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With the final ball of the 2008/09 Premier League being kicked yesterday, myself along with millions of other football fans around the country have nothing better to do but reflect on the past 9 months.
It was far from the most nail biting of seasons. The title being clinched with a game to spare and what was in my view one of the dullest relegation battles of all time. Adding to that, when two of the biggest talking points of the campaign were the fact that Stoke City stayed up (pretty comfortably) and Fulham finished 7th, you wonder if the Premier League really is the greatest league in the world.
There have been many winners this year. Manchester United being the most obvious, securing their thrid successive Premier League crown. Hull City and Stoke City defying the odds to stay in the worlds richest league for at least another season. Nicolas Anelka, winning the golden boot with Chelsea proving he is still a top class striker despite his 'sulky' reputation.
One team that hasn't been amongst the winners however, is Arsenal. With no trophies in four years, it appears that the fans have been subjected to yet another 'transitional season'. However the good news is, Arsene Wenger may now have finally conceded that fielding a team with an average age under that of a Year 8 P.E class (not literally... of course), just doesn't get you any medals.
"We don't need more players without experience, if we get people it will be players with experience", he said.
Fear not, though. Arsenal will claim one award. They get my vote to be the most entertaining team of the year. Not just because they have been involved in the odd 'good game', but because when trying to list the three stand out matches of the season, Arsenal were in all of them.
Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham Hotspur - 29th October 2008
First up is this instant classic between these local rivals. There was a lot of hype before the game as Harry Redknapp took charge of struggling Spurs for the first time. David Bentley opened the scoring with an obscene effort within the opening quarter of an hour and that was to set the tone for what was to be a rollercoaster of a game. With goals either side of half time for Arsenal scored by centre backs, Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas respectively putting the Gunners 2-1 in front, Tottenham's great start was undone. They appeared to be dead and buried when Emmanual Adebayor scored a rather untidy third. Darren Bent provided a small glimmer of hope for the away side when he scored to make it 3-2 but the two goal advantage was quickly restored by Robin Van Persie a minute after.
Fast forward to the 89th minute and you would assume Arsenal had this game sown up. 4-2 and all they had to do was wait for the final whistle. But up stepped Jermaine Jenas. A player that is constantly criticised by Tottenham fans, he curled in a marvellous shot setting up a tense finish. With the four minutes of added time almost up it looked as if the home side would be taking all three points after all. Not so, in the dying seconds, Aaron Lennon pounced on Luka Modric's parried shot to make it an unbelivable 4-4.
You think one 4-4 a season would be enough, you would believe that this was already the most enteraining goal feast the Premier League had to offer this year. How wrong could we be?
Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United - 8th November 2008
Ever since the creation of the Premier League back in 1992, there has been one heavyweight tussle that has always made the headlines. You would be forgiven for thinking that these two teams were neighbours, such is the ferocity of their rivalry. Okay, they're neighbours that are 200 miles apart, but this intense head-to-head was always a spectacle enjoyed by millions all over the world.
With the absense of the likes Patrick Viera and Roy Keane and the dwindling title challenge of Arsenal in recent seasons. Many thought the rivalry had faded. This was just another football match between two of the 'big four'. However, what was to happen over the next hour and a half would banish any thoughts that these two teams wanted to beat the other any less. United were clear favourites for this game with Arsenal playing their first match since that soul destroying 4-4 epic against Spurs and also being without key forwards Adebayor and Van Persie.
Where the matches in years gone by were more physical, this new rivalry featured key battles of a very different kind. It was Cesc Fabregas, 21* vs Anderson, 20*. Gael Clichy, 23* vs Cristiano Ronaldo, 23*. All rising stars, more renowned for their talents with the football rather than their physical presense off it, unlike their predecessors. These players served up what is probably the best pure football match of the season. Played at a frantic pace throughout, Samir Nasri, another youngster, scored on 22 minutes to put Arsenal in front. With a game that was end to end pretty much from start to finish it was never going to conclude at 1-0. Although that was all for the opening 45 minutes.
With chance after chance being uncharacteristically squandered by the visiting champions, Arsenal made them pay when Nasri popped up again for a well taking second. 18 year old full back Rafael pulled one back for Manchester United in injury with a fabulous left foot volley after the Arsenal defence failed to clear a corner. A fantasitc football match that will be remembered for all the right reasons as the referee only had to brandish two cards throughout the entire game, both yellow, which makes a change.
Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal - 23rd April 2009
"One-Nil to the Arsenal", they all used to sing. Famed for their stubborn defensive displays and their five man English back line of Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams and Winterburn. All Arsenal needed to do was grab a single goal and they would have a pretty good chance of winning. Nowadays you only need a thumb and index finger to count how many home grown players Arsenal have on the pitch and subs bench at any given time during the season. Whether the lack of English players and the obvious frailties at the back are in any way connected is open for debate, but the evidence is certainly compelling.
Arsenal, along with Janurary signing, Andrei Arshavin, travelled to title chasers Liverpool in an attempt to throw a spanner in the works of the Merseysiders pursuit of a 19th League title.
In the first half Liverpool dominated. It was almost a case of second choice keeper Lukas Fabianski vs Liverpool if anything. However, failure to capitilise on their monopoly of the possession, the Russian marvel, Arshavin was on hand to put Arsenal 1-0 up ten minutes before the break. And that is how it stayed until half time, one-nil to the Arsenal.
Four minutes after the restart Fernando Torres fired in an equaliser before Yossi Benayoun put the home side in front on 56 mintues. But Arsenal were a side with nothing to play for at this point, forth place secured all they had to do was enjoy their football and it shined through when Arshavin scored in the 67th minute to claim his second of the game and he completed his hat-trick three minutes later, it was now 3-2 to Arsenal.
A one goal lead at Anfield is never safe. This particular lead wasn't even safe for 2 minutes as Torres fired in his and Liverpool's second equaliser of the game to make it 3-3.
As the clock ticked over the 90 minute mark, Liverpool had a corner. If anyone was going to take home all three points, it was going to be Liverpool it seemed. But Arsenal caught Liverpool with a swift counter-attack when Walcott provided greedy Arshavin with his and Arsenal's forth. Job done. The Londoners could return home with a remarkable win that would surely hand the title to Manchester United. That was until with seconds remaining, Benayoun found enough space to squeeze home yet another dramatic leveller, rescuing a point and keeping their title hopes alive.
Despite not winning a trophy to put next to their distant FA Cup triumph in 2005. You could argue that Arsenal single handedly proved to the world that the Premiership is still the best league on the plaent.
* player ages on 08/11/2009
