It is the subject of many pub discussions, just who is the most successful English team and how do you say who is the greatest? It is a tough decision, but the next time you are talking about who is the greatest team in English football history team, here are some you might want to bring into the debate.
Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ 2003-04
It takes a huge effort to go through a league season unbeaten and only one team have done it in the Premier League era – Arsenal’s Invincibles.
No one could get near Arsene Wenger’s side in the 2003-04 season and the Frenchman had a team that epitomised excellence throughout the pitch.
Whether it was the robust defending of Sol Campbell, the majesty of Patrick Vieira in midfield or forward Thierry Henry, who was simply unplayable at times, they have to be considered one of the greatest English teams of all-time.
They claimed 90 points that season to win the league by 11 points from Chelsea.
Manchester United’s Treble Winners 1998-99
The thought of an English team doing a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League always seem far-fetched, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United have to come into the equation after becoming the first to do the feat.
United’s all-round quality was enormous, not least because they had four top-notch forwards in Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the last two scoring late goals to give them their first European Cup triumph since 1968 when they beat Bayern Munich on an unforgettable night in Barcelona.
There was quality but drama too. A last-gasp penalty save from Peter Schmeichel and a wonder goal from Ryan Giggs gave them an FA Cup semi-final win over Arsenal and they secured the Premier League title in their final game against Tottenham. The 1998-99 season will always go down in folklore at Old Trafford.
Manchester City’s Treble Winners 2022-23
Having included that campaign, it is only fair to put Manchester City’s performance last season on the list after they replicated their arch-rivals’ achievement. City secured a record 100 points in winning the league in 2019, but their treble-winning campaign will be much more memorable, particularly as they secured their first Champions League title by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul.
Erling Haaland was the scourge of defences across Europe and Kevin De Buryne produced some of the best midfield performances seen in the English league. It was a truly memorable campaign for a great team.
Chelsea’s first Premier League Title 2004-05
The Chelsea team that stormed to the Premier League title in Jose Mournho’s first season at the Stamford Bridge helm should not be forgotten. Mourinho had proclaimed himself The Special One after leading Porto to Champions League glory the previous season and took Chelsea to another level after they had been runners-up to the Invincible Arsenal the previous season.
Key players such as Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba helped Chelsea to what was then a league record 95 points as they claimed their first title for 50 by a 12-point margin.
Liverpool’s Treble 1983-84
Not all the greatest English teams played in the Premier League era and it would be wrong not to talk about Liverpool, who dominated the domestic scene in the 1970s and 1980s. It was Joe Fagan’s first season in charge in 1983-84 when the Reds reached the peak of their powers.
That season, they beat Everton to win the League Cup final and they also won the league for the third successive season, but they produced one of the great European performances of any British club, beating Roma on penalties on their own ground in the 1984 European Cup final.
By James Mason
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