Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has called for his team to match the Arsenal Invincible's unbeaten season of 2003/2004. "It will be very difficult, but we hope we'll continue unbeaten," said Toure this week. The Gunners are the only top flight club to have gone a 38-game season unbeaten, but City are now 11 games without loss so far this campaign, with a five point lead at the top of the table from 10 wins and one draw.
After Toure's comment, talkSPORT decided to compare the two sides and work out which team, man-for-man, is better - the Arsenal Invincibles or Man City's team of all talents?
GOALKEEPER
JENS LEHMANN V Joe Hart
The German goalkeeper would struggle to get in a team ahead of England international Hart. Known for his moments of madness, Lehmann played both hero and villain at Arsenal, but during the 2003/2004 Invincibles season he kept 15 clean sheets; Hart has four already this season in 11 games and last year the 23-year-old keeper managed an impressive 18 clean sheets all season, claiming the Golden Gloves award.
Arsenal 0-1 Man City - Hart is younger, more reliable and has kept more clean sheets than the German stopper.
RIGHT-BACK
LAUREN V Micah Richards
Arsenal's reliable right-back was a stalwart in the Invincibles defence, playing 32 league games and creating two goals to boot. A versatile player, Lauren could fill in at left-back or in midfield if necessary. Micah Richards has been receiving plaudits for his strength going forward and has already created four goals this season - more than double that of any other defender in the Premier League. With a tackle success rate of 83 per cent, the 23-year-old puts Lauren in the shade (even if Fabio Capello might not agree).
Arsenal 0-2 Man City - Richards has been impressive this season and was inspirational in City's 6-1 demolition of rivals United.
CENTRE-BACKS
SOL CAMPBELL V Joleon Lescott
Former England centre-back Campbell was resolute at the back for Arsenal, a player who made up for his lack of pace and skill on the ball, with impeccable timing, leadership and strength. Lescott battles for his place in the City back four with Stefan Savic and former Gunner Kolo Toure, and though he has looked confident and safe this season, he lacks the same commanding presence that Campbell provided for the Gunners.
Arsenal 1-2 Man City - Arsenal pull one back, at the peak of his career Campbell would have been good enough for any team in the world.
KOLO TOURE V Vincent Kompany
Now struggling at City, Toure was imposing for the Gunners during the unbeaten season, playing 36 games and scoring once. The Ivorian was decent going forward - he excited Arsenal fans with his runs forward, long-range shots and the occasional free-kick. On top of that his defending was top-notch, which is why City paid £16million for him in 2009. His now team-mate, Belgian defender Kompany has proved himself to be one of the best in Europe this season. The City captain not only holds the team together, but his decisive tackling and skill on the ball adds a further dimension to the back-line. Missing because of a ban at the weekend, City conceded two goals against QPR and it could have been more.
Arsenal 1-3 Man City - A close one, but Kompany's reliability and leadership skills just edge him ahead of Toure.
LEFT-BACK
Ashley Cole V GAEL CLICHY
Both former Arsenal players have been lauded for their skills on the left-side, but Gael Clichy is no match for Cole. Clichy was the last player from the Invincibles squad to leave Arsenal when he moved to Manchester City last summer and has since been quietly ticking along, though faces competition from Kolorov for his position in the first team. Ashley Cole has been Chelsea and England's fail-safe left back for years, having earned his respect with the Gunners, he was fantastic down the left all season in 03/04.
Arsenal 2-3 Man City - Cole has the been the most reliable left-back in England for a decade now, whilst Clichy has yet to truly emerge from his former team-mate's shadow.
RIGHT- MIDFIELD
FREDDIE LJUNGBERG V David Silva
As interesting as his haircuts, pants modeling and brilliant FA Cup final goals were, all-action Swedish midfielder Ljungberg is no match for silky Spanish playmaker Silva. The Man City midfielder has already beaten Ljungberg's four goals of 2003/04 by hitting six this season and has equalled his tally of seven assists. After 18 months in England, Silva has settled in nicely and is the top contender for Premier League player of the season right now.
Arsenal 2-4 Man City - Silva's vision, goals and assist rate make him the clear winner.
