Category Archives: Thierry Henry

Chambers, Ospina, and my terrible weekend…

Ugh. What a lost weekend. Not only did everyone I know fail to buy me a plane-ticket to New York City and match-day ticket to watch Henry’s assist to Wrighty’s son, no one else I don’t know also failed to buy me the same. Worse, or better, depending on how you slice things, the match itself was a bit tepid, ending in a 1-0 win for the hosts. If there’s a silver lining, it’s in the fact that Henry showed us all that he still has something to offer, and no Gunners got injured. Whether that counts as two silver linings is too much for me to contemplate, as I’m still recovering from the Tottenham invasion of my hometown, an invasion that culminated in Spurs actually defeating a team in red for once. To top things off, we still don’t quite know what if anything is going on with Chambers, Ospina, or anyone else we’re apparently pursuing. What a life.

For those of us who watched the Red Bulls-Gunners match, we got what we deserved: a lackluster match in which Arsenal fielded a hodge-podge of players (Rosický as center-forward? Okay…) and basically went through the paces. As I put it in elsewhere, Americans got to see Arsenal without booking a flight, renting a room, coping with everyone driving on the wrong side of the road, or figuring out whether ‘centre’ is pronounced differently from ‘center’. On this side of the pond, we’re more or less comfortable with pitch (not field), match (not game), and of course football (not soccer). It gets a bit dicey when you ask us about boots, kits, and squads. Are we Yanks to use them, are would this sound too much like we’re trying too hard to impress?

Speaking of trying to impress, I hope it’s not too churlish (eh?) to ask for a bit more flair from the lads today. Absent a few moments here and there, I felt like I was watching two mid-table squads squabble without having to worry about relegation or promotion. So it goes. Still, the match had its moments, such as when Wilshere tried to recreate the pornogol against Norwich, but there’s not much to take from it. The sky-is-falling crowd will point to Red Bulls’ goal as evidence that we cannot defend set-pieces. That is their wont. The fun part of being in that crowd, much like being a ‘reporter’ for The Daily Mail or others, is that you need only be right about 1% of the time to earn the right to say, “See? I told you!”

Speaking of rumor-mongers, it appears that we’re about as close to signing Ospina and Chambers as we were a week ago. With Saturday’s match, it’s understandable that there wouldn’t be any dramatic announcements over the weekend. Let Henry and other Gunners enjoy the limelight. Maybe we’ll see a new Gunner unveiled on Monday. As enticing as that may be, we’d likely be looking at back-ups or supports rather than upgrades. Ospina, for all of his statistical prowess, may challenge but not supplant Szczesny as our #1 keeper. A bit of competition would be welcome, if only to keep the Woj on his toes, but it’s not the kind of signing that vaults us to the top of the Prem. Similarly with Chambers, I’d welcome the signing despite my misgivings over raiding the carcass that Southampton is rapidly becoming. I don’t see how it would dramatically intensify our squad. Competing with Debuchy, Chambers would surely grow and improve, but the same could be said of Jenkinson.

As irritating as all of this gossip is, it’s a far-cry better than having to witness the abomination that is Spurs arriving in Chicago. Worse, they actually won. Will wonders never cease? As I’m sure we all know, Arsenal’s loss, coupled with Spurs’ win, can only spell out one conclusion: Arsenal will once again finish above Spurs. It follows as surely as four follows two plus two. This doesn’t do much to alleviate my own personal suffering. I felt one part missionary, one part martyr, explaining why one should follow Arsenal and not Tottenham. It was miserable, worse than rearranging deck-chairs on the Titanic. That the Fire rolled over for Spurs hardly made my job any easier, as those Spuds could proudly proclaim victory. It was a jarring, unexpected outcome, and the various Spuds in attendance didn’t quite know what to make of it, as celebration is to them a foreign concept.

All in all, these visits are like oases in the desert, as our MLS is still largely a retirement-community for the Prem, and any chance to see the Prem’s best and brightest—or, failing that, Spurs—is like manna from Heaven. Speaking of which, may a few more signings come our way before too long…

Thierry sits down with Theo, Ox, and Gnabry [fiction]

