Rarely has an Arsenal defensive duo shown the physical and mental
strength of Sol Campbell and Tony Adams so it’s fitting that the pair
will resume their partnership in our all-time XI.
During his first season at the Club, having crossed the North London
divide from Tottenham, Campbell thrived alongside the outward-bound
Adams at the heart of the Arsenal back four.
The Dream Team now has two inspirational leaders, who captained both club and country, as the bedrock of the side.
After that short trip down the Seven Sisters Road, Campbell grew into
one of the game’s finest centre backs. He was impregnable at times,
even when he made a daunting return to White Hart Lane with his new club
for the first time.
Campbell was strong but he was also athletic. His bludgeoning power
and fearsome frame worked in tandem with fast-moving feet. And there
was, strangely for a man of his build, serenity in the way he carried
himself too.
He was never willing to throw in the towel and often appeared visibly
hurt in defeat - characteristics that endeared him to the fans and
earned him a place ahead of Martin Keown, David O’Leary and Steve Bould
in the Dream Team.
A ‘super rock’ according to Arsène Wenger, Campbell was a lynchpin in
the ‘Invincibles’ side of 2003/04, a campaign in which the Gunners
conceded just 26 goals.
His resoluteness, alongside Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon,
make our all-time XI’s back four a frightening prospect for even the
most potent of strikeforces.
NO 5 SOL CAMPBELL
Centre back
Appearances: 211
Goals: 12
Selected in 80 per cent of teams
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar