Henry Rises from Ashes of Paris
364 comments May 20th, 2006
For Arsenal fans, the Champions League Final was about the balance between despair and elation. The despair of Jens Lehmann’s sending off, followed by the elation of Sol Campbell’s goal. Then the heartbreak of defeat, followed just two days later by the joyous news that Thierry Henry has signed a new four-year contract.
The Champions League Final was an incredible occasion. Be it the banter with the Barca fans, meeting the beautiful Peter Beardsley, or playing football in the streets with the guys from arseblog, it was just an amazing day. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every fan, Barcelona or Arsenal, who helped to make it such a special experience. For accounts and pictures of my trip to France, check these new blogs.
The game itself was a real rollercoaster experience. Should Jens have been sent off? Probably not. Allowing the game to go on at 11 v 11 and 1-0 to Barca would’ve been better, but I didn’t see many Arsenal fans at half-time who would turn down 1-0 up with ten men. As for Sol Campbell’s goal, what a moment of retribution for him. Although I’ve criticised Sol’s performances since his return, he was a giant in Paris, and deserved his moment of glory.
The subsequent 50 minutes of holding on was nail-biting stuff. Barca’s first goal, created by a sublime touch from sub Larsson, broke the back of Arsenal’s resistance. As soon as the ball hit the net, you could sense the air of resignantion amongst out fans. Although we’d played superbly, it was just one miracle too far.
The thought of what might have been is inextricably linked to a sadness for the players and particularly Arsene Wenger. Yet the overriding emotion is pride: pride in the way in which we dispatached the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus, and above all pride in the manner in which we played in the final. It was the gutsiest of performances, and one that showed we were not out of place on that stage.
Perhaps even more importantly, it was a performance that convinced Thierry Henry that his future lies with Arsenal: a fantastic piece of news for our football club. In my eyes, we have the best football player in the world, and one of the gretatest ambassadors for the game you could ever wish to find. Without him, Wednesday night would’ve felt like the end of an era. With him, it is a new beginning. Under his tutelage, the youngsters we’ve blooded this season can be added to new signings in the most exquisite of footballing cocktails, to be savoured next season at the Emirates Stadium. I can’t wait.
Henry’s presence will doubtless lure new names to join the burgeoning Arsenal squad. Lillian Thuram was in the stands on Wednesday, but after Sol’s performance it might not be neccessary to read too much into that. However, Wenger knows full well that we need a couple of experienced players to replace the likes of Bergkamp and possibly Pires. Whatever he may say to the press, there will be arrivals this summer.
And so now is a time to look forward, not back. In my previous piece, I prayed that we wouldn’t leave any regrets in Paris. Given our performance out there, I don’t think we did. Do not waste time worrying about the “what ifs“. The wonderful thing about football is that come August, you get a clean slate, and a chance to start again. Thanks to some dodgy lasagne and Thierry Henry, we’re in the Champions League once more next season. And with Henry, I wouldn’t bet against us reaching the final again in the next four years.
With eleven men, we might even win it.
Exciting, isn’t it?
