Midfield
Arguably the most important player in Wenger’s Invincibles side was the midfield machine, Patrick Vieira. The French midfielder was the vital cog in the XI that held the side together and led the side as an inspirational captain should. Standing at 6’4”, Arsenal fans knew they had signed a special talent right from the moment he made his debut.
Despite his lean frame, he was aggressive on the ball and could glide across the pitch with consummate ease. Though he was tempted into the occasional flare-up with opposition players, Manchester United’s Roy Keane in particular, he was still the rock that protected the defence while also the man who initiated attacks from midfield.
Signed from Barcelona as a teenager, Cesc Fabregas was Wenger’s biggest project when they moved to the Emirates Stadium. Having already played a few times with the Invincibles, Fabregas soon became the fulcrum of the side when the old guard moved on or retired.
As Wenger built the team around him, the young midfielder even took on the captain’s armband. Formations changed and the personnel also changed but Fabregas was the constant. Unfortunately for Wenger, he never got the chance to fulfill his potential as Barcelona soon came calling and took their ‘son’ back. But during his time at Arsenal, nobody threaded a through-ball better than the Spaniard as he climbed the assists table in the Premier League.
One of the ‘Three Musketeers’ at Arsenal, Robert Pires was arguably one of Wenger’s greatest signings at the turn of the century. The French winger was shocked at the physicality of the EPL but soon overcame his reservations and became an integral part of the squad that won the double in 2001/02 and the unbeaten run in 2003/04.
What made him even more special to the Arsenal fans was his knack for scoring goals in north Londo derbies. Tottenham Hotspur became his favourite club to score against. Pires also had the ability and instinct to arrive in the box at just the right time to score goals.
While one is tempted to go with Freddie Ljungberg to complement Pires, Alexis Sanchez is a player one cannot ignore. Taking advantage of Luis Suarez’s move to Barcelona, Wenger moved swiftly to secure the Chile international’s signature and the former Barca forward would have one of the finest debut seasons ever.
As Arsenal defended the FA Cup title, Alexis would score a total of 25 goals across all competitions in 2014/15 (16 in the league). And he could score from any possible angle under any sort of pressure.
Despite his short stature, he could challenge for the ball in the air near the six-yard box or bang them in from more than 30 yards out. A hard worker both on and off the pitch, his fitness level was one to aspire to and even his teammates admitted to as much.
