Invincible: Inside Arsenal's Unbeaten 2003-2004 Season - Hardcover

Lawrence, Amy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 024100456X ISBN 13: 9780241004562

Publisher: Viking, 2014

Synopsis

Invincible by Amy Lawrence: A gripping insider's account of how Bergkamp, Henry, Vieira and Pires became the first team in 100 years to go the entire season undefeated

2014 Writer of the Year, Football Supporters' Federation

'This book is so full of exclusive interviews you'll soon feel like part of the squad. A worthy tribute to one of English football's best ever teams, it makes you long for one more game at Highbury' Shortlist

'Unbeatable insight'
Henry Winter, Daily Telegraph

In 2003-04, a team that played with lightning speed and lustrous skill fulfilled Wenger's lifelong dream - to go a whole season unbeaten. They pushed and inspired each other, bringing the best out of strong characters like Jens Lehmann, a self-styled 'Mad German', Sol Campbell, an intense competitor, Robert Pirès, an instant friend if you give him a football, Patrick Vieira, a soft-spoken, battle-hardened captain, Gilberto, a thoughtful Brazilian, Thierry Henry, a supremely gifted and obsessed scorer and creator, and Dennis Bergkamp, the perfectionist conductor.

Based on exclusive player interviews, and with a foreword and afterword by Arsene Wenger, this definitive book allows the Invincibles to tell their own story. Football writer Amy Lawrence weaves together the team's recollections, and the testimonies of other key players and protagonists around the club, to relive the pivotal games and moments. From the battle of Old Trafford to jubilation at White Hart Lane, from training ground sparks to dressing room revelations, readers will go behind closed doors, onto the pitch, and into the players' minds to understand the teamwork and the psychology to go unbeaten.

Published in time for the 10-year anniversary, this is a must-have read for any Arsenal fan. It will be enjoyed by readers of memoirs by Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams, and will also appeal to football fans everywhere who enjoy classic sports books such as The Damned United.

Amy Lawrence has watched football avidly since her first trip to Highbury at the age of six, and has written about it, mostly for the Guardian and the Observer, for twenty years. She lives in London.

About this title

About the Author

Amy Lawrence has watched football avidly since her first trip to Highbury at the age of six, and has written about it, mostly for the Guardian and the Observer, for twenty years. She lives in London.

From the Inside Flap

There is a gold edition of the Premier League trophy on display inside Arsenal's stadium. It is the only one of its kind.

It was specially commissioned to honour an achievement that has never been done before or since in modern football - an undefeated campaign. Most of the players involved never even touched it, or lifted it, as it was cast as an afterthought. Who, after all, would imagine overcoming every obstacle to complete a 38-game season without loss? Only Arsene Wenger.

Nobody in Arsenal's inner circle took him seriously when he first said it could be done. Yet in 2003-04, a team that played with lightning speed and lustrous skill fulfilled Wenger's lifelong dream. In one season, a special group became invincible.

That group was fascinating for the blend - characters who shared elite qualities but also added idiosyncratic personality to the mix. They pushed and inspired one another. It brought the best out of the likes of Jens Lehmann, a self-styled 'Mad German', Sol Campbell, an intense competitor, Robert Pires, an instant friend if you give him a football, Patrick Vieira, a soft-spoken, battle-hardened captain, Gilberto, a thoughtful Brazilian, Thierry Henry, a supremely gifted and obsessed scorer and creator, Dennis Bergkamp, the perfectionist conductor.

This definitive book is based on their experiences told in exclusive player interviews. Football writer Amy Lawrence, who has reported on Arsenal for more than 25 years, weaves their recollections, as well as the testimonies of other key players and protagonists around the club, to allow them to tell their story. From the battle of Old Trafford to jubilation at White Hart Lane, from training ground sparks to dressing room revelations, readers will go behind closed doors, onto the pitch and into the minds of the players to relive the key games and battles, and to understand the teamwork and the psychology that was fundamental to staying undefeated.

Invincible is also the story of one club's revolution during an era when the game has been transformed. A journey back and forth in time, the book reflects on the scene in the 1970s and 80s, and finishes in the present with a full chapter interview with Arsene Wenger conducted after Arsenal's 2014 FA Cup victory, to put the Invincibles into important historical context.

Full of insight, honesty and humour, this insider's account is not only a must-have read for any Arsenal or football fan, but an enthralling portrait of one of the most extraordinary teams in modern sport.

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 024100456X
• ISBN 13: 9780241004562
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256