Arsenal had an amazing ritual before every match during their 2003/04 season to intimidate the opposition before the game.
The Gunners won the title that season, completing the campaign unbeaten in what was their last Premier League title win. Speaking to FourFourTwo on the 20th anniversary of the Invincibles, former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has shared a story about the presence that side had pre-match.
“During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, I hosted an evening with our [then-]three former Brazilian players, Edu, Sylvinho and Gilberto Silva,” Dein says. “Arsene was there, I was sitting next to Gilberto and I said to him, ‘Gilberto, tell me about the Invincibles.’
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“He actually stood up and told me how they’d all stand in the tunnel before the game. The tunnel at the old Highbury was pretty narrow; all of the Arsenal boys in one line, the opposition in another.
“There was a ritual. There was always the same order: at the front, Patrick would turn around to Jens and give him a nod. Jens did it to Dennis, Dennis did it to Thierry, Thierry did it to Lauren, Lauren did it to Sol, and so on. It was almost choreographed as if to say, ‘We’re going to do this’ – and they’d look at the opposition and sense fear in their eyes.
“They gave themselves inner strength when they went out.”
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