Arsenal 1999/2000 season summary

Arsenal - summary of the 1999/2000 season

Pre-season preview

With last season possibly just one kick away from repeating the glory of the previous year, Arsenal fans will be expecting the team to get back on the winning trail this season. Despite the loss of Anelka, Wenger has strengthened the squad significantly during the summer. Silvinho and Luzhny add depth to defence (and midfield), and the addition of Henry and Suker has given Arsenal 5 world class forwards.

The Premiership will remain the prime objective, and a finish outside the top 3 would be regarded as failure. Gooners will also be hoping to see an improvement in Europe this year, and this seems likely with the increase in squad depth and experience. If Arsenal get half the luck Man United had last season, an emulation of their treble should be a stroll.

Key Players

Tony Adams: Remains the team's inspiration and the rock on which Arsenal's enduring defence is built. He is however, likely to miss the first few weeks of the season following a hernia operation which highlights lingering doubts about his fitness. With his long time cohort Steve Bould moving to Sunderland, the swift resumption of his partnership with Martin Keown is likely to be crucial to maintaining the defensive excellence of last season.
Dennis Bergkamp: The arrival of the Nigerian "King" Kanu will relieve some of the goal making burden from Bergkamp's shoulders, but the Dutch master is likely to remain Arsenal's prime creative influence. The recent arrivals of Suker and Henry will give him a broader canvas on which to demonstrate his creative mastery.
Patrick Vieira: Arsenal's central midfield pairing of Vieira and Emmanuel Petit remains the best in the Premiership, and will again be central to the team's prospects this season. Still only 23, the Senegal born Vieira is awesomely equipped for the demands of his position: a brilliant tackler and superb passer, he also has seemingly limitless stamina and a rocket of a shot. A more mature temperament was noticeable last season, but the tendency to pass when in range of goal rather than shoot is still occasionally visible as perhaps his only flaw.

Unknown Player to Watch for

With the fresh influx of signings from abroad, Arsenal's homegrown youngsters are likely to struggle to break into the first team. They are however again likely to get the chance in the Worthington cup, and the extra demands of the Champions League this season may even give the odd opportunity in the league or FA cup. Two names seem likely to make an eventual breakthrough. Jermaine Pennant has been given a chance in some of Arsenal's preseason games and seems destined for big things. He is however still only 16 and is likely to be held back for a while yet, so I'm going for:

Paolo Vernazza

Despite the name (and Italian parents) Paolo is Islington born and bred. A 19 year old central midfielder with composure and vision, but with Petit and Vieira holding down the first choice midfield places he may have to be patient to get an extended first team run. However, with Stephen Hughes on loan at Fulham and likely to leave Highbury permanently, if the Arsenal squad lacks depth anywhere it is in central midfield, and if Vieira and Petit fail to avoid the suspension and injury problems of last season, Vernazza could get more than the odd chance this season.

Post-season review

Close Season Transfer Activity

In:  Thierry Henry    (forward)    from Juventus     (ITA) (9.0 million)
     Oleg Luzhny      (defence)    from Dinamo Kyiv  (UKR) (1.8 million)
     Silvinho         (defence)    from Corinthians  (BRA) (4.0 million)
     Davor Suker      (forward)    from Real Madrid  (SPA) (1.3 million)
     Stefan Malz      (midfield)   from Munich 1860  (GER) (0.65 million)
     
Out: Kaba Diawara     (forward)    to Marseille      (FRA) (2.5 million)
     Jason Crowe      (defence)    to Portsmouth           (1.0 million)
     Steve Bould      (defence)    to Sunderland           (0.5 million)
     Michael Black    (midfield)   to Tranmere Rovers       free?
     Remi Garde       (midfield)   retired
     Fabian Caballero (forward)    to Ath. Tembetary (PAR)

Squad for 1999-1000 Season

                                                d.o.b.         Prem Apps  Goals
Goalkeepers
24. John Lukic                      Free       11.12.60           144*      0
13. Alex Manninger               500,000       04.06.77   AUT      13       0
01. David Seaman               1,300,000       19.09.63           232       0
31. Stuart Taylor                Trainee       28.11.80             0       0

Defenders
06. Tony Adams                Apprentice       10.10.66           196      11
29. Ashley Cole                  Trainee       20.12.80             0       0
02. Lee Dixon                    400,000       17.03.64           235       5
18. Gilles Grimandi            2,000,000       11.11.70   FRA      30       1  
05. Martin Keown               2,000,000       24.07.66           212#      3
22. Oleg Luzhny                2,500,000       05.08.68   UKR       0       0
16. Silvinho                   4,000,000       12.04.74   BRA       0       0
20. Matthew Upson              2,000,000       18.04.79            10       0
07. Nelson Vivas               2,000,000       18.10.69            23       0
03. Nigel Winterburn             407,000       11.12.63           242       4  

