The big what “if” thread (Arsenal Edition)

[2Smokeyy]

I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the biggest what “if” moments in our recent history.

Just a few example:

What if Jens Lehmann didn’t get sent off in Paris, do you think we would have gone on to win the CL?

What if we won the CL in 2006, would Arsène have decided that he’s accomplished everything with the club and left on a high? Would Thierry have stayed and retired at Arsenal?

What if we signed Luis Suarez in 2013, would we have won the PL in the following season? Would we still have signed Mesut Özil?

Discuss how you think it would have gone and list your others below.

 

[A_G]

What if we hold on to beat Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinal? That team could definitely roll through Monaco and Porto to win the CL. This opens up several possibilities:

- Mourinho almost certainly doesn’t go to Chelsea, so where does he end up? Liverpool instead?

- With no Mourinho at Chelsea, we very likely win the league in 04/05 and maybe even 05/06 while SAF continues to rebuild at United

- With 3 league titles in a row and at least one CL, does Wenger dismantle the Invincibles squad? If Vieira stays, does Fabregas play as much and fulfil his early potential?

 

[SA Gunner]

What if Eduardo didnt suffer that horrific injury in 2008?

I think we would have won the league that season, kept Hleb, Flamini, even Diarra. And possibly could have had a different period up until we started spending big again. Wenger had built a very exciting young team, who were growing stronger as the season went on.

 

[Macho]

SA got to my one first, I thought Eduardo was pretty good. I'd say CL final is our biggest sliding door moment to date though I don't think anything tops it.

I'd say...

What if we didn't sign Özil and signed one of the Madrid strikers instead and bought Cesc back, what happens?

 

[Nunowoolmez]

2006 CL - We had chances to score more during the game with 10 men. Shoulda woulda coulda etc.

If we would have won, imo we would have held on to players like Cashley, Hleb, Thierry, & Fab would likely have stayed (stayed longer anyway). In turn giving us a better opportunity of winning the title again.

Suarez - Clearly would have been a huge upgrade on Giroud (sorry Gooner Jeeves), but not sure it would have elevated us a huge amount. Our squad was littered with injury prone players, deadwood & a few quality players.

My 'What If' is What if we won the league in 15/16 ? When Leicester won.

 

[Riou]

I am not sure anything in the Emirates era would have changed, bar maybe the league win in 2016, as we didn't have the money to hold onto our best players regardless...winning the Prem in 2008 or even winning the Champions League in 06 before the stadium move, would have been amazing...but it was the lack of finance at that time that killed us at the very top, players would have still left I feel.

Champions League in 2006 will always be my biggest regret, as we were so close to it man...want to win it now, as it would be fantastic...but will never get over the players/manager/stadium at the time not being the ones that won our first European Cup, that era deserved it...and it can never happen, will never fully get over that.

I like the 2004 beating Chelsea what if though, ngl...we could have potentially won a Treble that season (including our first Champions League and an Unbeaten Prem title) while stopping that **** Mourinho at the source...would have been perfect!

 

[2Smokeyy]

SA got to my one first, I thought Eduardo was pretty good. I'd say CL final is our biggest sliding door moment to date though I don't think anything tops it.

I'd say...

What if we didn't sign Özil and signed one of the Madrid strikers instead and bought Cesc back, what happens?

We probably would have ended up with Gonzalo Higuain, who at the time wouldn’t have been a bad option.

71 goals in 104 appearances for Napoli was a very good return on their investment. There were so many what if moments with strikers we were heavily interested in during that period. Each summer it was a different one from Higuain, Suarez, Benzema, Vardy and Mbappe but we got stuck with Giroud

 

[A_G]

What if we didn't sign Özil and signed one of the Madrid strikers instead and bought Cesc back, what happens?

I think this team probably wins the league that season:

Szczesny
Sagna Per Kos Monreal
Ramsey Flamini
Walcott Cesc Cazorla
Higuain

Özil missed his pen against Bayern in the CL, if that’s Cesc and he scores do we go through? Could we have beaten Real Madrid in the semis?

Wonder if we still sign Alexis that following summer Maybe, and with him in the team we’d be pretty devastating in attack. Could we win back to back titles against a Chelsea team that doesn’t have one of its catalysts in Cesc? Even if they don’t, a stacked Arsenal would be favourites in 15/16 to at least win two titles in three seasons.

 

[2Smokeyy]

If Vieira stays, does Fabregas play as much and fulfil his early potential?

