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Arsenal - 2003/2004 English Premier League Champions
- Thread starter Knight Saber
- Start date
Y
Yossarian
Guest
Arsenal won the league without Zlatan! btw: I thought you had more posts that you have now
lol, you're correct, sir, but you have to remember that Zlatan is omnipresent and was there guiding the Arse to the league title in inspiration and in spirit because you know that the Arse personnel are huge fans of Zlatan and watch all his compilation vids for divine inspiration
on the posts thing, yeah, I had something like 320 posts and was sooo proud of them,and then one morning they all disappeared, the whole account was reset.....too bad since I worked hard at getting to 100 just to get that awesome sig of Zlatan and Hendrix
ahh well, I'll try to work my way up again back to 100 to retain that sig Steua made for me
lol, you're correct, sir, but you have to remember that Zlatan is omnipresent and was there guiding the Arse to the league title in inspiration and in spirit because you know that the Arse personnel are huge fans of Zlatan and watch all his compilation vids for divine inspiration
on the posts thing, yeah, I had something like 320 posts and was sooo proud of them,and then one morning they all disappeared, the whole account was reset.....too bad since I worked hard at getting to 100 just to get that awesome sig of Zlatan and Hendrix
ahh well, I'll try to work my way up again back to 100 to retain that sig Steua made for me
Viera strips for the occassion. Italian tradition?
good job Arsenal. If you could expand your squad a little more you'll be quite a force.
I must say I've been very impressed. Apart from the CL and FA cup glitches, Arsenal have been so consistent it's crazy. Provided that they don't have a lot of players and some have been overplayed, they still managaed to pull off this impressive run.
Have a look at this article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/3646149.stm
==============================================
How Arsenal can improve
By Tom Fordyce
Sounds like a strange thing to say, doesn't it, when Arsenal have just secured the Premiership title.
When you are unbeaten in the league all season, where is the room for improvement?
Simple answer: everywhere. The team that rests on its laurels is the team that prepares to be overtaken.
The Arsenal of 2004 have been fêted as one of the finest sides in English football history.
The weak capitulations to Manchester United and Chelsea which ended their Treble dream were seen as aberrations which could have been avoided.
But the close season may give a different perspective. What if, rather than throwing away a possible Treble, Arsenal actually did fantastically well just to win the Premiership?
No cash to spend
Cast your mind back to last August. While Chelsea splashed out millions and United spent like European aristocrats, Arsenal's outlay was less than £2m.
Jens Lehmann, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a paltry £1.5m, was not Arsene Wenger's first-choice goalkeeper. Gael Clichy cost £250,000 in compensation to Cannes, and Philippe Senderos came from Servette for a nominal fee.
It left Arsenal, on the surface of it, way behind their title rivals. The team which had just blown the title was barely being bolstered, let alone dramatically improved.
Wenger had a converted midfielder at right-back (Lauren), a hitherto average midfielder at centre-back (Kolo Toure), a lack of cover in midfield and a strike force that relied almost exclusively on one man, Thierry Henry.
Bar the January arrival of Jose Antonio Reyes, all those situations remain the same.
Wenger is not a naive man. He knows that, had any of his key men suffered a serious injury, the title challenge could have collapsed.
Henry has 29 Premiership goals this season. The next highest league scorer at the club is Robert Pires with 14. Beyond that, you have to go all the way down to Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp with 4.
Henry looks after his body like a track and field athlete. Arsenal have one of the best medical back-up teams in Europe.
But he could still get injured - and if he did, Arsenal would be unable to make up the goals shortfall from any other source.
Every team in the Champions League would struggle without their key striker. Imagine United without Ruud van Nistelrooy.
How much fun can it be to engineer a victorious team with a fantasy-football style budget!
From TM
But Arsenal would be hit harder than any of their rivals.
This summer, Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord are out of contract. The former might get a one-year deal, the latter probably not.
