Arsenal: Martin Keown says Gunners ‘attack like Invincibles and defend like class of 97-98’

The teams I won the top flight with in 1998, 2002 and 2004 all have something in common with Arteta’s current side: they all suffered from not winning something.

In 1998, we went six years without a title. In 2002 this happened after we had finished second to Manchester United for three years running and again before the 2004 ‘Invincibles’ season.

This team has finished second for three seasons in a row and it’s a collective thing, the energy that comes out of losses, you get to the stage where you’re so furious and so motivated to try to win.

We were told we were second as a group because we always finished second behind Manchester United.

This creates an internal feeling of “over my dead body, this won’t happen again, we’re going to make sure we win this.” I see all the similarities with this group.

The mentality changes when you see other teams winning trophies and everyone else winning silverware, and the one thing you don’t have is the same feeling of celebration that comes at the end of any success. These first photos, they are not there yet.

You’re not going to stop until that changes, until the trophies start coming through the door.

It’s kind of galvanizing and I see it all now. It’s like a fight breaks out, and three people show up to the fight.

This may not be the right terminology to use, but you are never alone. You never look around and think, “I’m in trouble here.” There is always someone who supports you because they all have the same mentality, the same state of mind.

Two or three years ago I thought we were back in the fight. Arteta has this fight against Arsenal. It was gone, that DNA was gone and since Mikel came in, he’s done a magnificent job of changing the culture.

I think there was an internal fight for places that pushed everyone to bring a little extra to add to the mix.

Gabriel seems like a leader. Declan Rice looks like a leader. I think Gyokeres looks like a character. You want personality. You want character.

I remember the dressing room under Wenger and the top of that group – there was such an aura around the group, and there were so many leaders.

I can’t decide between Sol Campbell and Tony Adams, Lauren or Lee Dixon. It’s like asking me to choose between brothers and sisters. All I can tell you is that each of them was affected by the other, and they all took over this mood, this mood and this behavior.

Some people, like maybe Nwankwo (Kanu), only spoke occasionally, but when he did, everyone listened because it really had an impact. I probably would have been more vocal than most. Everyone spoke. Everyone cared.