I WOULD LOVE IT, just love it, if Arsenal beat Chelsea without Thierry Henry.
Unfortunately, that’s about as likely as Tony Blair saying, “I’m resigning. There are no WMD in Iraq and I should have resigned when we found that out. I’m a disgrace and I hope that one day you’ll find it in your hearts to forgive me.”
That isn’t gonna happen.
And Arsenal are not gonna beat Chel$ki at the Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
There might be inquests and wailing and gloom, and fans might say it would have been different if Thierry Henry had played. And if Ashley Cole has a great game, as he did against Ronaldo in Chelsea’s 1-1 at Old Trafford, that will make it even worse for Gooners.
THE HENRY SITUATION is very unusual but not, I feel, unprecedented. I think it’s like the Lehmann case, two long years ago
In November 2004 Arsene Wenger dropped Jens Lehmann in circumstances which baffled many Arsenal fans.The team had only one win in their last ninePremiership and Champions League games, and had just lost 2-1 at Anfield to a wonder-goal by Neil Mellor, who has never been heard of since.
Alan Hansen blamed feeble performances by Vieira and Henry for the alarming decline, but Arsene Wenger dropped Jens Lehmann for 11 games, bringing in the dodgy Almunia.
Long-tern, it paid off, and Lehmann came back better than ever and had a blinder in the FA Cup Final against Manchester united, which Arsenal won on penalties without Henry.
The following season, 2005-2006, Lehmann was magnificent, the finest keeper in the Champions League, and he displaced Oliver Kahn for the World Cup.
Why was Lehmann dropped ? That was never fully explained. But it was rumoured that Lehmann wanted to join the national team for training during the Bundesliga winter break, a ridiculous suggestion.Whatever it was, it didn’t look as if he was dropped for his performances. He was dropped because his attitude was not what the manager wanted. Later on, Vieira was sold for the same reason.
Now, Thierry Henry has been dropped for a month but people still talk about the guy who is not playing, write about the guy who is not on the field, give him headlines, spend half an hour before a live game talking about Henry, not the 22 footballers who are playing.
That is the Sky-led star system we have. It’s about superstars, so they would rather give us a silly story about a superstar than an interesting story about a footballer. But of course Sky Sports will never tell you that the Arsenal team plays better without Henry.
JENS LEHMANN came back a different player. He became the keeper the manager wanted him to be, and knew he could be. And I hope that happens with Henry. I hope he comes back with a different head on.
I hope he looks at his diva-like behaviour and the £20 million that Arsenal are paying him over the next four years, and comes back with a different head on.
For the last three years I’ve wondered what Freddie thinks of Henry. For two years I’ve wondered what Hleb thinks of him. For six months I’ve wondered what Rosicky thinks of him. And we will never know what they think of him
Sometime in January, Thierry Henry will come back as captain, we are told.
Clearly, Arsene Wenger has made Thierry Henry what he is today by building teams round him and talking him up in the media for ten years.
He’s given him a £20 million contract.That’s a lot of money for a football club and it’s really a lot of money to a club that borrowed £260 million to build a new stadium.
So there you have it : TH14 wasn’t doing it, he was dropped last Friday, he threw a wobbly, then realised he was wrong to throw a wobbly, and Arsenal beat Spurs 3-0 without him.
Thierry Henry will come back into a team that needs goals and experience. He is the captain and he’s in his 30th year and he has to come back with a different head on.
Arsene Wenger sorted out a temperamental German keeper by dropping him for 11 games. That worked well and Lehmann has been excellent ever since he was dropped.
What happened in 2004 is similar to what is happening now. Two players were given a reality-check.Two players were disciplined, told that the world did not revolve round them. But with one difference : Lehmann didn’t get a £20 million contract.
Will dropping Thierry Henry make him come back with a different head on ?
What do you think?