Arsenal have been the nearly men of the last few Premier League seasons. With Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka in sublime form, unsurprisingly the Gunners are being among the favourites in Premier League winner betting odds in 2024-25.
Should they do so, the North London giants will have to fend off an always formidable Manchester City and a resurgent Liverpool, and furthermore they have their own history to contend with.
It has now been over two decades since Arsenal last secured a league crown and if 20 seasons of missing out on the major prize weighs heavy on them, there is also the small matter of having very big boots to fill.
That’s because the last lot were invincible.
Before we get to that exceptional creation however it is worth revisiting those long years spent in relative purgatory, a period that was hardly barren, what with five FA Cups being won and a Champions League final reached.
Yet still, for a club of Arsenal’s standing it reflects poorly on them that they consistently fell short in a competition so often compared to a marathon, not a sprint.
They came close three times admittedly, finishing runner up to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2004/05, then mounting the best challenge to Leicester’s incredible fairy tale success in 2016.
In 2022-23, Mikel Arteta’s men spent 248 days at the top before stumbling at the death. They finished just two points behind Manchester City in 2023-24.
Yet still, for the most part, Arsenal have become known in recent years for viewing a Champions League place as a satisfactory achievement, finishing third or fourth for ten years in a row as Arsene Wenger’s long reign plateaued before eventually dwindling to mediocrity.
The great team of Thierry Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira and Pires would never have settled for such consolations. For them, fourth would have been disastrous. Instead, they sought out glory and believed it was their entitlement.
It is the summer of 2003. Tony Blair is the Prime Minister and the airwaves is full of Busted and the Black Eyed Peas.
That May, the Gunners narrowly lost out to Manchester United in a title race so Arsene Wenger must have been tempted to add two or three outstanding talents to his squad to make the difference.
Except he didn’t do that, Le Professor only signing an experienced keeper in Jens Lehman and elsewhere investing in the future. He knew what he had. He knew what they were capable of.
With Henry imperious, Ljungberg and Pires making full-back’s lives a misery, and Patrick Vieira colossal in midfield, Arsenal tore into the 2003/04 season and never let go.
They won at Anfield and Stamford Bridge and drew at Old Trafford. At Highbury they picked up 49 points from a possible 57 all told, their famous home ground a fortress.
Most impressively of all, when their long unbeaten run sparked talk of going the whole season undefeated, they held their nerve and mined other qualities. Resilience. Fortitude. It is pertinent that five of their last nine fixtures were drawn.
What price would have been available in the Premier League odds back in August on this feat being realised? What an astounding feat it was.
Now of course, nobody is expecting this current Arsenal incarnation to replicate such a towering accomplishment. It will likely never be done again.
The trophy that came with it, however. That has become the Gunners’ holy grail.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
