the England national team, had the best manager around in Sir Alex Ferguson and weren’t truly tested domestically until Arsenal’s revival in 2001.
CONCLUSION
Quite frankly, I find it impossible to choose. Every side has their own individual merits – but that alone illustrates my point. Whilst Arsenal’s Invincibles recorded perhaps the most unique feat in Premier League history, there have been other sides throughout the years who can contest them in terms of quality and accomplishments.
That being said, whilst I view Chelsea’s 95 points record as breakable, Man United’s treble as replicable and the Premier League capable of matching the continent-dominating quality of the 2007/08 campaign once again at some point, only two sides have claimed the English crown undefeated before – Preston North End in the 19th century and Nottingham Forest in the 1970s – and amid a Premier League ever-increasing in competitiveness, I believe it will be a long time before we see it done again.
So if not the greatest achievement on this list, it’s certainly the most special.