CENTRE- MIDFIELD
PATRICK VIEIRA V Gareth Barry
Barry's hardworking ethos and measured distribution can't rival the talents of Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman, who is now working at the Etihad Stadium, captained the Arsenal side through the unbeaten season, scoring three and chipping in with four assists in 29 games after suffering from a hamstring problem early in the season. An Arsenal legend, the inspirational midfielder's brilliant ability to read the game, terrific spreading of the play, fearsome aggression and tough tackling were invaluable to the Gunners. Barry would need to step up several levels to even be compared with one of the Premier League's finest players.
Arsenal 3-4 Man City -The Arsenal captain beats England midfielder Barry hands-down.
GILBERTO SILVA V YAYA TOURE
Kolo's younger brother has come on leaps and bounds since leaving Barcelona in 2010, where he was struggling to get a place in the team as a primarily defensive midfielder. The imposing Toure scored seven in the league last season and was influential in City's FA Cup win and has carried that great form into this season. Gilberto was always one of the more underrated players in the Invincibles side and his departure in 2008 left a noticeable dent in the Gunners midfield, but his four goals and one assist in 2003/04 are no competition for Toure's all-round displays in the Premier League, where he bosses the centre of the park and still manages to score a few screamers.
Arsenal 3-5 Man City - Gilberto's talents might have gone under the radar, but Toure's certainly do not and the Ivorian would be picked ahead of the Brazilian.
LEFT-MIDFIELD
ROBERT PIRES V James Milner
Milner might have produced some cracking performances of late, but there's no competition between the England player and Robert Pires. The French midfielder was pure class in 2003/04, scoring 14 goals and creating ten in 33 matches, whilst also combining beautifully with Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp in a dynamic attacking line-up.
Arsenal 4-5 Man City - Pires wins this round, for the amazing record of scoring or creating 24 goals in 33 games.
FORWARDS
THIERRY HENRY V Edin Dzeko
Henry was special, but Dzeko's stats this season are actually a match for the great French striker at this stage of the season. With the Bosnian hitting 10 goals in nine games, Dzeko is well on track to equal Henry's 30 goals and nine assists in 37 appearances in 2003/04, but let's not kid ourselves he's fit to lace the great Frenchman's boots.
Arsenal 5-5 Man City - Dzeko's made an impact so far this season, but Henry was virtually unplayable in 2003/04.
DENNIS BERGKAMP V SERGIO AGUERO
Ignoring the fact they are different types of players, this head-to-head is one of the toughest to call. The Iceman is one of the greatest players to grace English football, yet Argentine Aguero has hit the ground running in spectacular style this season. While few could match Bergkamp for skill and vision, Aguero has nine goals already in his first season in the Premier League, along with three assists. Bergkamp, by contrast, only scored four all season, but did create nine in 21 games.
Arsenal 5-6 Man CIty - Painful to do it, but we're pinning this one on stats rather than skills and Aguero's don't lie.
SUBSTITUTES
JOSE ANTONIO REYES, CESC FABREGAS, KANU, SYLVAIN WILTORD, MARTIN KEOWN, GAEL CLICHY, RAY PARLOUR.
V
Samir Nasri, Mario Balotelli, Pablo Zabaleta, Adam Johnson, ALEKSANDAR KOLOROV, CARLOS TEVEZ, Nigel De Jong.
The Arsenal bench looks pretty tasty at first glance, but on closer inspection you will see the flaws; Cesc Fabregas was only a nipper and didn't make a Premier League appearance all season, Reyes was inconsistent after joining in the January transfer window, whilst Parlour and Keown played their role, they were both past their prime. The City bench is a cup-winning squad in itself; Nasri, Johnson and Balotelli would make it into any top side and then there's Carlos Tevez, the mercurial striker who doesn't even make the squad these days!
Arsenal 5-7 Man City - The Blues squad depth is something every team in the world would be jealous of, with a second string perfectly capable of winning trophies in their own right.
RESULT
When you spend hundreds of millions, you get a team as strong as Manchester City's. After 11 games of the 2003/04 season, Arsenal had drawn two more games than City have at their corresponding stage, scored 25 goals to City's whopping 39, while both teams let in ten apiece. Man-for-man, City are stronger than the Arsenal Invincibles, but whether they have the same quality and spirit as a team is open to debate. The Gunners proved their class as a collective and have the unbeaten season as a testament to their ability, but will City be able to emulate Highbury's finest? We shall see!
http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/features/2011-11-08/proof-manchester-citys-team-better-arsenals-unbeaten-invincibles
