Was watching the 2007/08 dvd and it is a firm reminder of how our game has depleted over the last few years. And in particular our attacking game. People talk about our invincible season etc but that was almost a decade ago, the 07/08 year was the closest we have come to winning the league in a long time. Now obviously we had fabregas hleb adebayor toure eboue, and rosicky and diaby were fit. But it was a privilege to watch arsenal, ok so we may have been a bit dodgey at the back, not as bad as now though. But our passing game was ridiculously good, every player was on the same level, the team was a proper group, the players interchanged positions at will and we could string 15 passes together with ease. And now i know that we have sold alot of those players, but there seems to be divisions in the team, it seems as though the wingers are wingers and the midfielders are midfielders and there isn't the same flow, we don't create near enough chances, 3 years ago it was about us not being able to finish our chances but now we can't create any and we come away from matches depressed because we have seen a pretty boring match with no chances. Andy Gray said in a match vs man utd that season that "arsenal players trust their ability", and it was true because we if anything over-played but we could play out from the back and switch into attack in a couple of passes, we controlled the tempo of the game and even the big teams would play very defensively against us. Now however we are very ridged, there is no movement, no two touch passing, and no chances. Many have been focussing on how bad our defending has been over the last couple of years and maybe forgot that our attacking play has also gone way downhill. And i can't help but think that had that group stayed together a bit longer we would have won the league by now, but theres no point in thinking like that and i really do hope that this team can get near that level again this season.
We only finished 4 points, yes, a mere 4 points behind the champions United, who also went on to win the Champions League, that was one of the best United sides in a while, and we were only 4 points below them, we were really back that season, that was a real Arsenal side, and if we didn't have that misfortune at Birmingham, with the leg break, and last second penalty, we probably would've won the league that season. Sadly, everything imploded in the summer, Flamini and Hleb both left, Adebayor burned all bridges with his flirtations with Milan, and Rosicky was out injured and wouldn't be back until the 09-10 season, so the meat of the squad was badly damaged and we suffered next season.
I've always said that was one of the best Arsenal squads I have ever witnessed. We should've made it to the CL semi-finals against Chelsea had it not been for some dubious decisions against Liverpool. Man Utd were truly at their peak that season and as we know, they knocked us out of the FA Cup convincingly, yet we only finished 4 points behind them. We truly did capitulate in February, as already stated, the Birmingham match truly was a sign of things to come. Gallas sobbing after the game was truly pathetic and I can't remember Arsenal having a true leader since that season. Ah well, the past is the past. Let's just look forward as we continue to sell more of our world class players and become content with 4th place with no trophy.
he was excelent that season though, always did a really good job when he had to cover at left back as well
I never thought he was a pile of ****e, to be honest, I don't think many Arsenal fans ever thought Flamini was ****e, he barely got a chance in midfield before the 08 season to make a proper assessment of how good a midfielder he was, in the 2006 season though, he did a tremendous job at left back, he was so good in that position that Wenger even said he would've kept Flamini at left back but Flamini didn't want to play there, and all Arsenal fans were praising Flamini, he was part of the back 4 that took us to the Champions League Final with one of the best defensive records in UCL history.
Before Flamini took his chance in midfield because Giberto Silva had been playing in the south American champioships most Arsenal fans didn't rate him and that is a fact.He was rated as a half decent squad player at best.
Spot on Jules, 07/08 was a great leap forward, and it also highlights the slow decline since then. I think Wenger deserves credit for that season as a sort triumph even though we didnt win anything. It really was that Eduardo injury which affected the fluency of the players thereafter and impacted our results. There was a tension in our play after that. Depite that, a win at OT instead of the 3-1 (?) loss would have bagged us the title. The 0-0 at home to Liverpool in the League was a nervous affair that lingers in the memory as well. That season is the one thing that gives me hope that Wenger can pull it around.
And to be honest man city are a major part of why we fell away, but to be honest nasri is now a shadow of the player he was with us, clichy is the one that has probably done the best but has not been overly impressive, toure has not got near the team and adebayor well he was on lone at a number of clubs. Hleb went to barca and then to birmingham, speak for itself and flamini seems to blow hot and cold at milan. To be honest i bet all those players listed wish they had stayed, the grass isn't always greener folks.
