Arsenal: Arsene Wenger's 7 Greatest Accomplishments with the Club

Where to begin with the man who ushered in the most dominant period in Arsenal history?

Maybe with his actual beginning with the club.

In 1996, Arsene Wenger was a relative unknown to the world of football.

If you followed Ligue 1 with any frequency, you'd likely have heard his name bandied about as a manager to follow for the future, however.

His success in the French top division—Ligue 1 title in 1987-88, French Cup in 1991 with Monaco, was impressive.

Before you knew it, though, he was off to Japan where, of course, he continued to win.

Emperor's Cup, J-League Super Cup—both were acquired by M. Wenger while managing Nagoya Grampus.

Those kinds of accolades were all well and good, but when it was announced that he'd be taking over at Arsenal, doubts surfaced.

After all, Wenger had never coached in the English Premier League. How would he fare in an entirely new environment—one whose game is considered the most physical and fast-paced in the world?

Wenger instantly set to bed any doubts about his ability to man the Arsenal helm after taking over on Sept. 30, 1996 from caretaker manager Pat Rice.

He would keep Rice on as his top assistant, a position that he keeps to this day.

The native Alsacien wasted little time in getting settled in North London.

By the end of his first season in charge, Wenger had led Arsenal to a third-place finish and Champions League football for 1997-98, a feat Wenger has accomplished in each season he's managed Arsenal.

The headline used by The Daily Standard upon his arrival: "Arsene Who?" was quickly swept aside by his current of success.

Maybe it became something along the lines of "Arsene Knew." Who knows.

Wenger made revolutionary changes at Arsenal, completely changing the framework of a club that had long been considered "boring," bringing in players such as Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit early on, and completely changing dietary habits.

But that offers just a cursory glance at his overall effect on the club. Perhaps no other side in world football (well, there's that Scot who manages a certain Manchester club) has been molded in such an irreversible way.

They have taken on the philosophy Wenger wished to extend: One that plays attractive attacking football predicated on fluid passing and movement.

Here are seven of Wenger's greatest achievements at Arsenal.

The 2003-04 Invincibles Season

Might as well start at the pinnacle, no?

In doing what just one other side in English history had ever done—and they only played 18 games as opposed to Arsenal's 38—the Gunners forever etched their names into Premier League history.

Other teams have attempted the feat in the seasons since—Manchester United had a good run recently—but they have always succumbed to the odd loss.

It is, then, perhaps the greatest testament to Wenger's time at Arsenal that he was able to field such a well-balanced, nuanced and effective side.

From defense to attack, there were few teams more potent than Arsenal that season.

Two-Time Winner of the Double

The first came during his first full season at the helm, the second, three campaigns later.

The 1997-98 Gunners boasted the likes of resolute captain Tony Adams, who was joined by Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould and Lee Dixon in an unflappable defense.

Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit were brought in on transfers before the season, joining Patrick Veira and Dennis Bergkamp in forming a heralded attacking threat.

Ian Wright was still hammering in goals (he had 11) alongside the Dutchman Bergkamp, who notched 22 strikes on the season.

Even a fledgling Nicolas Anelka chipped in nine strikes that season.

Despite finding themselves 11 points down to Manchester United during the season, the Gunners embarked upon a furious charge and helped their manager become the third-ever non-English manager to accomplish the domestic double (Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish were the others).

Weeks after sealing the league title, Arsenal were on their way to FA Cup triumph. It was theirs after a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at Wembley.

Wenger was named FA Premier League Manager of the Year, and Bergkamp grabbed Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year accolades.

The Frenchman had not brought Bergkamp in—that honor belonged to his predecessor at the managerial helm, George Graham—but he did preside over the Dutchman's prime as a footballer.

And what glory years they were.

Three seasons later, Arsenal used a 13-match unbeaten run to seal the Premier League title, an honor which was made all the sweeter given that it came in the wake of the Gunners' FA Cup triumph against Chelsea—a 2-0 match in which Freddie Ljungberg (pictured) had scored.

And the fact the the EPL crown was clinched at Old Trafford against United, the team that had bested Arsenal for the league title since 1997-98 made it an honor as sweet as English jam.

Now we had an Arsenal featuring Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord, Nwankwo Kanu and Robert Pires and Ljungberg in attack, backed by a solid defense manned once again by the unflappable Adams, who would retire at the end of the season.

