Lauren's lucky charm that helped the Invincibles

Full-back Lauren missed just six games during the 2003/04 Premier League season, having firmly established himself as a major part of the team since joining from Mallorca in the summer of 2000.

The Cameroon international arrived as a midfielder, but soon succeeded the legendary Lee Dixon as our first-choice right-back after being converted to a defender by Arsène Wenger. He came to represent the fighting spirit, mental and physical strength, commitment and work ethic of the squad. Never one to back down from a challenge, he was always the man for the big occasion, with a superb level of consistency in the back four. He was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season for 2003/04.

The 2004 title was one of five major honours he lifted during a six-and-a-half-year career with us, during which he made 241 appearances.

He went on to play for Portsmouth (winning his fourth FA Cup) and after retiring, worked closely with Arsène as technical expert for talent development with FIFA. He remains close with the club though, and during pre-season he travelled with the squad on the tour to the US as an Arsenal ambassador.

We caught up with Lauren to reflect upon that historic season:

Take us back to the start of the season Lauren, can you remember the feeling in the dressing room? How confident were you of having a good season?

We were always confident, every pre-season, but honestly we didn’t look at the whole season. We just looked at the opening game. That’s all we were thinking about. You just have to go game-by-game. Win it, then move to the next one. That’s how we thought. If we were thinking in August about winning the league, or going unbeaten, we might not have done it, as then your eye is taken off your focus.

You had already been very successful for Arsenal going into that season, so did it just feel like an extension of that form?

I had the impression from everyone that we felt like we were the best team. In the tunnel before games I used to be at the back, and I could see the faces of the opponents. You could see they were scared. Before the games even started, you could see that. So we had that confidence, but it wasn’t overconfidence. We knew if we performed well, we could beat anyone. It was down to us.

We obviously had a close rivalry with Man United. That season started with them beating us on penalties in the Community Shield, did that have an effect on the team? 

No, in fact, I don’t even remember that game! Are you sure it was that season? No, that had no effect on us. I remember the games we won more maybe!

We faced them early in the league that season, and it turned out to be pivotal...

We knew it would be massive not to lose there. Whenever we played against United the crucial thing was the small battles all over the pitch. It was 11 v 11, but then it was one v one everywhere. In the middle of the park it was one on one, on the side I had Ryan Giggs and on the other you had Rooney. It was always Neville against Reyes for example, and we had to win all those battles. It was 11 against 11, but individual battles could decide the games. That explains what happened at the end.

What are your memories of what happened at the end of the game?

My main memory is I got a huge fine! I’m still annoyed about that! But that game showed our team spirit. I always say there are three conditions you need to have in a big team, and they are commitment, professionalism and to fight for the badge. That’s what we did that day. Quality and talent, yes you all know the big teams have that – we did and Manchester United did. But you also need to fight for each other. Fight for the flag. If you don’t feel that this is your family, that this is what we are dying together for, then nothing happens. In that season, we had 22 players in the squad and each of us was committed and professional and we all fought for the same goal. Not just the first 11 – every single one of us. We had that, and this game helped bring us even closer together.

You always looked up for the fight, was that toughness something you wanted to bring to the team?

Yes because I didn’t speak too much, and I kept myself quiet, thinking about my own game. But when I stepped on the pitch, I was like a different person. I loved to be under pressure. I loved to see the expectation of the crowd, and when I was on the pitch I was at home. This was my habitat and it’s where I came alive.

You had been in English football for a few years by the time of that 2003/04 season, was that when you were at your peak?

No, I don’t think so, my peak was two years before when we won the double. The best game I ever played as a full-back was against Ryan Giggs when we won the league at Old Trafford in 2002. I had Ryan Giggs in my pocket that day! I tell you, I had a fantastic game that day. That guy was so difficult to play against, up and down the pitch, but that day I had my best ever game. I knew I had to put myself in the best possible condition to play those games.

Back to the Invincibles, and Patrick captained that side, but were there leaders all over the pitch?

Yes, and we were all internationals. When you are a big player in your national team, you have that confidence to come back and be a leader for your club too. You are used to taking responsibility for your country, being important for your team and being a leader. We had that all over the pitch.

What was it like for you as a defender to play in front of Jens Lehmann?

He was great, what I liked about him was his professionalism. Before we used to come back each summer for pre-season, he was already there. I haven’t seen anyone as professional as him. He took it very seriously, had huge discipline, and that German mentality. He was really important for us, a great signing after David Seaman left.

Lots of fans had superstitions and rituals that had to be carried out throughout the whole season, did you have anything like that?

Yes, I had a Spanish coin – an old peseta – that I kept in my shoe always. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I never took it out, and I haven’t done ever since. I’ve had it in my shoe every single day, and it’s still there. It’s my lucky coin that obviously means a lot to me.

We wrapped up the title at White Hart Lane in 2004, what are your memories of that day?

They were celebrating a draw! It was so funny, because we still won the league. If I’m honest, at that moment in the game, I didn’t know a draw was enough for us. Maybe some of the players did, but I wasn’t aware. I was annoyed when they scored, we wanted to win, but in the end it didn’t matter. That was enough to win the league, and we had our celebrations on the pitch, but then I was thinking about the next game. We still had four games to go, and if you ask me if I was thinking about an unbeaten season at that moment, then no. Maybe some of the lads were, but honestly, as far as I was concerned, I didn’t think about anything until the last game.

That last game was at home to Leicester, what were your emotions at full-time? 

Something so special I can’t tell you. That day at Highbury was just unbelievable. My seat in the dressing room at Highbury was next to Ashley Cole, next to the window that looked out into the street where all the fans were. You could feel the crowd two or three hours before the game. If you could not feel that energy from the fans, then you are not a football player. They gave you everything you needed to perform, and that day when we won was amazing. When the referee blew the final whistle against Leicester, I felt a big relief, but then you look all around you and you see everybody was sharing a huge happiness. You see everybody so happy, everybody cheering. It’s an amazing memory.

Did you feel that achievement was the culmination of your Arsenal career?

I didn’t leave until January 2007, but I got an injury after that Invincibles season, and something started to change at that time. Patrick left in 2005, Dennis left in 2006. That side started to break up, and it was a big shock to the team when Patrick left. Something changed. Until then, we were all driving in the same direction, all looking for the same targets. But then some players were looking more at their own aims, maybe the Champions League or a new challenge. Everybody had their own motivation and that’s why some left. I believe that had we won the Champions League, then things wouldn’t have changed, and that team would have remained together longer.

Are you still close with the other Invincibles?

Yes, we are in a WhatsApp group and we speak a lot. I live in Seville, so I don’t see everyone that often, but we will always have a bond, and I’m very proud of that.