- 100 seasons in the top division: Wenger triumphant twice 1997/8
- 100 seasons in the top divison: 1996/97 – the launch of the modern era
By Tony Attwood
In 1997/98, if anyone needed convincing that Arsene Wenger was the real thing for Arsenal, they were convinced as 27 years after winning their first League and FA Cup double, Arsenal became only the second team to achieve the Double twice.
Which raised the question, what on earth could Arsene Wenger conjure up in 1998/99? And indeed if expectations were not already high enough, the traditional season opener of the so-called Charity Shield (yet to prove a major embarassement to the FA, as happened when it was ultimately revealed that proper charity donation records had not been kept and the Asso ciation had no legal right to use the word “Charity” in the game’s title), Arsenla beat the league champions Manchester United 3-0.
This was also the season in which Arsenal made their first appearance in the major international competition, now rebranded the Champions League. However Fifa required Arsenal’s ground at Highbury to be modified to meet their particular requirements for European games, and so Arsenal opted to play the matches at Wembley. But despite Arsenal’s major achievements in domestic competition, the games againsts European clubs, alongside playing at Wembley, proved to be too much.
But that was not the only trouble, as though the Arsenal defence was now considered by most commentators to be unbreachable, the attack was not now fully firing. But conceding just 17 goals in a 38-game season was extraordinary, especially as Arsenal had conceded 33 the season before. The goals did eventually come, but just two goals in five games from the end of August into September caused considerable concern. As was just four goals in nine games in the late autumn – a run that included a 0-5 home defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup.
But there were nevertheless signs that Arsenal were evolving in the right direction, as with 11 goals in consecutive league games in April – an excellent response to that Chelsea defeat – but in the end Arsenal finished the season second in the League, one point behind Manchester United.
More disappointing was just two wins, two draws and two defeats in the Champions League group stage, which saw Arsenal drop out coming third out of the four in their group. Those matches were also played at Wembley, and it was in the game againsts Lens that Arsenal recorded their highest home attendance of 73,707.
In the end in the League Arsenal finished second, just one point behind the winners Manchester United. But it did not pass unnoticed that Manchester United had scored 21 more goals than Arsenal in the league. That tally took the edge off the situation in which Arsenal ended the league season with the same number of points as the season before, but this time it was not quite enough.
But it was also a time of ending as Martin Keown said a second, and this time, a final farewell to Arsenal, after 449 appearances with Arsenal during two spells (George Graham selling the player and Arsenal re-signing him seven years later).
But this was also a season of signs – signs that things could happen, but just a little bit more consistency was needed. There was, for example, a run of seven consecutive games without conceding a goal and another of 11 goals in two consecutive matches. But there again nine games earlier in the season there was a run in which Arsenal scored just three goals showing the other side of the coin.
Manchester United won the league by one point, but the 21-goal advantage they also had, showed that there was more to it than that. And it was the second consecutive season that Man U and Arsenal had shared the top two spots, and that combination was not over yet.
But perhaps we should finish this brief season summary with an upbeat note. A new player was introduced – Freddie Ljungberg. He scored on his first appearance. We only saw him ten times in the season, but the phrase “one for the future” never seemed more appropriate
