Arsenal's Season Overshadowed by Fear of Chelsea Emulating Their Invincible Feat

It’s not just Halloween that’s sending a chill down the spines of Arsenal fans this week. Gunners supporters are gripped by a very real fear that Chelsea could go through a Premier League season unbeaten, as Arsenal did in the 2003/04 season.

The gold trophy that sits in the Emirates Stadium cabinet is a unique emblem of an extraordinary achievement. No side has managed to replicate the season of Arsenal’s "Invincibles" in the modern era. It would be agonising for Arsenal fans if Chelsea could match that remarkable record.

The concern stems from the fact that Chelsea look unstoppable. Some of their toughest tests are already behind them. They’ve visited the Etihad and Old Trafford and escaped without defeat. After the addition of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, they appear markedly better than the rest of the teams in the division. It’s difficult to see where they might come unstuck.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal vs. Burnley, Wenger dampened talk of a "new Invincibles." As noted by the The Sport Review, he said: "Look, there have been nine games [played]. There’s a long way to go. It’s too early."

He is not alone in his reluctance to talk up Chelsea’s prospects of remaining unbeaten. Blues boss Jose Mourinho has trod a similar line, telling Martin Lipton of the Mirror:

"

I don't think we can go through the season without losing.

When Arsenal did it it was something that happened once in a lifetime.

I don't see, in modern football with the competitiveness of this Premier League, one team being champion without a defeat. In my opinion, that will stay in the history as the first—and the last.

"

Cesc Fabregas appears similarly dismissive. In an interview with Sky Sports (h/t Goal.com), he rejected the idea as little more than a "joke:"

"

No, no, this is a joke. This is a joke. There will only be one team who can do that—the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ team of 2003.

I was part of it a little bit at the end and it was a different class team.

I don't think we are there yet, but we're building up a young, talented, solid team and hopefully we can get into the final part of the season with options for winning everything.

"

It’s important to remember the agendas of the parties involved.

Mourinho tends to talk down the potential of his team in order to eliminate pressure. Last season, he spent months insisting his side could not win the league, despite the clear mathematical possibility that they could. Wenger and Mourinho are bitter rivals, and it would give the Portuguese huge satisfaction to match Wenger’s magical campaign of 2003/04. 

Fabregas is also inclined to be diplomatic.

Since joining Chelsea this summer, he has been notably tactful when talking about his former club. Fabregas has already made himself unpopular in north London by moving to Stamford Bridge. Talking openly about the prospect of rivalling the original Invincibles would make him an unparalleled pariah.

Make no mistake: whatever they say outwardly, Chelsea would love to do it.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Wenger is right to say that there’s a long way to go. In the Premier League marathon, there remain many hurdles to be cleared. Sides have got beyond Christmas unbeaten before coming unstuck.

With Chelsea likely to be competing on four fronts in the second half of the season, retaining the level of fitness and focus required to avoid a single defeat may prove impossible.

However, should it come down to it, Arsenal should draw comfort from the fact that they still have a home match against Chelsea to come in April. If Chelsea remain unbeaten at that point, it could effectively become a cup final, with invincibility and immortality at stake.

Arsenal have the security of knowing that protecting their unique status remains in their own hands.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and has been nominated as the best Established Football Blogger at the Football Blog Awards. Click here to vote for him.