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“Serge, Theo, Alex, thank you for meeting me here.”
“Any time, Mr. Henry!”
“Easy, Alex, you can call me Thierry.”
“I already do!”
“Yes, yes, Theo, I know. We share a jersey number as well. This is all very good. But listen. We need to talk, and this is why I have brought the three of you here.”
“Where are we sir?”
“Serge, I’m glad you asked. I—”
“Dude! Serge! He called you Serge! You’re already, like buddies!”
“Hm? Ah, yes, Alex, we are all friends here. I may have started at Arsenal before any of you were even shaving your chins, but we are all Gunners. This is why we must talk.”
“What about, sir?”
“Pffffft! ‘sir’? Serge, you muppet, he just said we’re friends. I call him Thierry, you call him Thierry.”
“Easy, Theo. He is younger than you; Unlike you and Alex, he and I have never been on the pitch together. It is perhaps natural for him in this moment to be more courteous, is it not?”
“I guess.”
“Good enough. As I say, we are all friends here, and I believe that part of this comes from the love we feel for this club, does it not?”
“Yes, sir!—I mean, Thierry!”
“Absolutely!”
“Theo?
“Hm? Oh, yes! Sorry.”
“This is okay. I want to speak to each of you in turn, but the others must listen, for what I say matters to you all in different ways.”
“Okay.”
“Right.”
“Got it.”
“Serge, I will start with you because you are the youngest and newest of the three to play for Arsenal. Calm down, Serge. Exhale.”
“I’m sorry sir—er, Thierry—it’s just that, well, you’re him. Thierry Henry. You’re a legend around these parts, and I—”
“No, this is not how to think of it. I am like you, a man who loves football and wants to do his best for his club. Is this not true?”
“Oh, yes!”
“Very good. Now, you are 18, is it?”
“And a half!”
“Yes. Here is what I want you to remember. People are saying many thing good and great things about you. They are saying you could be the next this, the next that. Have you heard these things?”
“Yes, of course. But I know it is just talk.”
“Good. Do not listen. The best way to become good, which is necessary before achieving greatness, is to ignore what they are saying—do not think about rumors, do not think about the other players they compare you to. These are traps. When I came to Arsenal, I struggled, and they said I wasn’t good enough for the Premier League. If I listened, I might have believed. Then, when I proved them wrong, the same people, they said I was the best to ever play. If I believed them, I would have lost my focus, my passion. I would have believed that I was already great. Do you understand?”
“Yes, but it is hard. I want feedback, support, advice, yes, even criticism. I want—”
“It is for these things that you must go to Arsène.”
“You mean Mr. Weng—oh. Yes. Arsène. Thank you, Thierry.”
“You will thank me through how you play. Show me that you have listened. You may go. Alex? Alex, where are you?”
“Here! Here I am, T!”
“Um, yes, very good. Alex, stay calm. How long have you been with Arsenal?”
“Two years, five months, three days, 13—”
“Okay, okay, settle down, now. Your passion for the club is clear. However, you must understand how to balance this passion, this panache, with also élan. Do you follow?”
“No. What do you mean?”
“It is one thing to charge in aggressively. I have seen how well you change pace, how you cut inside and go at and blow past defenders. But there is more.”
“What? What more? Tell me!”
“Yes. You must learn the smoothness, the cunning. Learn when it is to show a je ne sais quoi, as if you are tired or bored so as to lull the defender to sleep. There is sometimes about you a sense of urgency, a sense of NOW! that you wield always when it is better to conceal this so as to seize the moment.”
“How will I know this?”
“This, my friend, it may only come with time, time on the pitch, time in your life, time with the club. You will learn it when the time is right, and when it is, you will seize it. The words to put it in are hard to find. It comes from loving the game. From loving the club. When you feel it, you will know.”
“I think I see.”
“Do not think. Sense it. Let it flow through you.”
“Got it.”
“Alex.”
“Yeah?”
“Make sure that you do.”
“Okay.”
“You may go. Where, now is Theo—ah. Theo?”
“Yeah?”
“Theo, you’re fast.”
“You noticed.”
“Theo!”
“Sorry, mate.”
“As it always is with you, speed is your first choice, but there is more to this. There is a time to run, a time to pause. Too often, you try to simply outrun your mark, but in this you also outrun your own touch. How often have you poked the ball forward only to see the keeper—or the endline—foil you?”
“A few times, I’ll admit, but it’s just that these through-balls, sometimes, they’re—”
“Theo.“
“It is you whom I have waited the longest to speak, and it is for me you must now wait to hear from. You have been anointed as my heir, but, now, sadly, you must wait. Cruelly, I must say, for you have shown that you know and love this club moreso than others who pretended to. You will come back when the time is right.”
“Again with the time. I sat through this when you lectured Ox. I get it. I—”
“I’m not so sure that you do. I expect great things from you. So too does Arsène. He sees it in you, as do I. However, do you see it in yourself?”
“Of course, I do. Player of the Month for December, right?”
“True, but ask yourself why you play. Is it for these monthly, personal honors, or do you crave something bigger?”
“What, like a Golen Boot? Absolutely.”
“No. Theo. Please listen to me. If you want Golden Boots and Player of the Month, there are other clubs to play for. Here, at Arsenal, there is a team. It has a story, a culture, a tradition. If all you want are personal honors, you may have to go elsewhere. However, if you want actual glory and honor, you must look deeper within yourself to ask, ‘why do I play this game? what gives me joy?’ The answer, Theo, must be larger than yourself. Look around you. Bergkamp. Rice. Pires. Brady. Adams. Wright. Vieira. Seaman. Jennings. You played alongside or watched them and others. They taught you.”
“I know these things, Thierry, I do. But—”
“I understand. There is a balance to strike between personal and shared glories. I know that this unfortunate setback will make you stronger, both on the pitch and inside yourself. For myself, I will see you in August, in September, not as the next Henry, but as you, yourself. As Theo. You have been blessed with great talent, Theo. Blessed. This is a blessing, but also a curse. You have a chance to balance these forces. Use the time you have been gifted. In time, if you use it well, it will both glorify and humble you. Use it well.”
“I will—but, Thierry, I—Thierry? Where did you—Serge? Alex? Did you see where he—man. Heavy…”

