Hi fellow true gooners.
We're now nearing the end of the decade and I've decided to compile my Arsenal team of the decade. It's been a tough decision, there have been so many great players who have worn the red and white since 2000 and some not so great ones!
Here goes...
Goalkeeper - David Seaman
I know it was the 90s that we saw the best of David Seaman but the simple fact was that even when he reached the twilight years of his Arsenal career he was still the best. The greatest goalkeeper in Arsenal's history, the big man was an agile and commanding stopper. Defenders knew that with David Seaman in goal even if they were breached he would be there to save the day. Every great team needs a great goalkeeper and he was the bedrock that the Arsenal team was built on, a member of the famous back five he was so solid and dependable. In my opinion Seaman was up there with Schmeichel as the best goalkeeper of the past 30 years. One highlight is the save he made against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, probably his finest in an Arsenal shirt. A testament to Seaman's legacy is that he was England's last great keeper and they have never found anyone to fill his shoes, the same could be said of Arsenal although an honourable mention must go to Jens Lehman.
Right back - Lauren
As much as I loved Lee Dixon, he only played for one year right at the beginning of the decade and was reaching the twilight of his career. For 2 or 3 years, Lauren was the finest right back in the country. An elegent player who started his Arsenal career on the right of midfield before Wenger saw something in him that we didn't and converted him to a defender. A hard working, technically gifted attack minded full back who when called upon defended superbly. A member of the invincibles, he will forever be remembered as a legend at the club.
Centre Half - Sol Campbell
Arguably one of Wenger's greatest signings and one of the great England centre halfs of the past decade. I'll never forget the day Campbell signed for the club, there I was watching Sky Sports News when the breaking news appeared across the bottom of the screen 'Sky Sports understand that Sol Campbell has signed for Arsenal' - a moment I will always cherish! Although his Arsenal career started slowly, I was there at White Hart Lane when faced with a barrage of abuse from Spurs fans put in that crunching challange on Gus Poyet in the first 15 minutes of the game, from that moment he never looked back. A truely wonderful defender who was so cruely denied England winners in not one but two crucial tournament games, he had strength and pace to burn. His last act for Arsenal was to score in the Champions League final in Paris but it just wasn't written in the the stars - now that would have been the perfect farewell.
Centre Half - Tony Adams (Captain)
He may have only played a few years in the early part of the decade but for me he was the greatest centre half this country had seen for 30 years. A truely inspirational captain, Arsenal through and through - you knew he would die for the cause. Quite simply the best, there are no words needed.
Left Back - Ashley Cole
The gooners may hate him but I'd take him back in a flash, what a brilliant full back he was. A great defender, excellent going forward and popped up with some vital goals. I'll stop now for fear of retribution...!
Left Wing - Robert Pires
One of my favourite players of all time, such a graceful, elegent and beautiful footballer. Pires was simply brilliant, a midfielder who would score 20 goals a season and each one would be a beauty. Immensly skillful and the handy knack of always being in the right place at the right time, he forged an unstoppable partnership with Thierry Henry. Bobby was a one off, amazingly gifted, technically superb and a player that defenders would fear. I was gutted to see him go, the reception he received at the Emirates last season said it all - a true Arsenal legend.
Central Midfiled - Patrick Vieira
What can one say about Patrick that hasn't been said already?! For me the best midfielder in the world when he was in his prime, a fighter who had everything. Strong in the tackle, he could play teams on his own and beat them! The fact we are still talking about never really replacing him 5 years after he left the club speaks volumes for him as a player and a leader. It was fitting that his last kick in Arsenal shirt won us the FA Cup against his greatest of enemies - Roy Keane and Manchester United. In the top 5 players the club has ever had.
Central Midfield - Cesc Fabregas
The only member of the current Arsenal team to make my team of the decade. Febregas is a beautiful footballer to watch, the guy just oozes class. First team debut at 16, captain of Arsenal at the age of 21 - it's still hard to believe that he's still so young. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see Fabregas lift the Premier League trophy, he deserves a medal but the fear is that he may decide to move on to pick up silverware - who could blame him as he's already given the club 8 years service, he's nearing his testimonial year! It's such a shame that although he did play alongside Vieira for a short time, they never played in the same team when they were both in their prime.
Right Midfield - Freddy Ljungberg
Another legend, a free scoring midfielder who contributed nearly 20 goals every season. So pacy and exciting to watch, what impressed me so much was his never say die attitude. The 2001 season he virtually won us the double single handedly, scoring vital goals in the title run in. Also a member of the invincibles (there's a theme here), his link up play with Bergkamp was magnificent - they almost had a telepathic understanding. It was nice to see Freddy back at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago, you can still see that he has a great passion for the club.
Striker - Dennis Bergkamp
Quite simply the greatest player I have ever had the fortune to see in Arsenal shirt - words cannot do this man justice. In the top 20 footballers of all time, he had everything and a bit more. Dennis Bergkamp scored over 100 goals for Arsenal and each one was beautiful in it's own way. There are so many superlatives that could be used, I could write about him all night! I rate Dennis as the greatest Arsenal player in our history - that says it all.
Striker - Thierry Henry
Electrifying! 226 goals for Arsenal and one of the true legends of the modern game regardless of what the gutter press have been printing recently. Henry was unstoppable, a goal scoring machine, the likes of which we will probably never see again. Seeing Henry in full flight was just a sight to behold, my overiding memory was the goal he scored against Liverpool in 2004 when he waltzed past their entire defence to give us a moral boosting victory in a season defining game, let nobody try and fool you that he wasn't a big game player - he was the biggest of them all. TH14 - I salute you!
Subs: Jens Lehman, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Gilberto, Wiltord, Kanu
And that's it folks - do you agree with my selection? Let me know!
