When I last filed an entry on this blog, Arsenal had just beaten at home by Manchester United, to the audible irritation of a mutinous crowd. Â It got worse. Â In the next game, an FA Cup Fourth Round tie at home to Aston Villa, Arsenal found themselves two nil down at half-time, and staring down the barrel of a fourth defeat in five games. Â Since then, there has been a remarkable upturn in our fortunes. Â An upturn which, I should add, has coincided with my enforced absence. Â Perhaps I should stay away.
First off, Arsenal fought back to beat Aston Villa 3-2, scoring a trio of second half goals inside eight minutes. Â Then a 0-0 draw at Bolton was followed up with a stunning 7-1 victory over Blackburn – a game memorable for the first Premier League goals from the emerging Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and a stoppage time strike from Thierry Henry on what could be his final Emirates appearance.
It was not, however, to be the last contribution of Henry’s loan stint. Â On Saturday, in the final Premier League appearance of his farewell tour, the man who writes scripts with a swish of his right boot rather than a pen emerged from the bench. Â There was just half an hour to play in our game against in form Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Â After Aaron Ramsey had clawed back an equaliser to James McClean’s opener, Henry’s expertly volleyed home a stoppage time winner to hand Arsenal a vital three points. Â 229 Arsenal goals and, with a game against AC Milan to come, still counting.
It was a massive result on a day which saw Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle all succumb to defeat. Â As things stand we’re currently in fourth place, which is invaluable considering that we are about to enter a period of fixtures that will almost certainly define our season. Â We return to Sunderland in the FA Cup and face Milan in Europe, whilst our next three league games see us come up against Tottenham, Liverpool, and Newcastle.
It looks like we’ll have to do without Per Mertesacker for that period, after the big German was stretchered off in the North East. Â He’s actually been a very consistent figure in the Arsenal side – of the outfield players, only Laurent Koscielny, Theo Walcott, and Robin van Persie have started more games this season. Â The one saving grace is that his injury comes at a time when we are able to welcome back Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs on the flanks, giving Arsene a rare opportunity to pair Vermaelen and Koscielny in the middle.
Another player we’ll soon be welcoming back in to the fold is Gervinho, who is expected to return to London on Tuesday. Â His African Cup of Nations campaign ended in unceremonious fashion as he missed the crucial penalty in the shoot-out which saw underdogs Zambia take the title. Â The players lack of confidence in front of goal was underlined by the fact that, despite being an attacker, he was Ivory Coast’s ninth penalty taker, even refusing to take the eighth and sending defender Kolo Toure up instead. Â If you haven’t seen the penalty, it’s about as bad as you imagine it to be. Â Gervinho has undoubted qualities, but for a man whose tax return reads ‘footballer’, he is surprisingly bad at the actual ‘kicking the ball’ bit. Â Nevertheless, one has to feel sorry for any player who is the victim of a shootout, and let’s hope it doesn’t knock his confidence too much for the remaining period of the season.
It’s nice to be back and blogging again. Â It’s also nice to be able to write positive things. Â There’s nothing like a few decent results to ease any tension among the fanbase.
An exciting trip to Milan looms large, and Thierry will soon be back in the San Siro. Â Would you bet against one final magical moment?
The diagonal through ball from Alex Song was perfect. It could have been played by Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, or even Dennis Bergkamp. The first touch was immaculate, the body shape breathtakingly familiar. The giant clock suspended from the Emirates canopy seemed to stop, dead. Time wound back to 2004 and, briefly, Thierry Henry was invincible again.
As he drew back his right-foot to strike the ball, the Emirates was momentarily hushed. Then followed the trademark sidefoot strike. Before the ball crossed the line, Henry glanced across at the linesman. He just had to check. Check that this was really happening, that it wasn’t a dream, that a cruel flag wasn’t about to deny him his moment.
He knew, of course, that the ball would settle in the bottom corner. When he’s wearing red and white, it invariably does.
The reception when Henry had come on as a 68th substitute had been deafening. When he scored his 78th minute goal, a storm of anticipation broke in an explosion of pure joy.
Great athletes write their own storylines. Last night, Thierry Henry took a leaden game and carved himself a story, a headline and an accompanying photograph. Another moment, another memory, another myth. A 227th goal, and 60,000 very lucky Arsenal fans there to witness it.
Henry said after the game that it was the first goal he’d scored as an Arsenal fan. You could see that in his celebration. The nonchalance and the shrug of old were replaced with pure, unbridled ecstasy.
Everything else was eerily recognisable. He might not have the blistering pace of yesteryear – but he might not need it. Sprinting speed might be temporary, but it seems class is permanent. The control and finish were as good as anything Henry produced in his heyday. Put simply: given ten opportunities, Marouane Chamakh could not have scored that goal last night. Henry needed just one. Arsenal should only require occasional cameos from their ageing talisman. Yet on this evidence, they could well be match-winning cameos.
What’s certain is that Henry won’t tarnish his legacy. Indeed, last night his statue it seemed to swell and shimmer more than ever before.
Last night was, in many respects, the perfect night for an Arsenal fan. That Arsenal fan, I should add, is named Thierry Henry. He Has Returned. Long Live The King.
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.
“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.
