I feel I should start this post by making it clear the current crop of players gracing the Emirates every other week possess a high level of talent and we should be thankful for such fortune. After all, it could be much, much worse – by some twisted turn of fate we could all be Spurs fans (and that doesn’t even bear thinking about).
The thing is, though, they’re far from the finest group of players we’ve ever had. Despite the skill within the ranks, and despite the fact the likes of betfair offer good odds on us finishing in the Champions League places for the 18th consecutive year, there’s a team I long to see in full, mesmerising flight one more time. That team is the double-winning side of 1997-’98.
Let’s compare a starting eleven from both teams and I think you’ll agree our current side is missing a touch of magic. Apologies for any late-‘90s Highbury pining this leads to; perhaps whiling away some time here might help you deal with it.
There’s only one man I could pick for the ’98 side – the unflappable David Seaman. At his peak around this time, the big Yorkshireman was almost unstoppable and it’s undoubted that his saves and presence in goal contributed just as much to our double success as the strikers down the other end.
His (sort of) opposite number in the current crop: Wojciech Szczesny. It’s arguable that Wenger has struggled to find a suitable replacement for Seaman ever since he left for Man City in 2003. There have been a host of ‘keepers to don the number one shirt since then, including Jens Lehmann, Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski and I think it’s fair to say that none of those ever quite reached the level set by Seaman. Szczesny, of course, is only 24 years old and has already firmly established himself as the Gunners’ first choice. Perhaps it’s his age that’s seen him lose his concentration at times and the years he has left in his career might just give him time to finish as an Arsenal great – but not just yet.
Moving on to left-back and, perhaps not the most gifted of his generation, Nigel Winterburn, makes the cut here. Football fans love players to have a bit of passion, a burning desire to give their all out on the pitch and never give in. Although undoubtedly the entire back four for Arsenal in 1997 was packed with committed players, it was arguably Winterburn who finished every game knowing he couldn’t have worked harder – and he scored the odd scorcher. For me, that’s why he’s a bona fide legend – and one that doesn’t necessarily receive enough credit.
Today’s incumbent on the left side of defence probably doesn’t get enough plaudits for his efforts, either. Kieran Gibbs joined us from MK Dons in 2004 and has settled into the side fairly well in all honesty. Don’t get me wrong, he’s solid enough but is injury-prone and, if we’re being honest, doesn’t offer the sort of quality we’ve become accustomed to from our defenders, although the passion does boil over from time to time – something Winterburn himself would be proud of.
At right-back for the ’97 squad has to be Lee Dixon.
Though he had stints at four other sides before joining the Arsenal back in 1988, Manchester-born Dixon feels like a Gunner through and through and it’s no wonder he finished his career in North London, either. Comfortable with playing the ball out from the back, he was just at home in defence as he was supporting the attack. Of course, at one time he was our chosen penalty taker. Far more cultured than many of his peers, he more or less set the mould for the style of play we’ve come to expect from our wing-backs ever since.
Wing-backs including Mathieu Debuchy. And it’s a shame this guy is approaching his thirties because the marauding football he brings to the position is so similar to Dixon’s and so fitting to the sort of game Wenger has instilled in his teams over the years. Injury has already set his Arsenal career back but, if we get another four or five years out of Debuchy, he could quite easily be looked back on with the same nostalgia as Dixon – there’s still some way to go though.
Personally, when it comes to centre-backs, I think you’ve got to look at them in terms of a partnership and in ’97 we had two of the best in the world, not just in England. Martin Keown and Tony Adams were far more than stereotypical English defenders. Yes, they were hard, yes, they went flying into the odd tackle here and there and, yes, they weren’t scared of putting their bodies on the line. What set them apart from the rest was an almost telepathic understanding of each other’s game. If Keown missed a challenge, Adams was there to sweep up. If Adams lost an aerial challenge, Keown was right behind him to make up for that error. Trying to get past these two must have been like attempting to run through a brick wall for most strikers – and it’s thanks to them (along with the rest of the defence) that we were singing “1-0 to the Arsenal” more often than not throughout this campaign.
Today, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are tasked with holding down the fort. Mertesacker took a little time to bed himself into the squad and has certainly been let down by his lack of pace, whereas Koscielny’s issue lies in a lack of discipline at times. On their day, they’re as solid as any other pairing in the league but unfortunately those days are few and far between.
One of the main reasons I miss the Arsenal team of ’97 is the agility and sheer velocity of Marc Overmars. Understandably known as the Flying Dutchman, thewinger could single-handedly tear teams apart simply by getting his head down and running. Capable of cutting in from the left and firing a stinging shot of his own or whipping in a cross for a team-mate, Overmars managed just three years with us but it was no surprise to see that, when the time did come to leave, it was a side with the stature of Barcelona that managed to tempt him away.
Fast forward to 2014 and Santi Cazorla takes up the position on our left. Equally gifted, the Spaniard has really started to come into his own this season and although he can’t deliver the same sort of pace as Overmars, he certainly makes up for it with his creativity. Potentially another legend in the making.
Out on the right is the one and only, Ray Parlour. No nonsense and high-octane in his approach to the game, Parlour was never really seen by fans of other sides as anything special. Of course, us Gunners know differently and so too does Arsene Wenger – selecting the Romford boy in his all-time Arsenal eleven.
I’m placing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the current eleven and, I must admit, I’ve put money on this guy becoming a world-beater in the future. He’s got the pace, he’s got the strength and he’s got the close control to take his game to another level over the next couple of years. These qualities make him more eye-catching to watch than Parlour but it’s the old boy’s tenacity that wins the day for me.
Looking at the midfield duo for both sides now. Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira take their position in midfield for the double winners, with Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta for the present team. Of course, Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil could have been selected over Arteta but I’ve made an executive decision here. Although Ramsey’s and Arteta’s skills blend well together, Petit and Vieira appeared like rocks at the heart of midfield – just like Adams and Keown behind them. Cultured Petit benefited from Vieira’s solidity and reliability; the pair, simply put, were the engine room of Arsenal and played such a vital role through the spine of our team. I don’t think they’ve been matched since.
Finally, let’s put the forwards in their place. Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp scored 116 goals between them during just three seasons together in North London. That’s pretty impressive no matter what team you’re playing for (with perhaps Real Madrid and Barcelona the exceptions to this rule). Their firepower and rapid pace built on the foundations laid out behind them and both players grabbed us vital goals in all competitions.
Although fledgling, the partnership between Alexis Sanchez and £17million former Manchester United man Danny Welbeck appears to be paying off, as 22 shots have found the back of the net so far. They’ve both got undeniable pace and Sanchez must surely be on the verge of a Ballon d’Or shortlisting but, sorry guys, the old guard take the vote once again on this occasion.
In all honesty, I thought this might be a close-run thing before I sat down to write but, looking back on it, I think the 1997-‘98 vintage has well and truly beaten out their contemporaries – and my yearning for a return to the halcyon Highbury days is just as strong as ever. Whether you agree with me or not is another matter entirely!