Arsenal Team of Decade 2000-2010

BY : GRAHAM LISTER
Formation: 4-4-2

David Seaman (1990-2003)

Superb throughout the '90s, Seaman maintained his consistency into the first three years of the noughties, and while Jens Lehmann replaced him with some distinction, 'Safe Hands' was far more unflappable, devoid of the German's eccentricities and aversion to crowded goalmouths. Seaman's save from Paul Peschisolido in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final defied both gravity and anatomy, and encapsulated his immense value to the team.

Lauren (Laureano Bisan Etame-Mayer) (2000-2007)

Succeeding an Arsenal legend in Lee Dixon was never going to be easy, yet Lauren, the Cameroon international midfielder signed from Mallorca and successfully converted to a right-back, achieved it with minimal fuss. His blend of positional sense, enterprise and aggression made him an integral part of the Arsenal defence in two title-winning campaigns.

Sol Campbell (2001-2006)

Campbell's free transfer to Arsenal from arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2001 earned him eternal damnation from Spurs fans - and instant cult status among Gooners. It helped that he was an outstanding centre-back of awesome power whose arrival added strength and solidity to the back-line alongside Tony Adams or Martin Keown, culminating in the Double in his first season at Highbury. Later partnering Kolo Toure, Campbell helped ensure the Gunners remained unbeaten when lifting the title again in 2003-04. His last game for the club was the 2006 Champions League final, in which he scored.

Kolo Toure (2002 - )

Now the longest-serving player on Arsenal's books, the versatile Toure had the task of becoming Campbell's central defensive partner after such luminaries as Adams and Keown bowed out. With natural athleticism he made a brilliant fist of it, becoming a key member of the Invincibles and, in 2005-06 alongside Philippe Senderos, producing imperious form as Arsenal reached the Champions League Final on the back of a record 10 consecutive clean sheets. Hailed as the 'African Fabio Cannavaro' by the Italian press after Arsenal knocked out Juventus, the former utility player had established himself as one of the world's leading centre-backs.

Ashley Cole (1997-2006)

The acrimonious nature of Cole's departure from Arsenal soured forever his relationship with the club's fans, but that should not obscure the fact that from the time he replaced the injured Sylvinho in Autumn 2000 until his money-tainted move to Chelsea, he was an automatic pick at left-back, a position whose Highbury lineage stretched with great distinction from Eddie Hapgood to Nigel Winterburn. Gael Clichy runs him close, but Cole, who won two titles and three FA Cups as a Gunner, shades it.

Freddie Ljungberg (1998-2007)

For much of the first half of the decade, Ljungberg was a key member of the Arsenal side, a team-player whose intelligent diagonal runs across the edge of the opposition penalty area dovetailed perfectly with Dennis Bergkamp's sublime passes. Freddie's annus mirabilis was the 2001-02 season when, sporting a distinctive red stripe in his hair, he scored in five consecutive League games as Arsenal closed in on the title, then netted a stunner in Cardiff to clinch the FA Cup. Those six goals were among 72 he scored for the club.

Patrick Vieira (1996-2005)

Appropriately, Vieira's last kick for the Gunners was the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final shoot-out against the old enemy Manchester United; but for nine seasons prior to that his contribution was immense as he imposed himself on midfield, providing the platform on which his team-mates could express themselves. A marvellously athletic mix of power and panache, Vieira was an awesome tackler whose ball-winning launched countless Arsenal counter-attacks. A fiery temperament got him into trouble but ensured that few took liberties against the Gunners, making him exactly the sort of player they need now.

Cesc Fabregas (2003 - )

The latest inheritor of Vieira's armband, Cesc has been the creative fulcrum of the Arsenal side for the last four seasons, and the frustration is that so gifted a midfielder has been unable as yet to add to his 2005 FA Cup winner's medal. With the vision of an artist and the touch of a safe-breaker, the Catalan playmaker has piled up the assists but needs to add to his goal tally; 13 in 2007-08 was by far his best return, but he managed only three in an injury-blighted campaign last season.

Robert Pires (2000-2006)

The Frenchman of Portuguese and Spanish descent had a deceptively shuffling gait that disguised a brilliant footballing brain. Pires fitted in perfectly with the likes of Vieira, Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, and while he was a superb playmaker, particularly when coming in from the left-wing, his goalscoring was also exceptional for a midfielder. He contributed 84 goals in 284 appearances, and many Arsenal fans feel he should have been offered the two-year contract extension he wanted in 2006, which would have kept him at the club a little longer and provided some vital continuity and experience.

Dennis Bergkamp (1995-2006)

One of the greatest of all Gunners, Bergkamp was the Dutch master with a sumptuous array of skills, who scored 120 goals for the team but created many more for others with the perception and deft touch of a football genius. His goal at Newcastle in 2002 was a work of art and he was intimately identified with all of Wenger's triumphs.

Thierry Henry (1999-2007)

Converted by Wenger from a decent winger to a world-beating striker, Henry electrified the Premier League for eight memorable seasons, becoming Arsenal's all-time leading scorer in the process with 226 goals in 370 appearances. Combined brilliantly with Bergkamp and Pires, but had the invention, the blistering pace and the cool finishing to fashion goals out of nothing for himself and others, as well as finish those flowing team-moves with irresistible aplomb.