Arsenal's Invincibles' record halfway through season as Arteta's side outdo them

In the eyes of many Arsenal fans, the Invincibles - as they are fondly remembered - are the greatest team in Premier League history.

Arsene Wenger's iconic side - which included the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp, Ashley Cole, Gilberto Silva, Sol Campbell and Patrick Vieira - did not lose a single league game during the 2003/04 season.

The only other English team to ever achieve that feat were the great Preston side of 1888/89... and that was only a 22-game campaign. It's no surprise Wenger's Class of '04 are so revered - but are the current crop of players under Mikel Arteta actually better?

That's a fair argument, in truth. Arsenal have won 15 and drawn two of their 18 Premier League fixtures this term. Their only defeat was a 3-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in September. The two teams meet again at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon.

If Arsenal win their upcoming fixture - although there are no guarantees in the Premier League - they will have 50 points from their first 19 fixtures this season (i.e. the first half). The Gunners would be on course to achieve a whopping 100 points.

Only one team has achieved a century of points during the Premier League era: Manchester City five years ago. Furthermore, only four teams have collected 50 points at the halfway mark: Chelsea in 2004/05 (52 points), City in 2017/18 (55), Liverpool in 2018/19 (51) and Liverpool in 2019/20 (52).

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Eagle-eyed readers will notice the Invincibles are missing, as they picked up 45 points from their first 19 fixtures in 2003/04 - winning 14, drawing six and, of course, losing none. They were also second in the table - sitting one point behind leaders United.

So, even if Arsenal lose to Erik ten Hag's side on Sunday afternoon, they will still have a better record at the halfway mark than the Invincibles. The Class of '23 must be decent.

How Invincibles compare with Arteta's all-stars

Let's take a closer look at Arsenal's 2003/04 Premier League campaign. Wenger's side made a brilliant start to the term by winning their first four league fixtures. Remind you of anyone? Arteta's team won their first five league outings this season.

Furthermore, the Invincibles were very good at grinding out results in the Premier League. They held United to a goalless draw - a match that's remembered as the 'Battle of Old Trafford' - and achieved narrow wins against Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and others.

In fact, Arsenal won eight league games by a one-goal margin during the first half of the season - including a 1-0 victory against Southampton at St Mary's in their 19th fixture. But they were also capable of big wins - such as their 4-1 triumph at Leeds.

The current Arsenal team can be just as resilient and destructive, however. They've achieved five one-goal league wins during the first half of this season - including their 3-2 triumph against pre-season title candidates Liverpool and 1-0 away victory against Chelsea. Furthermore, they've dismantled Tottenham twice and hammered Nottingham Forest 5-0.

One thing that will concern Arsenal fans is they still have to travel to Anfield and St James' Park. They must also face City twice - which is undoubtedly their biggest concern - and emulate the relentlessness of Wenger's greatest Arsenal team.

Although the Invincibles started the New Year behind United, they eased to the Premier League title by winning nine consecutive games between January and March, a run that included a 2-1 victory at Chelsea. Arsenal's longest winning run this season is five games.

It's perhaps more important to put together winning runs in this era because of the competitiveness of the Premier League. The likes of City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all won titles in recent years by going on ridiculous runs. For example, City won 18 consecutive league games during the 2017/18 campaign. There's a chance they could do that again.

If Arteta's players are going to join the Invincibles in the gallery of Arsenal greats, they must be ruthless during the second half of the season - when Premier League titles are really won. Sunday afternoon's game against United will say a lot about Arsenal's character.