Top XI Arsenal games under Arsène Wenger

Best ever Arsène XI’s are everywhere at the moment and after watching a few people meltdown at mine on Twitter – which was strange in and of itself because it wasn’t that controversial and it’s an entirely subjective issue – I decided to steer clear for now and look at it in a different way and do a Wenger XI in games. GK: LEHMANN – GAME: VILLAREAL (EL MADRIGAL 2006) Jens Lehmann with ?that? save against Villareal in the Champions League Villarreal were almost completely dominant in this game and Lehmann had to save well from Franco, Franco, Sorin and Riquelme (FK) before making a fine save when Riquelme took a last gasp penalty that would have seen us go into extra time. I also chose this game because that penalty save summed up the “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” mentality from the previous 9 Champions League games and put us into the history books for consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League. This narrowly beat out Seaman’s save against Sheffield United in 2003 which is still my favourite save of all time but you cannot ignore 10 games without conceding in the Champions League. RB: SAGNA – GAME: TOTTENHAM (THE EMIRATES 2012 – THE FIRST TIME) We all remember this game. Winning 5-2 again in the same year was hilarious and we look fondly back on both of those games but at the time we were all cacking it. Spurs were in the ascendancy and we looked down and out when they went 2-0 up within 33 minutes. Then Sagna popped up with a screaming, looping, deep header to bring us back to 2-1 and ignite the performance that saw us 5-2 winners and go on a fine run of form to finish above Tottenham AGAIN! CB: ADAMS – GAME: EVERTON (HIGHBURY 1998) Tony Adams after scoring a stunner against Everton This was a game Arsenal won comfortably to claim their first league title, and trophy, under Arsène Wenger but the final goal is what makes is most special. The revitalised rearguard of the boring boring Arsenal days combined in pulchritudinous fashion to score a goal that would rival any of the aesthetically pleasing and attacking football of the Wenger era. Adams burst forward, Bould floated the ball over the top and into Tony’s path, Adams took it perfectly on his chest and released a stunning half-volley to cap off a wonderful day. Adams’ celebration has been immortalised in bronze outside The Emirates for generations to see. CB: CAMPBELL – GAME: TOTTENHAM (WHL 2004) This game finished 2-2 so it was hardly a dazzling defensive display and Sol didn’t score like the 2006 CL final which just missed out on being in my XI because despite the loss, Sol was immense and it certainly wasn’t a game Arsenal deserved to lose fairly. This game makes it purely because Sol was Tottenham’s captain before we signed him and he celebrated our title win on their pitch. Lovely stuff. LB: COLE – GAME: DYNAMO KIEV (HIGHBURY 2003) This game makes it in as a personal favourite because it was Bonfire Night and I broke up with a girlfriend who told me to choose between Arsenal and her when I said I was cancelling our trip to the funfair to go to Highbury. I went, Cole scored a diving header in the 88th minute to win the game, I celebrated with the people around me including a lovely young lass who went on to be my new girlfriend for the next few months.

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