It’s many things. It’s a style, an attitude. It’s a grace, an impudence, a gallic flair. It’s instant control, a side-footed finish, and a shrug of celebration. And what is more, it’s back. As of today, for a period of six to eight weeks, Arsenal will once more be able to call on the greatest player in their history. Thierry Henry has returned.
In his first spell at the club, Henry netted a record 226 goals in 370 games. This time, he could play a maximum of ten times, starting with tonight’s FA Cup tie at home to Leeds.
If you’re in the ground tonight, savour it. If you’ve not yet got a ticket, grab one. Take your kids; take your grandchildren. In ten, twenty, even fifty years time they will be able to say they saw Thierry Henry in an Arsenal shirt.
In his pomp, Henry was the most exciting athlete I’ve seen on the Premier League stage. He combined the electric pace of a sprinter with balletic poise, and an incredible imagination with deceptive physical power. After arriving as a peripheral and shot-shy winger, he evolved in to Europe’s most stylish goalscorer. But you already knew that. The story has become myth, and the man a living legend.
Some have bemoaned Henry’s return, disappointed that the club have elected for a short-term option, and fearing that the player could tarnish his legacy. I can’t find room for such cynicism. The signing is clearly a practical measure. The African Cup of Nations has left us with a scarcity of strikers, and most of our primary targets are unavailable in this window. As Arsene Wenger has repeatedly insisted, the opportunity to take someone with Henry’s class on loan is simply too good to turn down.
And class, let’s remember, is permanent. Henry himself admits he’s not the same player. He’s not expecting to skip through gears and defenders with the same ease or regularity he did in his first spell. But if a chance is to fall in the box, I’d still rather it was to Thierry than any other of our attacking options – with the obvious exception of Robin van Persie. And the idea that anything that happens in the next two months could damage his extraordinary achievements in the past are absurd. It will take more than a few underwhelming cameos to shift his bronze immortalization from the stadium concourse.
I don’t expect miracles. But I do expect more great memories, starting with the roar of the crowd when he takes to the field tonight.
On the pitch, Henry often seemed to be able to write his own scripts. He himself could not have penned a better fixture list for his two month renaissance. The opportunity to compete in Premier League, FA Cup and Europe, with ties at home to Manchester United and away at the San Siro. There is even an option for a glorious farewell in one of the most hotly-contested North London derbies for years.
An Arsenal career that spans three decades is entering its final phase. The long goodbye begins tonight. Turn the page, enter the final chapter, and savour every moment. This is The Return of The King. Â Prepare to pay homage.
I don’t, like Arsene Wenger, blame the referee for our defeat at Fulham. Â Nor do I blame the Fulham players who targeted a player struggling on a booking: I would hope Arsenal would do exactly the same thing. Â I don’t blame Johan Djorou for being sent off, or Francis Coquelin for being out of position when Bobby Zamora volleyed home the winner. Â When you line-up with two out-of-position players in your back four, you have to accept there is a chance you’ll be punished defensively. Â Instead, you need to make the most of your attacking opportunities. Â And that, I believe, is where Arsenal fell down.
Let me start by saying that Robin van Persie is exempt from criticism. Â He has been outstanding this season and the fact he went a single game without a goal cannot possibly be held against him. Â But on the days when he doesn’t score, it is even more vital that the players around him take advantage of any time and space afforded to them. Â For my money, the other two members of the front three, Theo Walcott and Gervinho, are currently not doing enough.
Both players are quick and have reasonably intelligent movement, so inevitably find themselves receiving the ball in promising positions. Â All too often of late, however, their final ball or decision-making has not been up to scratch. Â In Theo’s case, I feel his confidence has dipped slightly. Â He’s talking up the number of assists he provides for Robin van Persie, and rightly so, but when played through one-on-one against QPR he seemed to be more interested in trying to square for his Dutch mate than finishing the simple chance right in front of him. Â He seems to be in danger of contracting Hlebitis.
And then there is Gervinho. Â I’ve watched the Ivorian winger with intrigue over his first few months in England. Â I’m conscious of how long some foreign players can take to settle, and have been hoping some of the inconsistencies in his game would iron themselves out over these winter months. Â It does not seem so. Â Already in his short Arsenal career he has produced enough outrageous misses to banish any memories of Nicklas Bendtner’s private collection of howlers. Â His decision-making is erratic and his final ball variable. Â He reminds me of the old adage about Andy Cole: he would always score, but he’d need five opportunities to do so. Â Gervinho occasionally produces vital contributions, but in the meantime so many simpler chances to make the difference pass by the wayside. Â His defenders will point to his stats (4 Premier League goals and 5 assists), but some of those assists simply hit Gervinho on their way to the goal. Â They were far from deliberate.
I’ve not given up on him and I see the value he brings to the team in terms of his work-rate and interchanging of positions. Â But were he and Theo more effective in the final third, we would have been out of sight against Fulham by half-time.
If Thierry Henry is to be available to face Leeds on Monday, his registration needs to be completed by lunchtime tomorrow. Â It cannot come soon enough. Â The combined goal tally of Walcott, Gervinho, and Aaron Ramsey (who has played right behind Robin, almost as a number 10) barely reaches double figures. Â It is less than half of RVP’s total. Â Anyone who can add some much needed confidence and quality to our attacking play is very welcome indeed.
I know you’re not half as quick as you used to be, but hurry up Thierry. Â We’re waiting.