Reyes, while Wenger's first-choice partner for Henry, will not hit his best for another couple of years. Returning loanee Francis Jeffers is unwanted at Highbury.
That would leave Arsenal relying on a 35-year-old Bergkamp, unproven 21-year-old Jeremie Aliadiere and the fading Nwankwo Kanu should Henry be sidelined - hardly the foundations on which Champions League triumphs are built.
Defensive concerns
There is a similar lack of cover throughout the team.
In the centre of defence, Toure and Sol Campbell have been exceptional all season.
But should they be injured or suspended - likely in the course of full season - you are left with Martin Keown (38 this summer) and Pascal Cygan (improved, but not enough). Senderos is highly-rated but is untested and has been out with injury all year.
Left-back is well covered. But the only competition for Lauren on the other side is Toure - and that simply opens up problems elsewhere.
In the midfield, it's all about competition for places. Arsenal do not have the strength in depth to handle the prolonged absence of Pires or Patrick Vieira.
Ljungberg has struggled to re-capture the form of two years ago. The whole midfield unit has suffered from having to play too many high-pressure games in succession.
Wenger has the option of giving Jermaine Pennant another chance. But with respect to Pennant, who has been one of the few successes in Leeds' dismal season, he alone will not convert Arsenal into European champions.
Transfer targets
It almost makes gloomy reading for Arsenal fans. It shouldn't.
The team has achieved incredible things with limited resources this year. Wenger now has cash to spend, and has already identified several potential summer targets to David Dein.
It's just to say that, now the title has returned to Highbury, appreciate what the club has done. And be grateful that Wenger is already looking forward to the challenges of next season.
I agree to the mopst of it apart from midfield cover. Edu has been a sensation this year, fully deserving his Brazil call up. Reyes I think will fill the boots of Bergy when he retires. We also have Bentley who is going to be a sensation in hte next few years along with Cesc Fabregas (Who saw his assist in the reserves game against tottenham?) and Aliadiere. But We need to buy in the summer.
I believe we need a new 'keeper because Lehmann's a concern and we need a centre back. No more because a lot of our players can play in mutli positions.
I.e. Touré can play D/M RC, Reyes M/F LC, Pirés can play anywhere in the midifeld and up front. We have enough cover at the front and midfield it's just defence... still.
The hopefull signings are-
Mexés from Auxerre
Frey from Parma
and some more hot prospects.
I believe we need a new 'keeper because Lehmann's a concern and we need a centre back. No more because a lot of our players can play in mutli positions.
I.e. Touré can play D/M RC, Reyes M/F LC, Pirés can play anywhere in the midifeld and up front. We have enough cover at the front and midfield it's just defence... still.
The hopefull signings are-
Mexés from Auxerre
Frey from Parma
and some more hot prospects.
Well Wenger said that he won't be spending big. Just 3-4 mil pounds on 1-2 players (Van Persie and someone else maybe)
There's no need to buy much. We have prospects that will make the first team (Hoyte, Cesc, Senderos) which will add depth to our squad.
We have the best team right now and integrating the prospects will make them even better.
They will win more and more championships for years to come
There's no need to buy much. We have prospects that will make the first team (Hoyte, Cesc, Senderos) which will add depth to our squad.
We have the best team right now and integrating the prospects will make them even better.
They will win more and more championships for years to come
TheBizkit03
Reserve Team
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!
****IN BRILL!!!!!!!!!!
****IN BRILL!!!!!!!!!!
Soccer_Fan09
Club Supporter
I'm not an Arsenal Fan and never will be one but what they did for English Football is great. I can guarentee that alot of cash will be spent in the Premiership this summer, and with the rumours of another billionaire taking over Man CIty (if they stay up) the premiership will be the best in the world without a doubt. Oh yah, savour the moment Arsenal cause next season, make way for the toon!!!
Voltaic Borusse
Fan Favourite
Congrats to the Arsenal. Fully deserved it. It's going to be interesting to see if they can go undefeated.