It takes great mental strength and a bit of luck to win the English Premier League, let alone go undefeated for all 38 games.
It’s a feat that only two English sides have achieved, with the 2003-04 Arsenal squad being the most recent to go unbeaten throughout an entire season, winning 26 games and drawing 12.
The only other team to go unbeaten in the English top flight? Preston North End in the 1888/89 season, funnily enough just two years after Arsenal was officially founded in Woolwich.
The Gunners were lead by the iconic Thierry Henry, with the Frenchman scoring 30 of Arsenal’s league-best 73 goals. That’s 41 per cent, nearly half, of all Arsenal goals scored that season.
Much to the delight of many supporters, Arsenal did take home the title at White Hart Lane with four games left to play in the season but their undefeated run could’ve ended prematurely in late September as Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford.
With one of the more controversial moments of the campaign, Ruud Van Nistelrooy stepped up to take what was a rather ambiguous penalty shout in stoppage time, which would have given United the victory and top spot in the league.
Arsenal survived the scare as the Dutchman blasted the ball into the crossbar and back onto the field, effectively setting the stage for what would be one of the more entertaining Premier League seasons as the usual suspects resumed their fight for English supremacy.
But will this kind of heart-stopping season ever be replicated?
The Premier League is the best league in the world. Not because it has the best teams, that honour belongs to La Liga, but because of it’s pure entertainment value.
As cliche as it is, at any given point in time, any team can beat any team.
Case in point, look at how Burnley defeated Liverpool earlier this season 2-0 at Turf Moor.
Despite Liverpool dominating the game – 80 per cent possession and 26 shots compared to Burnley’s two – the Clarets came away with the three points.
It’s this kind of unpredictability which leads me to believe that no other team could possibly survive a Premier League season without losing.
In recent years, the only teams to have come close reproducing an ‘Invincible’ season were Leicester City and Chelsea, with both squads losing only three games in their respective title-winning seasons.
But it was Chelsea who were the more consistent of the two champions, losing their first game on 15 games into the season against Newcastle United, who narrowly avoided relegation with a 2-0 win over West Ham on the final day of the season.
Leicester, quite fittingly, lost two of their three games against Arsenal, with Danny Welbeck scoring a heart-stopping winner deep into injury time as Arsenal made a late push for the title in mid-February.
But Leicester’s resilient style of play saw them win eight of their last 12 games of the season, including a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United which proved to be the point that sealed the title for them after Spurs and Chelsea played out a 2-2 draw.
So what does a team need to do to go 38 games undefeated?
With Manchester City’s recent dip in form, it’s becoming more apparent that money isn’t the answer to everything. It’ll win you Premier League titles sure, look at how much Roman Abramovic has spent to get them there since 2010.
A team that’s worthy of not losing a single game requires tactical brilliance from the manager, on-field chemistry like no other and a bit of luck.
The Arsenal side that went 49 games undefeated were special, but the squad wasn’t full of multi-million dollar superstars like some clubs today.
It took a perfectly crafted, well-balanced side to finally achieve something that had not been done in over a century, so will we ever see another team go unbeaten in the Premier League?
Connor Bennett
Editor
That Arsenal side was something special, but I don't even think at the time anyone would have predicted they'd go undefeated. There's a reason it's only been done twice in the EPL and I think it will continue to be one of the rarest achievements in world sport. In this day and age with so many top gun sides like Man U, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool etc. The chances of getting past ALL of them on multiple occasions in a season is so slim. I'm sure it might happen again one day, but not for a long, long time.
Fui2014
Guest
Short answer.... No i dont think this achievement will be replicated. That was a very special team. Cambell, Viera, Gilberto, Henry and Bergkamp all had leadership qualities. For what its worth i dont think Leicester City's effort from last season be replicated any time soon either. They were also a special team that grabbed an opportunity with both hands and took the title.... didnt buy the title like Chelsea and City in previous years....