What does it take to be invincible? To do something so special that you achieve immortality. Superior skills? Unwavering desire? The ability to absorb pressure and bounce back? Luck? Perhaps, you need to have it all.
Twenty years ago, on May 15, 2004, Arsenal Football Club breathed in that rare air. They went unbeaten across the 38-game Premier League season to be hailed as ‘The Invincibles’. In 1888-89, two years after Arsenal’s birth, Preston North End had gone unbeaten too, but that league season comprised 22 matches. As far as the English top-flight is concerned, Arsenal accomplished something no team had, and no team has since.
In a competition that featured Alex Ferguson’s mighty Manchester United and a high-spending Chelsea under Roman Abramovich, the Gunners’ unconquered run that had 26 wins ensured they’re counted among the greatest sides England has ever seen. In a team sport, especially, where there are so many moving parts, they set an extraordinary example of collective ambition.
When in the zone, that Arsenal side was a sight to behold. A near perfect blend of individual and collective brilliance, they could catch opponents off-guard from anywhere on the pitch. They could glow and be gritty too. And the brains behind the operation, the man who developed that incredibly attractive brand of football, was Arsene Wenger.
It was the Frenchman’s eighth season in charge. Having arrived at the north London club in 1996, he won the league the following season and again in 2001-02. They couldn’t defend their title the next term, despite having an eight-point lead in March, but by the time the 2003-04 season came around, Wenger’s squad, bolstered by the arrival of Jens Lehmann in goal, was at the peak of its powers and hungry for revenge.
“In 2003, we lost the championship and I asked the players, ‘Why did we lose?’. They told me, ‘Because of you’. I said, ‘Why?’ and they said it’s because I put them under too much pressure,” Wenger was quoted as saying on arsenal.com.
“They wanted to win without losing a game and I told them I believed they could. I don’t know how it happened, but game after game we didn’t lose, and we won with five games to go. Usually, you lose the next game because everybody switches off, so I told the players who wanted to have a breather, ‘Now you can become immortal’.”
If Wenger was the architect behind the scenes, the main man on the pitch was the irresistible Thierry Henry. Then 26, he finished as the league’s highest scorer (30) that season and was probably the finest striker in the world. He could be clinical in front of goal, fire screamers from outside the box, leave defenders trailing in his wake on the flanks and scythe defences with speed and ball-control. Who can forget his strike from 35 yards out against Manchester United, or his famous run against Liverpool where he beat four defenders, had Jamie Carragher in knots, before finding the net.
While Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg were crucial cogs on the wings, it was Henry’s partnership with Dennis Bergkamp that stood out. The Dutchman, regarded by many as the most skilful in that Arsenal side, was a master at finding pockets of space by dropping deep. That often allowed Henry the freedom to do his thing by drifting wide. They had the telepathic connection strike partners dream of.
“The whole partnership was based on respect,” said Bergkamp. “We respect each other immensely and at that part of my career I was really happy to just play the backing vocals for Thierry. I wanted to help the team to be perfect by knowing exactly my role. My role was to gel with the midfielders and then provide the King – King Thierry!”
Skipper Patrick Vieira epitomised the steel that helped Arsenal overcome a number of challenging moments that season. Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Lauren made for an intimidating back four, with Viera and Gilberto Silva marshalling the midfield.
The closest Arsenal came to losing a game was against United early in the season. In what remains one of the most famous battles between the two rivals, Arsenal were forced to play the dying minutes at Old Trafford with 10 men after Viera was sent off. But they showed resilience in defence and, after a penalty miss by Ruud van Nistelrooy in stoppage time, held on for a 0-0 draw.
Then came the Liverpool clash where Arsenal rebounded from the disappointment of FA Cup and Champions League exits, to Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, to draw level twice before securing the three points; Henry scoring a hattrick.
“The strength of that team was our togetherness,” said Viera. “We played some good football at times, of course, but it was not always spectacular. What was spectacular was our competitiveness, our winning mentality and having players who would put their head where others would put their feet. We were a team that never gave up, because we had players who could win a game from nothing.”
It’s been a tough ride for Arsenal since. They haven’t won another Premier League title but progress has been made under Mikel Arteta. Uner their former captain, Arsenal have already won more games than they did 20 years ago. But as the current and future generation of players try and pull the club to the top, they’ll always have the Invincibles for inspiration.