Current Squad Has Potential,Invincibles Had Pedigree

It was all deja vu again for all Arsenal fans worldwide on Sunday in a match which witnessed Ramsey return to the Britannia after a horrific leg break. Ramsey is amongst many other Arsenal players who have a lot of potential but still have to prove themselves. I’m sure they will but the timings may vary from player to player. Wilshere does it in no time, Denilson takes him whole life. So is it true to suggest that the current Arsenal team only has potential, not pedigree.

Let’s just rewind back to the 2003-04 season. Yes the Invincibles era. Every player playing to his full potential and having proven themselves to the footballing world. The likes of Seaman, Campbell, Toure,Viera,Pires and of course Thierry Henry had it in them to grind out results from the jaws of defeat and were the real title material. All of them have left Arsenal either for greener pastures or for money. Some have succeed, some have not. They have been replaced by young, cheap talent from across the globe. The question is, are they any better than the Invincibles?

Goalkeeper

Invincibles:Seaman

Current:Szczesny

The young Pole has bags of talent and confidence to boast and is surely destined to be the solution to Arsenal’s goalkeeping conundrum. Seaman on the other hand was another exceptional keeper with loads of experience.Based on his experience, Seaman takes the vote here. But I expect to be proven wrong in the next 2-3 years.Not now though.

Defenders

Invincibles: Lauren Campbell Toure Cole

Current: Sagna Koscielny Vermaelan Clichy

The Invincibles had a defence which was solid as a rock and which conceded the least number of goals during the 2003-04 season. The current defence is hugely criticized for its lack of leadership and defending at set-pieces. The only present Arsenal player that I’d chose is Sagna over Lauren. Sagna is Arsenal’s unsung hero and would just edge Lauren.

Midfielders

Invincibles: Ljungberg Gilberto Viera Pires

Current: Wilshere Song Fabregas Nasri(Let’s just take him for simplicity)

Both of them are class. Viera’s fight and determination, Pires’ passing and close-control, Fabregas’ vision and one-touch passing and Nasri’s direct approach and ball control are all world-class.  The Invincibles had the best midfield at that time, we have ours at present.  I’ll chose Wilshere for Gilberto and Fabregas for Ljungberg(not a straight swap though!).

Strikers

Invincibles: Henry Bergamp

Current: van Persie Walcott

Henry and Bergamp had in them one of the world’s best striker partnership. Bergamp with his need;e-like pass to Henry who obliged more often than not. Henry was the leading scorer during the campaign and was one major factor in the Invincibles’ achievements. Van Persie is obviously a very gifted player with one hell of a left foot. When he plays, there aren’t many better. But he’ll most likely spend more time on the sidelines than on the pitch. Walcott terrorizes defences with his blistering pace but he’s still not the finished product. His crossing is often frustrating but his finishing has been tremendous this season. Both Henry and Bergamp get the nod here.

So here’s how the combined team looks like:

                                                                                  Seaman

                                              Sagna            Toure            Campbell            Cole

                                                                    Viera             Wilshere

                                                                   Fabregas           Pires

                                                                    Henry             Bergamp

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Manager- Arsene Wenger

So only 3 out of 11 could make it to the Invincibles team. The defence will only strengthen next year and don’t be surprised if it even becomes better.  I’m expecting a lot of sisagreement on this one but bring it on.

(Picture courtesy of Chabbz, a regular here)

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