Midfielders
33. Greg Lincoln                 Trainee       23.03.80             0       0
08. Fredrik Ljungberg          3,000,000       16.04.77   SWE      16       1  
19. Stefan Malz                  650,000       15.06.72   GER       0       0
23. Alberto Mendez               200,000       24.10.74   SPA       3       0  
15. Ray Parlour                  Trainee       07.03.73           199      16  
17. Emmanuel Petit             3,500,000       22.09.70   FRA      59       6  
30. Paolo Vernazza               Trainee       01.11.79             1       0
04. Patrick Vieira             3,500,000       23.06.76   FRA      98       7  

Forwards
10. Dennis Bergkamp            7,500,000       18.05.69   NETH    119      51  
14. Thierry Henry              9,000,000       17.08.77   FRA       0       0
21. Luis Boa Morte             1,750,000       04.08.78   POR      23       0  
25. Nwanwko Kanu               3,000,000       01.07.76   NIG      12       6
11. Marc Overmars              4,500,000       29.03.73   NETH     69      18  
32. Omer Riza                    Trainee       08.11.79             0       0
09. Davor Suker                1,300,000       01.01.68   CRO       0       0
12. Christopher Wreh             300,000       14.05.75   LIB      28       3  

* including 129-0 for Leeds Utd
# including  13-0 for Everton

Mid-season Transfer Activity

Out: Stephen Hughes   (midfield)   to Everton              (3.0 million)
     Luis Boa Morte   (midfield)   to Southampton          (0.8 million)
     Omer Riza        (forward)    to West Ham United      (undisclosed)

Complete appearance and goal statistics for the season

Retrospective review of the season

Previous season

The 1999-2000 season was one of ultimate disappointment for the Gunners. Finishing 2nd in 2 major competitions (the Premiership and the UEFA Cup) would for most clubs be regarded as a success, but the fact that Arsenal finished 18 points behind Manchester United in the league, and were only in the UEFA Cup having failed in the Champions league led many to brand the season a failure.

The Premiership campaign got off to a slow start, 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats meant Arsenal finished August 6 points behind the leaders. 3 wins from 3 league games in September reduced the gap to 2 points, and Arsenal's Champions League campaign started solidly enough with draws at Fiorentina and Barcelona, and a home win at Wembley against AIK Solna.

The European experience turned sour in October however, defeats at Wembley against Barcelona & Fiorentina costing Arsenal the chance of qualifying for the 2nd stage of the Champions League. In the league a 2-1 defeat at West Ham was more significant for the fact that it ultimately cost Arsenal the services of Patrick Vieira for 7 games, a suspension subsequently meted out by the FA after Vieira lost control following a red card and spat in the direction of Neil Ruddock.

November brought little improvement, a nadir for most fans being reached early in the month with a defeat and 2 red cards at Tottenham, though Arsenal's wooden European spoon prize, participation in the UEFA Cup, started well with a 6-3 aggregate win over Nantes. The dark months of winter brought mixed league fortunes, characterised by good performances against Arsenal's main rivals (a draw at Old Trafford and home wins over Leeds and Sunderland), but slack ones against more lowly opposition (defeats at Coventry, Bradford and Middlesborough, a home draw against Wimbledon).

However with the team benefitting from returning to Highbury for home gaes, the UEFA Cup run continued to gather momentum, the Spanish league leaders Deportivo La Coruna were thumped 5-1 at Highbury, and a turning point in the league was reached in March. A revenge victory over Spurs at Highbury started a run of 8 successive league wins, which while far too late to prevent Man United winning the title, was enough to ensure Arsenal clinched second spot and a place in the Champions League again.

The league run coincided with some belated good form in Europe, and wins home and away against Werder Bremen, and then Lens in the semi-final took Arsenal's winning streak to 12 games, and won a place in the UEFA Cup final in Copenhagen. Events off the pitch and a sterile performance on it soured the final against Galatasaray. A sterile and goalless ninety minutes was followed by a series of missed chances against 10 men in extra time, and defeat on penalties echoed Arsenal's earlier cup fortunes. Similar shootout defeats at Middlesborough and Leicester had brought premature 4th round ends to Arsenal's Worthington and FA Cup campaigns respectively.

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