The 2003-04 season is arguably one of Arsenal's most memorable in their history. It signified a whole Premier League campaign unbeaten for Arséne Wenger's men who won 26 of their 38 games and drawing the remaining 12. Among that, 73 goals were scored and just 26 conceded in a quite incredible league season for Arsenal.
Overall Wenger's men went an incredible 49 games unbeaten; a run that saw them win their final two games of the 2002-03 season before proceeding to go unbeaten through the entirety of the next season. To follow that on they then went undefeated in the first 9 games of the 2004-05 league campaign.
Yesterday (7th of May) signified the anniversary of the start of that 49 game unbeaten run in which the Gunners beat Southampton 6-1 at the back end of the 2002-03 season. Therefore it gives us no better time than to look back at the Gunners top five players during that run.
1) Thierry Henry:
Thierry Henry is easily one of Arsenal's greatest players in their history, and therefore comfortably makes it onto the list of top five invincibles. Not only was the 2003-04 season one of the Gunners best in recent seasons, it was also Thierry's best campaign on an individual level. The tricky forward scored a staggering 39 goals in 51 games in the season, of which 30 were scored in the league itself. He meanwhile created 18 assists in the Premier League; a remarkable season which saw the Frenchman win the PFA Player of the Year as well as the Football Writer's Player of the Year. It was meanwhile a yea that ended with him finishing second in the running for the Ballon d'Or. There's not a lot more than can do the man justice than the success displayed above, but he definitely was Arsenal's best player during their 49-game unbeaten.
2) Robert Pires:
Second on the list is fellow his Frenchman, Robert Pires. Like Henry he had an exceptional season, scoring 19 times in the 2003/04 campaign with 14 of them coming in the Premier League. The crafty winger also grabbed 10 assists in a partnership with Thierry Henry that made Arsenal a considerable force during their incredible unbeaten league season. One of Robert Pires' main strengths was in his vision; a number of his assists and passes in general were in behind the defence into Henry. It is therefore no surprise that the pair struck up such a fine relationship. For a player who had a slow start to life in North London, he certainly proved his worth by starring in the Gunners invincibles run.
3) Dennis Bergkamp:
The non-flying Dutchman is one of the most loved by Arsenal fans and although he didn't have the greatest of season's on a personal level during the 2003/04 campaign, he still played a pivotal role in a strike partnership with Thierry Henry which was feared around the world for many years. Bergkamp was one of the most experienced members of the team, scoring five goals and assisting ten for Arséne Wenger's men. The signing of Bergkamp was hugely significant in 1995 and his record at Arsenal speaks for itself. His contributions to the club are recognised outside the Emirates Stadium as he is cast in bronze just as Thierry Henry is. Both of them helped to make Highbury a fortress and they were a brilliant sight to see working in tandem together at the top of a classic 4-4-2 formation during the invincibles season, and in other seasons too.
4) Patrick Vieira:
The Arsenal midfield arguably hasn't been the same since Patrick Vieira left the club. A midfield stalwart, he provided the Gunners with a presence in the middle of the park that has seemingly been lacking since his departure the season after the invincibles. It was between him and Gilberto Silva to make this list but the Arsenal skipper of the time deserves to be on the list, even if he does now work behind the scenes at Manchester City. The third Frenchman in the top four, was a fearless player and wasn't afraid to get stuck in which was what made him such a pivotal player to Arséne Wenger's side. His contribution to the club is so significant that arguably Arsenal are still searching for his replacement. He was an extremely powerful player and was as good at winning the ball as he was at distributing it to the more creative outlets in the team.
5) Sol Campbell:
The touch tackling and powerful centre-half is probably one of the most arguable decisions on the list. However, Arsenal's defence was exceptional during that unbeaten league season, and was as pivotal as Thierry Henry's goals were to the club. Campbell was a part of a backline that only conceded 26 times in 38 games, keeping 15 clean-sheets in the process. He gained a solid partnership with Kolo Touré in the centre of defence and was a big reason as to why many teams found it difficult to score against the Gunners. Sol Campbell's Arsenal contributions are often overlooked but during that unbeaten campaign he was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside Vieira, Pires and Henry who are also on this very list.
There is room to justify why quite a few of the Invincibles team could be on this list. One might feel as though Freddie Ljungberg is unlucky to miss out but when considering how good the defence was during this season, and how well they backed up the creative outlets in attack, you just have to include one of the defenders on the list. Meanwhile there is of course Wenger himself who masterminded the unbeaten run.