I think Fabregas would have still broke through and cemented his place in the team as he still played plenty of games when Vieira was at the club in 04/05. I remember at Anfield in that same season when Gilberto was out, AW opted for this:



He was always destined to fulfil his early potential imo.

 

[2Smokeyy]

It would have been interesting, if we signed Mbappe in 2017 what would @Trilly have done?

 

[A_G]

Here’s one for you guys: what if Cristiano Ronaldo joined Arsenal in 2003 instead of United?

 

[2Smokeyy]

Here’s one for you guys: what if Cristiano Ronaldo joined Arsenal in 2003 instead of United?

Not sure him and Thierry would have been able to coexist with all those step overs he was doing when he first signed for Utd.

That’s one I would have loved to see pan out, just like Anelka and Henry together at the same time. Main character syndrome would have been through the roof.

 

[A_G]

Not sure him and Thierry would have been able to coexist with all those step overs he was doing when he first signed for Utd.

That’s one I would have loved to see pan out, just like Anelka and Henry together at the same time. Main character syndrome would have been through the roof.

I think it’s an interesting though experiment because we likely never sign Reyes or RVP, which would’ve changed the trajectory of their careers and the PL by quite a bit.

 

[Sanchez11]

What if My idol Mr Bergkamp scored that pen at Highbury vs Utd in FA cup?

 

[albakos]

What if My idol Mr Bergkamp scored that pen at Highbury vs Utd in FA cup?

What if you didn't post the first thought I had in mind that wasn't mentioned yet?

Other notable mentions?

What if David Dein stayed and helped Arsène cruise the Emirates era easier?
What if we didn't drop those points away to Allarsyce's Bolton thugs in 2003 which started our collapse and losing the title in 2003?
What if Rooney didn't dive?
What if Koscielny cleared the ball cleanly instead of assisting to Griezmann in the Europa semi?
What if Koscielny cleared the ball cleanly instead of laying it free to Obafemi Martin's in 2011 LC final?
What if Theo and Giroud were more clinical to loads of great passes by Mesut, Özil and Alexis in 2015/16?

And may more...?

 

[MutableEarth]

Most of my what-ifs outside of the obvious ones are Hale End related. I said this in another thread but I have wondered what would have happened with Chuba Akpom if we didn't sign Yaya Sanogo. We didn't really strike while the iron was hot with him and he tried to force it to no avail. Lost all that spark and fizzled out really quick. Carrick seems to have brought that spark back down at Boro, remains to be seen if he can do that at PL level.

What if Jack Wilshere didn't get that massive ankle injury in 2011? What if Jay Emmanuel Thomas took his career more seriously? What if they didn't try to make Ainsley Maitland-Niles a RB? These are my what ifs. I have others but they are just as minor and inconsequential.

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Heres another one...

 

[Sanchez11]

What if you didn't post the first thought I had in mind that wasn't mentioned yet?

Other notable mentions?

What if David Dein stayed and helped Arsène cruise the Emirates era easier?
What if we didn't drop those points away to Allarsyce's Bolton thugs in 2003 which started our collapse and losing the title in 2003?
What if Rooney didn't dive?
What if Koscielny cleared the ball cleanly instead of assisting to Griezmann in the Europa semi?
What if Koscielny cleared the ball cleanly instead of laying it free to Obafemi Martin's in 2011 LC final?
What if Theo and Giroud were more clinical to loads of great passes by Mesut, Özil and Alexis in 2015/16?

And may more...?

Leeds screwed us out of the title to Utd, in 01 or 03 not sure.

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Man, this is one painful, depressing thread

 

[2Smokeyy]

Most of my what-ifs outside of the obvious ones are Hale End related. I said this in another thread but I have wondered what would have happened with Chuba Akpom if we didn't sign Yaya Sanogo. We didn't really strike while the iron was hot with him and he tried to force it to no avail. Lost all that spark and fizzled out really quick. Carrick seems to have brought that spark back down at Boro, remains to be seen if he can do that at PL level.

What if Jack Wilshere didn't get that massive ankle injury in 2011? What if Jay Emmanuel Thomas took his career more seriously? What if they didn't try to make Ainsley Maitland-Niles a RB? These are my what ifs. I have others but they are just as minor and inconsequential.

I really thought the crop of Afobe, Eastmond, JET, Lansbury, Bartley etc were the truth at the time but I think some of them got lost in the lifestyle. Saw two of those lads on night outs and I could tell they already thought they made it from their demeanour.

Had high hopes and a lot of time for AMN and Willock. Happy for Willock ngl but AMN needs to turn things around ASAP otherwise it could become a slippery slope from here.