In an age where managers don’t tend to stay at clubs for very long, it’s amazing that Arsene Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal for 20 years.
Not only has the Frenchman revolutionised the Gunners, he’s revolutionised English football too. He helped bring the Premier League into the modern times with his focus on sports science, advanced tactics and his belief in how the game should be played.
He’s not perfect, nobody is, but Arsenal have consistently been one of the best sides in England for the past two decades and he deserves a huge amount of credit for that.
Wenger inherited some good players when he arrived and he brought in some very good ones too.
Again, not every transfer worked out, Francis Jeffers for example, but in the past 20 years, Wenger has managed some unbelievably good players.
We’ve come up with the best combined XI from his tenure as Arsenal boss and we’ve done so in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
Goalkeeper: David Seaman
Jens Lehmann was a very good goalkeeper and Petr Cech still is, but we’ve gone for David Seaman. The England international was a rock for the majority of his Arsenal career.
Right Back: Hector Bellerin
This might be a touch controversial and both Lauren and Bacary Sanga might feel aggrieved but Bellerin is an outstanding modern-day right-back.
Centre Back: Tony Adams
He was never the quickest but Adams was an exceptional defender. He was great in the air and read the game so well. He had issues off the field, but on it, he was an inspirational leader.
Centre Back: Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell was excellent. He suffered tonnes of abuse from Spurs fans when he arrived from Tottenham but he never let it affect his performances. He was a modern-day centre-back who had everything you need in a defender.
Left Back: Ashley Cole
Ok, so he left in a bad manner but he was excellent whilst he was at Arsenal. He was the best left back in the world for a long, long time.
Centre Midfield: Gilberto Silva
Emmanuel Petit and many others might not like being left out, but Gilberto Silva was an integral part of Arsenal’s team. He did the dirty work and held the fort whilst others expressed themselves.
Centre Midfield: Patrick Vieira
No brainer, really. One of the best midfielders in Premier League history, Vieira typified Wenger’s Arsenal. He was aggressive, powerful but technically sound.
Right Forward: Marc Overmars
Again, there were plenty of options for this role but we’ve gone for Marc Overmars. The Dutchman was a special player who could beat defenders for fun.
Left Forward: Robert Pires
What a player! Robert Pires scored goals for fun from the wing and linked up so well with the players around him. He was a joy to watch.
Number 10: Dennis Bergkamp
Who else could play the number 10 role other than Number 10 himself? The Iceman is one of the club’s greatest ever players. His technique was only matched by his coolness and composure, but he had the fire and desire that made him a winner.
Striker: Thierry Henry
No surprises here! Arsenal have had some good strikers under Wenger, but none come close to Thierry Henry. The Frenchman was the best striker on the planet whilst he was at Arsenal and was simply unplayable.