Arsenal Dream Team: No 2 Lee Dixon

Its time to unveil the Arsenal Dream Team. This summer we asked the fans to choose their all-time XI and we got a tremendous response. More than 12,000 teams were submitted as supporters all around the world had their say. There were only two rules: no current players could be included and the formation would be a traditional 4-4-2. That gave the fans a difficult task - how would they fit their favourite players into the side and find the perfect blend? Well reveal the Dream Team position by position, resuming today with a right back who was selected in 58 per cent of the submitted line-ups. NO 2 LEE DIXON Right back Appearances: 619 Goals: 28 With four titles, three FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup to his name, Lee Dixon is one of the most decorated footballers in Arsenal's history. He was also one of the most reliable and that makes him a perfect addition to our Dream Team. It's rare that a player moves from the lower leagues to a top-four club these days - Carl Jenkinson is the exception not the rule - but that wasn't the case in the 1980s and Dixon made the leap with distinction. Signed from Stoke by George Graham, he became a vital cog in the defensive machine that helped secure titles in 1989 and 1991. Dixon was a tough opponent. Though hardly a man-mountain he could tackle fiercely, his positional awareness was second-to-none and he relished a physical battle. Just ask David Ginola - how Dixon would love him to be his direct opponent if our Dream Team ever took to the field. It wasn't all about defending though. Dixon was an energetic overlapping full-back too, linking up well with David Rocastle, Paul Merson and Freddie Ljungberg at different stages of his Arsenal career. He scored the odd goal too - one screamer at Chelsea springs to mind - and had the guts to take on penalty duties before Ian Wright joined the Club. Our all-time XI will have plenty of consistent performers but perhaps none as trustworthy as Dixon. He was rarely spectacular but every team needs solidity and pragmatism and the right back showed that in spades over his 619 appearances. Oh, and if the Arsenal Dream Team ever needed to win by two goals to snatch the league title from, let's say, a Merseyside club, there's no one better for belting an accurate long pass to the centre forward to help set up the decisive goal. WHAT THEY SAID "When I first switched to full back I spoke to Lee Dixon because he played in that position for 15 years and knows so much. I wanted to know about the movement that is needed and the positions that you have to take up and he was really helpful. Whenever I asked him for advice he would talk to me and help me." - Lauren, who succeeded Dixon as Arsenal's right back. "We all know the esteem in which Herbert Chapman is held but I don't think anybody has achieved what Arsne has. He was the inspiration behind the training facilities; his input into the Emirates and the success on the field is just unequalled. And he's a nice bloke as well." Dixon on Arsne Wenger. LEE DIXON AT ARSENAL Competition League FA Cup League Cup Champions League Totals Appearances 439+19 52+2 45 57 598+21 Goals 25 1 0 2 28

[Thursday, June 23, 2011]

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