We're now nearing the end of the decade and I've decided to compile my Arsenal team of the decade. It's been a tough decision, there have been so many great players who have worn the red and white since 2000 and some not so great ones!
Here goes...
Goalkeeper - David Seaman
I know it was the 90s that we saw the best of David Seaman but the simple fact was that even when he reached the twilight years of his Arsenal career he was still the best. The greatest goalkeeper in Arsenal's history, the big man was an agile and commanding stopper. Defenders knew that with David Seaman in goal even if they were breached he would be there to save the day. Every great team needs a great goalkeeper and he was the bedrock that the Arsenal team was built on, a member of the famous back five he was so solid and dependable. In my opinion Seaman was up there with Schmeichel as the best goalkeeper of the past 30 years. One highlight is the save he made against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, probably his finest in an Arsenal shirt. A testament to Seaman's legacy is that he was England's last great keeper and they have never found anyone to fill his shoes, the same could be said of Arsenal although an honourable mention must go to Jens Lehman.
Right back - Lauren
As much as I loved Lee Dixon, he only played for one year right at the beginning of the decade and was reaching the twilight of his career. For 2 or 3 years, Lauren was the finest right back in the country. An elegent player who started his Arsenal career on the right of midfield before Wenger saw something in him that we didn't and converted him to a defender. A hard working, technically gifted attack minded full back who when called upon defended superbly. A member of the invincibles, he will forever be remembered as a legend at the club.
Centre Half - Sol Campbell
Arguably one of Wenger's greatest signings and one of the great England centre halfs of the past decade. I'll never forget the day Campbell signed for the club, there I was watching Sky Sports News when the breaking news appeared across the bottom of the screen 'Sky Sports understand that Sol Campbell has signed for Arsenal' - a moment I will always cherish! Although his Arsenal career started slowly, I was there at White Hart Lane when faced with a barrage of abuse from Spurs fans put in that crunching challange on Gus Poyet in the first 15 minutes of the game, from that moment he never looked back. A truely wonderful defender who was so cruely denied England winners in not one but two crucial tournament games, he had strength and pace to burn. His last act for Arsenal was to score in the Champions League final in Paris but it just wasn't written in the the stars - now that would have been the perfect farewell.
Centre Half - Tony Adams (Captain)
He may have only played a few years in the early part of the decade but for me he was the greatest centre half this country had seen for 30 years. A truely inspirational captain, Arsenal through and through - you knew he would die for the cause. Quite simply the best, there are no words needed.
Left Back - Ashley Cole
The gooners may hate him but I'd take him back in a flash, what a brilliant full back he was. A great defender, excellent going forward and popped up with some vital goals. I'll stop now for fear of retribution...!
Left Wing - Robert Pires
One of my favourite players of all time, such a graceful, elegent and beautiful footballer. Pires was simply brilliant, a midfielder who would score 20 goals a season and each one would be a beauty. Immensly skillful and the handy knack of always being in the right place at the right time, he forged an unstoppable partnership with Thierry Henry. Bobby was a one off, amazingly gifted, technically superb and a player that defenders would fear. I was gutted to see him go, the reception he received at the Emirates last season said it all - a true Arsenal legend.
Central Midfiled - Patrick Vieira
What can one say about Patrick that hasn't been said already?! For me the best midfielder in the world when he was in his prime, a fighter who had everything. Strong in the tackle, he could play teams on his own and beat them! The fact we are still talking about never really replacing him 5 years after he left the club speaks volumes for him as a player and a leader. It was fitting that his last kick in Arsenal shirt won us the FA Cup against his greatest of enemies - Roy Keane and Manchester United. In the top 5 players the club has ever had.
Central Midfield - Cesc Fabregas
The only member of the current Arsenal team to make my team of the decade. Febregas is a beautiful footballer to watch, the guy just oozes class. First team debut at 16, captain of Arsenal at the age of 21 - it's still hard to believe that he's still so young. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see Fabregas lift the Premier League trophy, he deserves a medal but the fear is that he may decide to move on to pick up silverware - who could blame him as he's already given the club 8 years service, he's nearing his testimonial year! It's such a shame that although he did play alongside Vieira for a short time, they never played in the same team when they were both in their prime.
Right Midfield - Freddy Ljungberg
Another legend, a free scoring midfielder who contributed nearly 20 goals every season. So pacy and exciting to watch, what impressed me so much was his never say die attitude. The 2001 season he virtually won us the double single handedly, scoring vital goals in the title run in. Also a member of the invincibles (there's a theme here), his link up play with Bergkamp was magnificent - they almost had a telepathic understanding. It was nice to see Freddy back at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago, you can still see that he has a great passion for the club.
Striker - Dennis Bergkamp
Quite simply the greatest player I have ever had the fortune to see in Arsenal shirt - words cannot do this man justice. In the top 20 footballers of all time, he had everything and a bit more. Dennis Bergkamp scored over 100 goals for Arsenal and each one was beautiful in it's own way. There are so many superlatives that could be used, I could write about him all night! I rate Dennis as the greatest Arsenal player in our history - that says it all.
Striker - Thierry Henry
Electrifying! 226 goals for Arsenal and one of the true legends of the modern game regardless of what the gutter press have been printing recently. Henry was unstoppable, a goal scoring machine, the likes of which we will probably never see again. Seeing Henry in full flight was just a sight to behold, my overiding memory was the goal he scored against Liverpool in 2004 when he waltzed past their entire defence to give us a moral boosting victory in a season defining game, let nobody try and fool you that he wasn't a big game player - he was the biggest of them all. TH14 - I salute you!
Subs: Jens Lehman, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Gilberto, Wiltord, Kanu
And that's it folks - do you agree with my selection? Let me know!
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