The Arsenal Invincibles immortalised themselves in the history of the club and the Premier League, and the players in that squad all have incredible legacies.
Arsenal fans now reminisce about the players in the 2003-04 squad which last won the Premier League title, and did it undefeated in Arsene Wenger’s greatest triumph.
Fans may now look back at the Invincibles as immortals who could do no wrong, but the reality at the time was that similar criticisms fired at the current squad and manager Mikel Arteta, were aimed towards Wenger and the players, as a microcosm of modern football fandom and social media.
Right-back Lauren is a legendary figure in the club’s history, but during the Invincible season, some Arsenal fans were concerned about his performances and wanted him replaced by a rising star in the academy.
Arsenal fans wanted Moritz Volz to replace Lauren in Invincibles lineup
Lauren was a hard-tackling defender who could also go forward, but in December 2003, with Arsenal still unbeaten in the league, some fans remained unconvinced that he was the right fit to play at fullback in the side.
A 1-0 victory over Blackburn at Highbury on December 14th saw Kolo Toure start at right-back, with Lauren unavailable, and posting on an Arsenal Mania online forum, fans expressed their belief that Lauren was not the solution for Wenger in the long term.
“Today Kolo Toure showed Lauren how he should play right back. I would say this is Kolo’s best position as he can contribute more to the team in both attack and defence. I have always said the Lauren was the weak link in the arsenal team and now I think he may just have lost his place,” one fan posted.
Fans then thought that young defender Moritz Volz, who was on loan at Fulham at the time, was the long-term answer at right-back.
“Toure looks extremely good as a centre-back, and with Volz soon returning, I think that’s where he’s gonna play in the future. Lauren is a good right midfielder though and could be good cover there, if we need better defensive cover than Ljungberg, for tight games,” another fan added.
Arsenal fans had misplaced faith in Moritz Volz at right-back
Volz was an Arsenal academy product, who had joined the youth sides from Schalke in 2000, and made just two senior appearances for the club, both coming in the League Cup for a combined 68 minutes of action.
Nevertheless, fans even then were convinced that an academy star could do more than established first-team players, and he was seen by some as the perfect replacement for Lauren.
“The right-back position is very interesting. I have felt for a few months now that Lauren just isn’t good enough in that position. This isn’t to say that he is bad in absolute terms, just that he is a weak link in the side. His pace is not great, which is why he gets beaten on the line quite easily, and his technique is also mediocre, which is why his distribution and crossing when going forward often falls short of what is required,” one fan posted.
“After watching the Leeds v Fulham game today, I am convinced that Volz is the answer. He didn’t give a star performance (fullbacks never do) but he demonstrated so much comfort on the ball that I kept confusing him for a midfielder. His passing is not just competent but often quite visionary – he’s always taking two defenders out of the game by threading a tight pass between them. He runs with the ball much more easily than Lauren. Defensively, he is probably not much different to Lauren but he seems a clearly superior ball player.”
Unfortunately for these fans, Volz would complete a permanent move to Fulham a month later, and the German went on to make 144 appearances for the West Londoners.
Arsenal were therefore ‘stuck’ with Lauren at right-back, but he would go on to prove fans wrong. The Cameroon International went on to make 241 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 10 goals, and left the club in January 2007 with two Premier League titles and three FA Cups to his name.
What this may show, is that whilst Lauren was not perfect at right-back, he was still an outstanding option for Wenger.
READ MORE: All Arsenal legends in the Premier League Hall of Fame from Henry to Wenger
Fans, 20 years ago and in the modern day, may always clamour for academy stars or signings to improve the squad, no matter how well the team performs. With Arsenal ending that season undefeated, with Lauren playing a key role, perhaps more faith needs to be placed in the players selected by a manager as successful as Wenger was at the time.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
