Henry shouldn’t start unless he’s actually fit
330 comments March 5th, 2007
In Eindhoven, Thierry Heny was given a painkilling injection to ward off foot and back problems. The consequences of that injection have subsequently kept Henry out of our last three games. And was it worth it? Henry’s performance in Holland was not quite abject, but it was a certainly a long way off his best.
Which is why unless he is definitely ready to play, I wouldn’t start Thierry in Wednesday’s crunch home-leg with PSV. It makes sense to include him in the 18-man squad. The extra couple of subs give you the flexibility to take risks like that. But unless Henry is genuinely fit, I wouldn’t pick him.
To beat PSV we are going to have to play a high-tempo game with plenty of movement to stretch their backline. A limp, limping Henry is not going to help as far as that’s concerned. By all means have him on the bench if we need someone to nick something in the box for the last twenty minutes, but with Adebayor available I don’t think we need to run the risk of aggravating a significant injury problem by starting an unfit player.
What do you reckon?
