Quantcast

Arsenal’s Invincibles: The Best Unbeaten Runs in Football

By on June 8, 2017

With Celtic securing an unbeaten domestic season under Brendan Rodgers in Scotland just last week, it reminded us of the last team to do just that in England. It is, of course, the Invincibles team of the 03/04 season. But where does Arsenal’s achievement rank in the grand scheme of European football?

To find out, we assembled a list of the longest unbeaten runs in the foremost European leagues.

Celtic (2016/17)

Brendan Rodgers’ side completed an unprecedented unbeaten domestic treble on 27 May. The 2-1 victory over Aberdeen meant they remained unbeaten in a total of 47 domestic matches. The former Liverpool manager brought in the likes of Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele who proceeded to run riot in front of goal for the duration of the season. Rodgers was able to rejuvenate a Celtic side that had stagnated under the stewardship of Ronny Deila, and he successfully instilled his style of possession-based, flowing football – much to the delight of the Parkhead faithful.

Juventus (2011/12)

Under the guidance of current Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, Juventus completed an unbeaten 2011/12 season. It was Conte’s first as Juventus manager, and his success marked the start of six consecutive league titles. The 2011/12 season firmly marked Juventus’ return as a premier force in European football, and their concession of just 20 goals was the fewest ever in Serie A. The Juventus squad was bolstered at the start of the season by the addition of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Stephan Lichtsteiner, all three of whom became stalwarts of the success of the Juventus squad. Of course, having Gianluigi Buffon between the goal posts didn’t hurt their cause either.

Milan (1991/92)

Fabio Capello’s arrival at Milan prior to the 91/92 season heralded the start of an extraordinary period of dominance for the Rossoneri. Over the course of the 89/90 season, AC Milan had garnered the nickname the Immortals. By the time Capello left the club, they were known as the Invincibles. He presided over an astounding 58 game unbeaten league run, which of course included the 91/92 league title. The foundation of the team was firmly Italian – Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini are as formidable a defence as any in footballing history. It was this Italian backbone that allowed the flair of Dutch trio Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten to flourish.

Arsenal (2003/04)

Led by a free scoring Thierry Henry, the 03/04 season culminated in the Premier League’s one and only unbeaten domestic season. A year earlier Arsene Wenger had ventured that Arsenal could finish the season unbeaten – a claim that was roundly mocked and derided. Yet the following season, he made fantasy a reality and wrote the names of every single Arsenal player into the history books as the Invincibles.

The fact that the current iterations of the major leagues of Spain, Germany and France, haven’t seen a single unbeaten champion, is testament to the scale of Arsenal’s historic achievement.

One Comment

  1. Olaonipekun Paul Junaid

    June 8, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    There is one thing that I’m sure of concerning Mr Wenger; he’s a competent coach, despite all this criticism. Arsenal manager is world best coach that can vie for silverware at anytime.
    This coming season 2017/2018, Arsene is going to create another history in Arsenal. He has firstly make a lot for Arsenal but ECL Cup and he’s ready to win.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *