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Foreign legion

Arsene Wenger fielded an Arsenal team without an Englishman in the starting line-up for the 149th time – 27 more than the rest of the Premier League combined

The Gunners boss is famed for giving a chance to youth players in his squad, but also has a reputation for favouring foreign individuals

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FOR the 149th time in the top-flight, Arsenal lined up without an Englishman in their starting line-up in the 2-1 win over Burnley.

Unbelievably, that is a whopping 27 more than the rest of the Premier League clubs COMBINED.

 Arsene Wenger has often favoured foreign players over English footballers
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Arsene Wenger has often favoured foreign players over English footballersCredit: PA:Press Association
 Alexis Sanchez has emerged as Arsenal's main man as he scored yet again against Burnley
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Alexis Sanchez has emerged as Arsenal's main man as he scored yet again against BurnleyCredit: Reuters
 Sanchez scored a glorious chipped penalty deep into injury time
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Sanchez scored a glorious chipped penalty deep into injury timeCredit: Reuters

Arsene Wenger's latest team selection gifted the Gunners all three points, as a late Alexis Sanchez penalty lifted the North London club up to second place.


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It was back in 2005 when the Premier League witnessed the first all-foreign match day squad, as Arsenal cruised to a 5-1 thumping against Crystal Palace.

The team-sheet consisted of eight different nationalities, with six Frenchman, three Spaniards and two Dutch players.

 Thierry Henry starred in the win against Crystal Palace in 2005
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Thierry Henry starred in the win against Crystal Palace in 2005Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
 This game was the first time Wenger fielded an all foreign line-up
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This game was the first time Wenger fielded an all foreign line-upCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
 The 2-1 win over Burnley lifted the Gunners up to second place
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The 2-1 win over Burnley lifted the Gunners up to second placeCredit: Getty Images

However, the first team to field an all foreign line-up was Chelsea way back in 1999, Gianluca Vialli leaving the likes of John Terry, Jody Morris, Jon Harley and Mark Nicholls on the bench.

Three England internationals were left on the bench by Wenger when they faced the Clarets - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been in-and-out of the starting 11, while Kieran Gibbs has failed to establish himself as Arsenal's first choice left-back.

Danny Welbeck is still being treated cautiously by the 67-year-old as he gets back to match fitness after being hampered by a knee problem.

In 2009, Arsenal again were involved in league history when they faced Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

For the first ever time, the match featured both sides not fielding any English players, however Craig Eastmond and Scott Brown both came on as late substitutes.

Wenger has been known to give youth players their chance in the side, sacrificing the League Cup to give players their chance, but the stats do show that he favours foreign footballers over Englishmen.

If the former Monaco manager names an unchanged team for the third straight game against Watford, they will reach a milestone of 150 games.

The Gunners sit in second place in the table, eight points behind runaway leaders Chelsea.

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