My Beloved (Arsenal F.C.)

Member Name: davidso_99

Product:	Arsenal F.C.
Date:	16/07/02 (197 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great, good to watch

Disadvantages: not one

I sit here as a 'gooners' fan trying to plan a detached and true analysis of my beloved Arsenal. However I soon realise this aint gonna happen, especially with last season's double triumph. My comments are likely to be loaded with bias, I will most likely use the subjective 'we' as opposed to the objective 'they' and I am likely to exaggerate our strengths and disregard our weaknesses with an aim of glorifying my team. But hey! I'm human. Take from this what you will.

After a long, dark tunnel of mediocrity and second place, (1998 being exempt) Arsenal finally saw the light as last season we emerged as the best from what was considered to be the most competitive challenge for the premiership title for a long time. There were more teams proving to be genuine contenders for OUR title namely Leeds, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and erm??.manchester united (not deserved of upper-case letters.). Nevertheless, we were victorious and deservedly so. We definitely played the best football. We were a quick passing, stylish team contrary to the likes of Liverpool with their hoof-it-up-to-Owen scrappy style of football and Leeds with their 'Yorkshire grit' manner. We played 'the beautiful game' how it should be played with our calculated build up and quick sharp passing at the edge of the box which more than likely would result in a goal.

We have had the individual ability for a while but last season the team established cohesion. We worked as a team and didn't rely on the instantaneous magic of the likes of Bergkamp and Henry. Our triumph is made even more outstanding when you consider the seemingly endless list of injuries sustained throughout the season consisting of Seaman, Adams, Upson, Keown, Cole, Ljunberg, Van Bronkhorst, Pires, Jeffers, and probably more that don't immediately spring to mind. However, in situations like this, players such as Parlour, Edu and Richard Wright stepped in and more th
an sufficed in the positions they occupied. We shall now take an in-depth look at the performance of the individual players that I consider to be Arsenal's strongest first team.

Keeper. David Seaman.
The safest hands in the premiership. Despite his considerable age (38), David, when fit still managed to hold his place as first choice keeper. His assured handling of the ball and great positioning allied with the ability to pull off a big save when it matters has helped him hold off the challenge of Richard Wright at club level and of Nigel Martin, David James etc at International level. And he does indeed befit one of the greatest keepers in the world as his performance in this year's world cup proved , despite his freak blunder.

Right Back. Lauren
When he first arrived at Arsenal, Lauren, was forced to constantly switch positions as a fill-in-the-gap player for the likes of Vieira, Parlour and Dixon when they were unavailable. However last season he snatched the position of right-back from the latter-veteran Lee Dixon. His pace and strength were his main attributes but last season saw him gain some previously lacked composure and he was consistently solid for Arsenal while overlapping and providing crosses when necessary.

Left Back. Ashley Cole
Arsene Wenger showed faith in Ashley Cole when in season 2001/2002 he used him as a temporary replacement for injured ex Arsenal player Silvinho. However he quickly shot to fame with his consistent, mature and unrestrained play and was thrown straight into the England senior team. Last season he maintained such form despite a mid-season minor setback through injury.

Centre Back. Sol Campbell
Made a slow start to the season but emerged as the 'rock' of Arsenal's defence. He held the potentially crumbling Arsenal defence together throughout the season despite playing with 5 different defensive partners. He is strong, intelligent and deceptively quick making
him one of the best central defenders around as he proved earlier this year where he formed an alliance with some man utd player at the heart of the England defence that befitted the best defensive partnership of the World Cup.

Centre Back. Martin Keown/Tony Adams
Throughout the season both players have swapped places for the position alongside Mr Campbell as they have seldom been simultaneously available. Yet when either of them are in the team everybody feels comfortable. Tony played a cameo role in what is likely to be his bow-out season while Martin's performances were although restricted through injury, good enough to get him a place in England's World Cup squad and he will certainly be of great use next season.

Right Midfield. Sylvain Wiltord
As stated in another of my ops, Sylvain is probably the most understated of Arsenal?s players. His contribution to the team?s successes often goes un-noticed. Due to competition for places, he has been shifted around from striker to midfielder and has been effective in both positions. His knack of never loosing the ball with his deft touch and passing allied with some 16(?) goals last season surely makes him one of Arsenal's big players.

Centre Midfield. Patrick Vieira.
Arguably the best defensive midfielder in the World, Patrick Vieira is the focal point of the Arsenal team. The switch from defence to attack is often as a result of one of his crunching tackles. This combined with his acute, incisive passing makes him invaluable to the club as expressed in their efforts to keep him despite interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus. Patrick Vieira may be considered Arsenal's most important player.

Centre Midfield. Robert Pires.
Amongst the most technically gifted players in the premiership. When Pires first arrived at Highbury, he took a bit of time to settle in and there were doubts as to his ability but last season he silenced all his critics
winning a Premiership Player of the Year award. Remember his goal against Aston Villa where he rounded Boateng only to calmly lob the ball of the giant Schemeichel. This is a prime example of the ability he possesses.

Left Midfield. Freddie Ljunberg
Freddie this season made a major contribution to the winning effort in notching some fourteen goals from an unfavourable position. He scored the big goals in the big matches that helped us clinch both Premiership and FA Cup titles. The red haired wonder is gifted with frightening pace, flamboyant skills and an eye for a goal-scoring opening.

Forward. Thierry Henry
Not only do we have arguably the best midfielder in the world, but we also possess one of the best strikers in Europe if not the world in Thierry Henry. The top goal scorer in the premiership last season does not just have the striker's instinct a la Michael Owen. He is also very creative and is responsible for a lot of the build up play around the box with his sharp passing and ability to make the best defender look amateurish with one quick turn. Thierry Henry is one of those players that the opposition hates. He's class and he knows it as seen in his ever-present smug look after delivering the goods.

Forward. Dennis Bergkamp
It cannot be denied that Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp is a legend in the making. I previously quoted Robert Pires as being amongst the most technically gifted in the league. I would suggest that Dennis Bergkamp IS the most technically gifted in the premiership. Remember his goal-of-the-tournament in the 98 World Cup? Or his goal of the season last season where with his back to goal he neatly manipulated the ball past his marker so he could meet it after going the other way round the defender to calmly slot it into the goal? Despite his post-thirty status, Bergkamp is still of prime importance to a star studded club and will surely remain as such next season.

Any championship winn
ing side needs strength in depth. I would thus like to take this opportunity to give mention to the players who also played a significant part in the double-winning effort who I frankly couldn't be arsed writing about. (This took ages). Despite not playing as regularly as desired, these players stepped in and 'did the bizz' when required:

Richard Wright, Lee Dixon, Igor Stepanovs, Oleg Luzhny, Matthew Upson, Ray Parlour, Edu, Kanu, and if I?ve missed anyone out?that?s just hard lines.

By the way, you aint seen nothing yet.

Summary: