Manchester City may have secured an historic domestic treble in 2018-19 but Arsenal’s Invincibles of 2003-04 remain the best side of the Premier League era, says Martin Keown.
An iconic side from Arsene Wenger’s 22-year reign in north London went an entire top-flight season unbeaten.
Nobody before or since can claim to have matched that achievement, despite many collecting bigger point tallies.
City are considered to have taken the game in England to new heights, with Pep Guardiola’s star-studded outfit registering a century of points while establishing a fearsome reputation.
Keown, though, believes that Arsenal’s legendary side of the past would have held their own in the modern game.
He believes the Gunners had world-class talent all over the field, with there match-winners in Wenger’s side wherever you looked.
The former Arsenal defender told talkSPORT when asked if the class of 2003-04 still set the standard: “Of course they were the best!
“I’m not messing about, that team could have won in any era.
“I saw them develop from young men, I was the senior figure then and they matured into a fantastic group of players, they were world class.
“Thierry Henry was like an international sprinter with football boots instead of spikes. Dennis Bergkamp with his vision, it was unbelievable. Watching him perform was like watching ballet.
“Robert Pires on the left and Freddie Ljungberg on the right, he doesn’t get enough plaudits.
“Then that midfield; Gilberto Silva, a World Cup winner, and Patrick Vieira alongside him, another World Cup winner.
“Then there’s Sol Campbell at his absolute peak at the back.”
Chelsea dominated the Premier League for a while under Jose Mourinho, claiming back-to-back titles, while City are now chasing down a hat-trick of crowns.
Manchester United are the most decorated side in the competition’s history, with Keown conceding that the Red Devils’ treble winners of 1999 are the only team that gets close to Arsenal’s best.
He added: “I think the only team that comes close is Manchester United’s treble-winning 1999 team, I think that would have been the big play-off.”
