07/08 Arsenal vs 22/23

[Tnegs]

07/08

10/11

22/23 probably edges out 14/15 because of how poorly they started the season. While 15/16 crashed too much.

10/11 lost a league cup final to Birmingham City which is to date the biggest bottle job ive seen from us and a FA cup game against a Utd side with 7 defenders starting. They finished 4th ahead of a Sp**s side led by Redknapp and a Liverpool side with Hodgson/Kenny Dalglish in charge. No idea how that could possibly put them ahead of the Sanchez/Özil powered sides that won trophies and challenged for titles.

 

[2Smokeyy]

As a fanbase/forum, we shouldn't be tolerating any ridiculous negative posting about the Arsenal teams of the late 90s/early 00s.

Do City and Chelsea fans have a go at their best teams because they built them with illegal means, do United/Pool play down their best sides because the refs had their back... no, they just keep telling the world how great they are.

That's what we should be doing ffs, backing our legendary teams... anyone saying the Invincibles were overrated (especially an Arsenal fan) needs a permanent ban on here, imho!

It’s a toss up but there’s a debate to be had that our 01/02 team was arguably better than the invincibles tbh. I’m sure even AW was saying that they are kind of forgotten due to the achievement we did in 03/04. They were both fantastic sides though.

 

[SA Gunner]

Alright, seems like we have different ideas on the best teams, at least in the Emirates era.

What would you say are your top 3 teams since we've been at the Emirates?

For me...

1. 23/24
2. 22/23
3. 07/08

 

[Riou]

It’s a toss up but there’s a debate to be had that our 01/02 team was arguably better than the invincibles tbh. I’m sure even AW was saying that they are kind of forgotten due to the achievement we did in 03/04. They were both fantastic sides though.

2002 is our best ever team, but I will burn down this website from the ground up before I let someone call The Invincibles overrated!

 

[SA Gunner]

2002 is our best ever team, but I will burn down this website from the ground up before I let someone call The Invincibles overrated!

Yup, agreed.

2001-02 is the best team for me, all our best players at their absolute best during that time.

Its difficult to split that time though, I think Arsenal were the best team in the world from 2000-2005, and its a shame we didnt win the CL at least twice during that time.

 

[GoonerJay24]

No team challenged for a title in that era.

Then you don't know ball

 

[Tir Na Nog]

10/11 lost a league cup final to Birmingham City which is to date the biggest bottle job ive seen from us and a FA cup game against a Utd side with 7 defenders starting. They finished 4th ahead of a Sp**s side led by Redknapp and a Liverpool side with Hodgson/Kenny Dalglish in charge. No idea how that could possibly put them ahead of the Sanchez/Özil powered sides that won trophies and challenged for titles.

They also went toe to toe with the greatest club side ever that season and for most of the season were playing brilliant football.

 

[Tnegs]

2002 is our best ever team, but I will burn down this website from the ground up before I let someone call The Invincibles overrated!

2002 was our best side for me. We still had the old guard playing for us with Seaman, Keown, Adams and Dixon in the side and Pires was the best player in the league until he got injured. We also had the Bergkamp-Ljungberg connection and obviously it goes without saying that Henry and Vieira were world class as usual.

That run at the end of the season where we won 13 games in a row broke Utd and to cap it off we won the league at OT. Absolutely magnificent season that was a privilege to watch.

 

[2Smokeyy]

2002 is our best ever team, but I will burn down this website from the ground up before I let someone call The Invincibles overrated!

I’m sure a lot of the people coming up with these weird takes didn’t even watch The Invincibles and rewatching it on YouTube doesn’t really cut it for me you’ve got to take in the excitement throughout that season to really appreciate it.

I’d feel screwed had I missed on that era and had to settle for this watered down product of talentless athletes. We went from sides like the below to people hyping up John Stones, KDB and Kylie Walker:

 

[Tir Na Nog]

I’m sure a lot of the people coming up with these weird takes didn’t even watch The Invincibles and rewatching it on YouTube doesn’t really cut it for me you’ve got to take in the excitement throughout that season to really appreciate it.

I’d feel screwed had I missed on that era and had to settle for this watered down product of talentless athletes. We went from sides like the below to people hyping up John Stones, KDB and Kylie Walker:

View attachment 22185

I laugh because this is the side Neville and Keane said were on drugs, like nah fam look those names they were far superior. Even as much as I think Keane was great, he was up against Pirlo, Seedorf and Kaka 3 of the all time greatest ever midfielders. The had one of the great back lines ever assembled and two of the hottest strikers around at that point. Pretty sure United were starting the likes of Silvestre, Heinze and O'Shea regularly that season with Howard/Carroll in goal.

As a side note crazy looking back at the shortage of top CF's now and here we look at Milan with two world class strikers in the same XI keeping Inzaghi on the bench.