Implementing a Revolutionary Philosophy

The winning enjoyed by Arsenal players and fans alike during Wenger's term at the club has not come by accident.

Wenger embedded his philosophy upon taking over in North London and implemented a number of restrictions, not to mention novel training methods. (Wenger is a noted proponent of five-a-side games in training.)

Out went established ineffective eating habits and propensities to indulge in alcohol every now and then. In came restrictions, developed while Wenger was managing in Japan.

As Wenger himself once put it, "Why spend a whole week training only to throw it away on the weekend?"

Alcohol is known to be a deterrent to muscle recovery, after all.

You can't argue with his system when it breeds the kind of results seen over the years.

Developing Young Talent

It's an impressive model—building a side through youth development rather than transfer market binges on established stars—but like all experiments, Arsene Wenger's policy has its fair share of detractors.

Still, you can't deny that the man has brought along some wonderfully skilled players.

A healthy number of Arsenal first-teamers were brought up in the Arsenal academy, but most were bought as teenagers from rival sides—a transfer ploy that allows Wenger to buy potential stars on the (relative) cheap, and see them into their primes.

In the case of Cesc Fabregas or Aaron Ramsey, they were bought on the (relatively) cheap, and brought in during their mid-teens.

Even Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Theo Walcott, both brought in from Southampton as teenagers, arrived after Wenger forked over a sizable sum, but they certainly cost much less than than they would have at age 23 or 24.

Wenger has not shied away from playing youth—which has become his calling card. Remember this Nike commercial? Who better than Wenger to use as a manager seeking untapped talent.

Fabregas cracked the first team in 2005 at the tender age of 18, and plenty of others have seen consistent time in the starting XI over the years.

It is a system that has become as synonymous with the club image as the cannon on the crest, and the nickname the latter elicits. If you're good enough, you will play.

Arsenal always have an abundance of very good youngsters, and they are often given the chance to prove their mettle in the fires of top competition.

Just look at how Jack Wilshere got his chance at the first-team last season. Like Fabregas, he was only 18. Ramsey began cracking the first unit before he turned 20 as well.

And just like Fabregas, both became instant hits.

One thinks that the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joel Campbell and Ryo Miyaichi are next.

Sticking to His Guns in the Transfer Market

His tendency to dismiss fan appeals to spend on star players as unreasonable can rankle even the most resolute among us.

But the French manager has helped keep Arsenal in the clear over the years due to his reticence to spend for the sake of spending.

"Spending money is not the target," Wenger once said. "It has never been in life."

Just this year, Arsenal announced a £49.5 million profit from March-September 2010, a sum aided by the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri (who accounted for £41.5 million between them).

The cash reserves in London Colney are now up to £115.2 million. Now, that sum has led to even more fans clamoring for money to spent on players in an effort to end Arsenal's near-seven year trophy drought, but being in the clear is certainly more enjoyable than being in the red.

Whatever one's feelings on Wenger's wheelings and dealings, it cannot be discounted that he has not kowtowed and spent lavishly on players. That has allowed Arsenal to remain debt free.

Transforming Talented Youngsters into World-Class Stars

Besides Henry's sweet now-retro Nike kicks, this picture heralded the rather inauspicious beginnings for Thierry Henry at Arsenal.

He had been poached from Juventus—Carlo Ancelotti was managing the Turin side at the time—for a trifle, an underperforming winger who was on the fast track into his 20s.

But under Wenger, the winger became the scourge of the English Premier League and a player widely considered to be the greatest ever to grace its pitches.

Who knows what Wenger saw to convince him that Henry could make the switch from the wing to forward. But whatever it was, worked.

That was seen again in 2004, when Wenger brought in Robin van Persie. Then considered a petulant talent, the Dutchman has become one of the world's best—a fitting replacement (finally) to the goal glut left by the French striker's departure in 2007.

Moving into the Emirates

It officially opened for business on July 22, 2006, seven years on from when the idea for the stadium was first pitched.

Its first game, fittingly enough, saw off Dennis Bergkamp's Arsenal career during a testimonial match.

Since then, the Emirates has become one of the most recognizable stadiums around the globe. And it's still just some five years old.

Fifty percent of the revenue generated by the club comes through the Emirates gates, no small change when you're talking about 60,000 seats.

Highbury will always be remembered for the numerous titles brought in during the time the Gunners played there, but the Emirates will (knocks on wood) hopefully see far more silverware.