Arsenal's "Invincibles" - band of savages with unbelievable success

A former Arsenal player, David Bentley, has opened up about the intense and often volatile atmosphere within Arsene Wenger’s legendary ‘Invincibles’ squad — even recalling a fiery altercation with none other than Thierry Henry during training.

During his 22 years in charge, the French manager presided over one of the most successful periods in Arsenal's history. His teams secured two domestic doubles and, most famously, went unbeaten throughout the 2003-2004 Premier League season.

That early-2000s Arsenal team was stacked with icons: Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, and Martin Keown, to name just a few. But as ex-winger David Bentley shared in a recent podcast interview, the immense quality and ambition of the squad came with an edge — one that sometimes boiled over into physical confrontations after sessions.

Bentley had risen through the club's youth ranks and officially joined the senior squad in 2001. Though he spent loan spells at Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers, his integration into the first team was anything but smooth. The teenage midfielder quickly found himself in a fiercely competitive environment at Arsenal’s Colney training ground.

"You talk about personalities. No chance," Bentley said on the Undr The Cosh podcast. "You've got Ray Parlour - loves it, lunatic, beautiful man. Then you've got Martin Keown, Dennis Bergkamp's an animal - he'd kick the c*** out of everyone. Giovanni van Bronckhorst - I used to come up against him and I’d come away with black eyes and bloodied eyes, he used to elbow the life out of me. Fights. Pascal Cygan against Kolo Toure was the best fight I’ve ever seen on the training ground. Two animals going at each other. To try to break them up we needed the whole team. Vieira stamping on me."

Despite being a youngster surrounded by seasoned internationals, Bentley wasn’t immune to the heated energy himself. He recalled one incident in particular — a showdown with club legend Thierry Henry.

The tension erupted during one of Wenger’s famously competitive seven-a-side training games. Bentley, fueled by the high stakes and adrenaline, didn’t hold back.

"I squared up to Thierry Henry, ripped off my gloves, (said) 'Come on, let’s have it.' What they did - Wenger, (assistant manager) Pat Rice and the coaching staff - was put on seven-a-sides everyday. The dressing room was more concerned about winning the seven-aside tournaments than the game on Saturday. It was hell for leather and it was just slide tackles and fighting. Especially in the last game, that’s where I squared up to Thierry, bless him. I would have got a good hiding as well!"

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Bentley may not have left a lasting legacy at Arsenal like Henry or Vieira, but his story sheds light on the fiery undercurrent that drove Wenger’s men to greatness — a brotherhood forged in both brilliance and battle.