Arsene Wenger has been hugely successful in his two decades at the helm at Arsenal. Three league titles, multiple FA Cup trophies and he has unearthed some of the most talented players to play in the Premier League. Yet, he comes under constant pressure over his lack of recent success.
It feels like Arsenal are undergoing another crisis point, which is fast becoming one of the last signs of Winter ending and Spring beginning. Wednesday night's 5-1 defeat in the UEFA Champions League to Bayern Munich was a new low for the Frenchman. He looked lost and dazed on the touchline at the Allianz Arena as he team crumbled in the second half before his very eyes.
On Monday night, he takes his team, minus Alexis Sanchez who has returned to Chile for a week-break to non-league Sutton United for an FA Cup fifth round encounter that he surely can't lose.
Despite the sceptics and the critics, Wenger has achieved so much in his 20 years in the dugout of the Gunners. Here, I pick out six of his most memorable matches.
Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur (PL) - November 1996
Wenger had never seen a North London derby but he quickly realised the intensity of these matches. It looked set for a 1-1 draw before late goals from skipper Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp ensured Arsenal won 3-1. Tottenham have beaten them occasionally since but in the league standings, you have to go back to 1995 (before Wenger's time) to see Spurs finishing above Arsenal in the final league reckoning.
Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal (PL) - March 1998
Nine points behind but with games in-hand on Manchester United, this was Arsenal's big chance to close the gap. They took it at Old Trafford to complete a league double over the Red Devils. Marc Overmars scored the Gunners' first-ever goal at the Theatre of Dreams in the Premier League era.
They didn't drop another point between this result and wrapping up the title infront of their home fans at Highbury seven weeks later.
Arsenal 4-2 Liverpool FC (PL) - April 2004
This incredible Arsenal team were still unbeaten in the Premier League but were being asked some serious questions. They had been dumped out of two cup competitions in six days by Manchester United and Chelsea.
When Liverpool FC went 2-1 ahead at half-time, was this the moment that 'The Invincibles' would lose their record? Not so. Step forward Thierry Henry with a breathtaking hat-trick. Another momentous hurdle had been cleared.
Arsenal 2-1 Leicester City (PL) - May 2004
Maybe it was in the script that Arsenal would fall behind in this match. Ex-Gunner Paul Dickov headed already relegated Leicester City into the lead at the interval. Wenger's team were on the verge of making history and they bounced back in the second half. Henry's penalty and Patrick Vieira's close-range finish secured Arsenal's place in the record books. They became the first team since Preston North End in the 1880s to go through an entire top-flight campaign unbeaten.
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal (UCL) - February 2006
Bereft of form and injuries to many leading stars, surely Arsenal had no chance against the Galactico stars of Real Madrid that included Figo, Beckham, Zidane and Raul? Thierry Henry had other ideas. He scored a brilliant solo goal early in the second half and the scoreline could have been more but for Iker Casillas. This was Arsenal's greatest result in the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (FA Cup) - May 2014
After the 2005 FA Cup final win, there were no trophies in nine seasons for Arsenal and it was starting to become a common joke. Jose Mourinho even called Wenger "A specialist in failure!" They met Hull City in the FA Cup final and made a ghastly start, going 2-0 down inside 10 minutes.
It was to be the Gunners' day though in this end-to-end battle. Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny pulled the game back to 2-2, before Aaron Ramsey won the match in extra-time. At last, the trophy drought was over for the fans.