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#Henrying and the clarity of Arsène’s vision

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A bit of mischief was afoot today as all over twitter were different versions of Henrying, taking Thierry Henry’s latest goal celebration—coolly standing with one hand on the post, the other on the hip, and just, well, enjoying what it’s like to be Thierry Henry. You can find images ranging from the silly to the sublime, whether it’s Henry hoisting the American flag at Iwo Jima, intercepting Maradona’s Hand of God goal, or making contact with E.T. It’s worth a good laugh or two, as some of the images do put Henry in some silly

situations, but I’ll leave it to you to track down your favorites. Yours truly tossed off a few, such as the one to the left in which Henry snuffs van Persie’s dive with a palm to the face. His smooth nonchalance stands in stark contrast against van Persie’s awkward tumble, not that I’m trying to make any deeper points here.

Actually, come to think of it, I am. For as thrilling as it has been to secure the signing of a player like Mesut Özil, this #Henrying stuff, along with the recent performances of some of the squad’s best and brightest, should serve as a reminder that our manager, more often than not, knows what he’s up to. Therefore, as his contract-talks heat up, this writer ardently hopes that we’ll see Arsène, puffy coat and all, prowling the sidelines for years to come.

The Özil signing, as we all know, was a breath-taking statement of intent as we brought in one of the world’s best players. As we’ve discussed, what is perhaps more significant is less attention-arresting if how well he suits Arsène’s vision of how to play football. This technically-gifted, positionally aware, and insightful midfielder possesses all of the traits needed to play the stylish, possession-based football that Arsenal has come to be known for over the last twenty years or so. Also of note? His age. At 24, he joins a core of Gunners entering the prime of their lives. For as much as we might have pined for a Gonzalo Higuain or a Luis Suarez to lead the line, their arrivals might have upset the balance of the squad, not in any dramatic way, but enough to force some adjustments. Özil, by contrast, arrives already understanding, nay, believing, in the movement, the passing, the verve of Arsène’s style.

Just as important as his on-field contributions this season will be his influence on the other up-and-coming Gunners with whom he plays, whether it’s the service he provides and understanding he develops with Theo Walcott (also 24) or the technique, vision, and methods he shares with Aaron Ramsey (22) and Jack Wilshere (21). Perhaps less directly but no less vital is his relationship with Kieran Gibbs (23), with whom he’s already forged a solid tandem as demonstrated by Gibbs’s pass to set up Özil’s assist against Sunderland or by the constant exchanges between the two against Marseille. Interestingly, Özil has drifted towards the left in the last two matches, giving rise to that Özil-Gibbs partnering.

Lost, then, in all of the hub-bub of the transfer window, a disappointing loss to Aston Villa, signing Özil, and going on a fine run is how well this all jibes with Arsène’s vision. We’ve come ’round full circle in a way. Yes, a dramatic signing is all well and good, but what’s remarkable is how vital have been those players whom Arsène found and signed at a young age. As each of them rounds into form, whether it’s Ramsey leading the team in scoring and tackles, Wilshere defining his role, Walcott tallying his first goal in thunderous fashion, or Gibbs turning in commanding performances, we’re seeing a return to the days of making superstars. Add in Wojciech Szczęsny, age 23, and Jenkinson, age 21, and we’re now talking about six starters whom Arsène has brought along, each of whom could become something special.

It’s not for nothing that we started this post with Thierry Henry. Before coming to Arsenal at age 21, he had shown glimpses of his potential but erupted into full glory after arriving. Simply put, there is a history of young players flourishing under Arsène, and for as good as Özil had been for club and country before, like Henry, like Bergkamp, like Pirès, he looks set to elevate his game to another level entirely. Along the way, it seems that we’re seeing a revitalization of Arsène’s commitment to youth and development in the best of ways. It’s probably too soon to suggest that this season will be a special one—the squad as it stands is still a bit callow, not to mention thin—but, on the whole, it’s well-positioned to restore this club to its former glories. It feels good, to say the least.

Before we sign off, I’d like to invite you to cast your ballot in the Football Blogging Awards, in which this blog is nominated as a best #New blog. To vote via twitter, imply click the FBA image above to vote; enter Woolwich 1886 in the #New category, and you’re done. To vote via email, click this link and receive the emailed ballot. In either case, thank you for your support!