Arsenal have done it again: “Invincibles” would be proud but there is a big difference!
The similarities between the season Arsenal are currently experiencing and the 2003-04 season, when they won the league without defeat, are striking. Two points the… distance between them and a goal difference, when the first derby against Chelsea had taken place again in the 9th week!
By DIMITRIS MANAKOS
Of course we will not go into the process of comparing the two seasons. After all, Arsene Wenger's Invincibles in the 2003-04 season probably can't enter the same conversation as any other team in the Premier League era, as that feat has never been repeated and may never happen again.
However, the similarities between Arsenal's current season and that season 20 years ago are indeed striking. What do we mean by that?
That assuming the game against Chelsea hasn't started yet, Michel Arteta's side were top of the table, with 20 points, after eight games, with a record of six wins and two draws.
Arsene Wenger's side had done exactly the same, with six wins and two draws. At the time, Arsenal had scored on 16 occasions and seen their goal breached on 10 fewer. Yes, you are correct. Prior to the Gunners' visit to Stamford Bridge, they had scored 16 times and conceded six goals, with Raya and Aaron Ramsdale under their posts.
Third and…. significant similarity? In the 9th week of the league, the Gunners met Chelsea. Only then they welcomed them at Highbury, whereas in this case, they made the journey to Stamford Bridge.
This is where the… disputes come out. Then they beat them 2-1, now they have taken a point from their outing, with the final score of 2-2 being set up by Leandro Trossard in the final minute.
So the similarities are many. As for the differences? The fact that after nine weeks, in 2003-04 Arsenal were alone, first and with two more points than they have today, at a time when their goalscoring was 18-7, not 18-8!