 

[GDeep™]

I laugh because this is the side Neville and Keane said were on drugs, like nah fam look those names they were far superior. Even as much as I think Keane was great, he was up against Pirlo, Seedorf and Kaka 3 of the all time greatest ever midfielders. The had one of the great back lines ever assembled and two of the hottest strikers around at that point. Pretty sure United were starting the likes of Silvestre, Heinze and O'Shea regularly that season with Howard/Carroll in goal.

As a side note crazy looking back at the shortage of top CF's now and here we look at Milan with two world class strikers in the same XI keeping Inzaghi on the bench.

Neville was talking about Juventus - who at the time were involved in a PED scandal in Italy.

 

[Macho]

Alright, seems like we have different ideas on the best teams, at least in the Emirates era.

What would you say are your top 3 teams since we've been at the Emirates?

What a dumb question

23/24, 23/24 and.... probably 23/24 - do they let anybody mod nowadays or what?

 

[2Smokeyy]

I laugh because this is the side Neville and Keane said were on drugs, like nah fam look those names they were far superior. Even as much as I think Keane was great, he was up against Pirlo, Seedorf and Kaka 3 of the all time greatest ever midfielders. The had one of the great back lines ever assembled and two of the hottest strikers around at that point. Pretty sure United were starting the likes of Silvestre, Heinze and O'Shea regularly that season with Howard/Carroll in goal.

As a side note crazy looking back at the shortage of top CF's now and here we look at Milan with two world class strikers in the same XI keeping Inzaghi on the bench.

Not to forget they had one of the managing their side and who has adapted his to this current day. I’m sure if whiskey nose was managing right now he’d be looking out of touch in the PL which is probably one of the factors behind why he called it quits.

Carlo Ancelotti has transitioned through different eras of football and still remained relevant.

 

[Riou]

The 2002 Dreamcast red kit and Sega gold away kit is the best kit combo any English team has ever had too.

We played good and we looked good while doing it

 

[GDeep™]

That Flamini, Helb, Nasri, Rosicky, Cesc, Ade, RvP etc team was our best Emirates team by far.

Full of great footballers. That was a way more talented team than we got now.

Don’t forget you’re comparing an era where we had pennies to now where money is simply not an issue anymore.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

I think the 01/02 side was marginally better than the Invincibles.

But you can't really argue it too much when they went a season unbeaten.

 

[Macho]

I've seen better starting 11's at the Emirates, but as far as squads go this is easily the best squad we've had since we moved stadium.

We'd have to go as far back as invincibles or just after for the last time we had Trossard or even Kai calibur players coming off the bench or fighting for a place. We've managed to contend whilst shrugging off Partey and Zinchenko injuries.

In terms of starting 11 though, there is no Cesc, VP, Caz, Sanchez or even Özil level player.

 

[GoonerJay24]

The injury crisis in 15/16 was a red herring, this was the team at Old Trafford that lost having been within two points of Leicester:

Outside of Santi, that was the strongest team available after Mertesacker got dropped. They just bottled it, that team would lose comfortably to the current side. They’d create nothing and get undone by a mistake(s) by the back 5.

Mertesacker is underrated here; he and Koscielny had a fantastic partnership. I don't think he was dropped but had sustained knee injuries.

Walcott never started, neither would Welbeck, but recall Wenger dropping Giroud during the run-in for his poor form.

Remembering this game, it's a shame how we lost, although I do recall many Arsenal fans at the time overreacting afterwards. Yes, they had a couple of youngsters start, but still fielded many experienced internationals. We actually beat the best ever United team at home with an even younger side back in 2008, with Nasri scoring 2 goals. These matches happen away at big sides with heritage. I was more upset about losing to Chelsea at home this season; really poor mentality.

The main point, though, is because of the number of injuries, this squad was stretched. Coquelin and Welbeck had only returned from many months out. Ramsey also, inconsistent and unreliable. Wenger could barely rest key players or build sufficient cohesion given the number of absences. Without Cazorla from November 2015, we lost four games and drew eight. Whilst the alternstive other deep progressing midfielders, Wilshere, Rosicky, and Arteta, missed the whole season too. Complete **** luck that. City this season have been without KDB for four months. But could you imagine if Foden, Kovacic, Rodri and Bernardo missed the whole season too. Where would they be?

This amount of casualties was more damaging and sustained compared to Liverpool currently for instance. We were even worse the season before.

 

[Riou]

View attachment 22185

This team and the Madrid team of the early 00s are always the first club sides I think of when I think about football, crazy level of players they had.

The sport was so stacked back then, a ton of elite teams then.

 

[GoonerJay24]

Alright, seems like we have different ideas on the best teams, at least in the Emirates era.

What would you say are your top 3 teams since we've been at the Emirates?

2015
2014
2008

In that order