Arsene Wenger names one Arsenal achievement that has been overshadowed by 2004 Invincibles squad
Arsene Wenger has admitted that he feels his 2002 double-winning season with Arsenal goes under the radar due to the Invincibles' accomplishment in 2004.
The legendary French coach transformed English football during the early part of his managerial career with the Gunners. He waged war with Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United during the late 90s and early 2000s.
Wenger's Arsenal accomplished arguably the greatest feat in English football history when they won the Premier League in 2004 by going unbeaten. It's an achievement Ferguson himself claims to 'stand above anything he did'.
However, Wenger has told his former goalkeeper David Seaman that he feels his Gunners' double-winning campaign in 2002 deserves more plaudits. His side won the Premier League and FA Cup that year. Wenger told the Seaman Says Podcast:
"I wanted to come back to your second double. One of my regrets - 2002 lives a little bit in the shadow of 2004, of (the) Invincibles, but 2002 was an exceptional season."
Arsenal won the 2001-02 league title with 87 points, winning 26 of 38 league games; they also managed the same number of league wins in their 'Invincibles' season. The north Londoners also won the 2002 FA Cup with a 2-0 win against Chelsea at the Principality Stadium.
Wenger continued by explaining the magnitude of that accomplishment:
"We won the championship at Man United. (Beating) Chelsea in the (FA Cup) final, Chelsea already had a great team, and it was an exceptional performance, and this season doesn't get the credit it deserves."
The Gunners boasted an extremely impressive squad at the time, including Seaman. The likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp were at the forefront of a memorable campaign that saw them win the double.
However, it's often forgotten due to the Invincibles' heroics two years later. That was the last time Arsenal won the Premier League, and no other club has ever replicated an unbeaten league campaign.
Wenger gives an intriguing take on Arsenal's potential title challenge
Arsenal have made a scintillating start to the new season, unbeaten in four league games. They sealed an impressive 3-1 win against Manchester United last time out and look set to try and challenge for the title once again.
The Gunners did so last season, losing out to Manchester City in the dying embers of the campaign. They sat as many as eight points clear of the eventual champions at the turn of the year but came undone in April.
Mikel Arteta's side did qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2017. However, Wenger has questioned whether they can mount a title challenge due to the implications of returning to Europe's elite club competition.
He said that the Gunners have a young team but will have learned from last season's disappointment (via the aforementioned source):
"They still have a young team, a talented team. I think they learned from what happened to them last year. They couldn’t cope well with that; mentally, it was very difficult. I’m sure they would’ve learned from that."
Wenger added:
"I believe as well that City having lost (Kevin) De Bruyne for a long period and (Ilkay) Gundogan, who was a very important player, even if they are a top team I don’t disagree with that, but maybe they can take advantage of it. But we have to deal with the Champions League, so that costs points as well."
City will be tough to rival once again following their treble triumph last season. Pep Guardiola's men have started the season with four wins from as many games but have seen the likes of Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte depart.