Happy New Year, Gooners. Â It’s rare that I will dedicate an entire post to a Youtube video, but in this instance I thought it best to honour Robin van Persie’s remarkable 2011 by showing you this beautiful film by armirvp88.
I’m aware that since I last posted we have played and beat QPR, with RVP scoring the final goal of his extraordinary year. However, without seeing anything more than a few highlights I don’t feel best placed to analyse the game. It was nice to see an assist from Andrey Arshavin, although I firmly expect him to be back on the bench at Fulham this evening.
A second London derby inside two days is a big ask, but after a weekend in which all the results went our way, spirits should be high. And if the scores didn’t cheer you up, this almost certainly will.
“For two months it certainly will happen. I don’t take care of the agreement and insurance and that is not completed.
We cannot announce anything [now] because the paperwork is not done.”
Only Arsenal fans could greet the probable return their record goalscorer and arguably greatest ever player with anything approaching dismay. Â I remember when Liverpool signed a washed-up, overweight Robbie Fowler in January 2006 and heartily heralded the return of “God”. Â Arsenal fans seem comparatively nonplussed.
I understand why. Â Whatever state he might be in, Henry can only come in for a maximum of two months, and after February we’ll be back to relying on Park and Chamakh. Â Head over to arseblog.com and listen to today’s arsecast, where you’ll hear me discuss my desire for Arsene to bring in someone who can bring in someone who can provide legitimate and long-term support for Robin van Persie.
Let me just briefly collude with the critics and say that given a straight choice, I’d probably rather take Lukasz Podolski for four years than Thierry Henry for two months. Â However, the decision to bring in Thierry suggests that Arsene feels his primary targets are not going to be available in January. Â There is no point replacing his already substandard attacking options with another substandard player.
However Thierry’s physical condition may have degraded, he is still Thierry Henry. Â You have to remember that in electing to come back, the player himself has everything to lose and nothing to gain. Â Is that a risk he would take if he felt he was genuinely past it? Â I suspect not. Â In my time as an Arsenal fan, I have never seen a player so image conscious. Â Everything – his interviews, his transfer flirtations, even his celebrations – were expertly stage-managed. Â It was as much his intelligence off the pitch, as well as his brilliance on it, that helped make him a living legend at Arsenal. Â Over the past few years, he has had many opportunities for the perfect goodbye, including that emotional appearance as a Red Bulls player at the Emirates Cup this summer. Â A player so conscious of his own legacy would not dare jeopardise that by coming back only to depart with a whimper. Â If he’s coming back, it’s because he believes he can make one last, lasting contribution.
I was fortunate enough to be stood just yards away when Henry broke down in tears at the unveiling of a statue in his honour just a couple of weeks ago. Â As he composed himself, the fans around me burst in to song: “Arsene – sign him up”.
Arsene was listening, and he has. Â The King is returning. Â Fire off the 14-cannon salute, and for God’s sake, smile.
‘Tis the season to be jolly. And then less so. Arsenal have just completed a festive sandwich of fixtures. On the one side, a wholesome and thoroughly rewarding victory away to Aston Villa. On the other, a rather stale draw at home to Wolves. In the middle, of course, was a big fat Christmas. Hope you had a great one, wherever you are and whatever you might be celebrating.
Alex McCleish is the enemy of football. Anyone who watched our game against them on Wednesday last will surely concur. This man must be stopped: he seems to suck the joy out of any club he takes over. His Villa are a horrendous side – seemingly as dull on the eye as the Birmingham City team he led to relegation last season. On Boxing Day, Sky sought to outdo Scrooge himself by screening just one game: Stoke vs. Aston Villa. It was apocalyptically bad.
Yossi Benayoun deserves more opportunities. His headed winner at Villa Park was a rare example of an Arsenal player coming off the bench and making a genuine different to the game. Supporters are tired of seeing the uninspiring sight of Marouane Chamakh or Andrey Arshavin preparing to take to the field. Benayoun guarantees hard work and, of late, real quality. His display at home to Wolves was another example of what he can offer the side.
Arsenal were denied by Hennessey’s brilliance rather than their own incompetence. A point at home to Wolves is a frustrating result, particularly when the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have both dropped points in similar circumstances, but on this occasion I think arseblog has it right: we have to offer congratulations to an outstanding performance by the goalkeeper rather than blame ourselves. These freakish results will occasionally occur – it’s only when they become regular that there is genuine cause for concern.
Four points from Villa and Wolves is not a bad return. If we go on to beat QPR and Fulham, which is not an unrealistic target, 10 points from 12 available will look even healthier.
Whisper it quietly, but Spurs don’t look likely to collapse anytime soon. Whilst of course we ought to try and pursue and overhaul them, I’m increasingly of the belief that the real battle for Champions League qualification is between us and Chelsea, and for fourth rather than third place. Spurs look very strong indeed, and I don’t perceive Liverpool to have the strength in depth to mount a sustained challenge – particularly in light of Luis Suarez’s ban.
Thierry Henry could be the best available option to strengthen the squad.
Of course there are better strikers out there than a 34-year old who plies his trade in the MLS, but how many of them are available in January? Very few. It’s not worth investing millions of pounds in a substandard player who will make a limited impact – you could argue we’ve already done that with Chu-Young Park. Bringing in Henry would give us a viable option from the bench as well as providing a lift to everyone at the club. If it happens, however, it’d have to be soon. No point waiting to look at other options until the end of January then letting Henry go back to the states after a fortnight.
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Right. The next game is QPR at home on New Year’s Eve, after which we’ll be able to put a very rocky 2011 to bed.
