Tag Archives: Thierry Henry

Apparently, Giroud was the striker we needed all along…

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Oh, how wrong we were, those of us who slated Olivier Giroud. We hated on him. We doubted him. We insulted and derided him, and now comes our comeuppance. Surely, we will line up dutifully to eat our slice of humble pie or crow or whatever it is one does when one is caught out being so thoroughly wrong. Wrong we all were then, when we blamed him for his goal drought that allowed Leicester to win the Prem. What other conclusion is there to draw from the fact that he’s now equalled Thierry Henry for goals scored for the French national team? For those who still doubt his bona fides, he’s done it in eight fewer matches than Henry needed. This proves clearly and unequivocally, throughout the space-time continuum, throughout the multiverse, that Giroud is the best Frenchman to play for Arsenal or the French national team. Full stop. End of.

That’s not all. He’s also clearly better than the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, whom he has regularly relegated to the bench under both Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps’s management—including this World Cup, where Benzema is nowhere to be seen (just checking to see if you’re paying attention. Giroud is so much better than Benzema that Benzema didn’t even get named to the squad. Kidding again. Benzema pulled out rather than face the ignominy of riding the bench while Giroud led the line. Okay. This set of matryoshka dolls has reached its end. Benzema pulled out due to injury). 

Okay, okay, so maybe we’re getting a little carried away here. Maybe. After all, Giroud never scored more than 16 Prem goals and, at age 36, is no spring chicken. Still, in his day, he played a more-important role than many of his critics understood, all the more so when we look back on the squad at the time, which was full of magical, mischievious but, let’s face it, miniature players. For us, he was a nucleus to an amorphous amoeba around which swirled those Lilliputian lads, discombobulating defenses and tangling with trolls, and he plays a similar role for the French national team, allowing the likes of Griezmann and Mbappé to foray into the openings he creates for them.

Considering his considerable limitations, it’s more than a bit mad that, barring some disastrous setback, he’ll eclipse Henry as France’s all-time goal-scorer. It’s almost as mad to think that he was a factor, however small, in preveting a galactico like Benzema from having a chance at breaking Henry’s record. In the end, he’ll always suffer by comparison to Henry himself; no striker since Henry has come close to helping us move on from those magical days. He might be one of the more criminally underrated players we’ve had here, but as one who defended him from his fiercest critics, I’ll take some gratification from seeing him enjoy some late-career heroics. That may not extend to his Europa League celebration (when he may have been caught up in the moment), but do remember that his move to Chelsea paved the way for Aubameyang to join us and offer up a few magical moments of his own. 

In the end, he was only ever serviceable, clearly not good enough for our ambitions. He’s one of the best strikers we’ve had since Henry, which is just as much a compliment to him as it is a criticism of most of the numerous others who’ve struggled to impress. 

Records are made to be broken, of course, and there’s no telling who’ll do the breaking. Here’s an early if not premature congratulations to the man, then.

Poor Pep clutches his pearls as Arteta considers poaching more players…

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Okay, so it’s an unsourced report, but Football Insider claims that “it is now believed that Guardiola’s side will reject any potential further offers from Arsenal for players who would go straight into their team.” It has all of the outward appearances of being complete common sense dressed up as a scoop, but it does conjure up some delicious images of Guardiola furrowing his brow as he wonders who among his current squad see the playing time their former teammates are getting at Arsenal and might start to feel a bit restless at being accessories rather than actual players. Whatever Guardiola and others at Man City have or haven’t said, it would be more than a bit rich for either to whinge about Arsenal poaching their players.

This is, after all, the club that nicked Adebayor, Kolo Touré, Nasri, Clichy, and Sagna from us in recent years (although it must be admitted that Sagna was essentially encouraged to leave in order to get a chance at a trophy before he retired). If it’s Pep himself who’s got his knickers in a twist after condoning the sales of Jesus and Zinchenko and losing Arteta to boot, I’ll add a few more names to the list: Cesc Fabregas, Ale Hleb, Thierry Henry, Alex Song. Throw in a keeper and another defender, and you’d have a pretty good “poached from Arsenal by Man City and/or Pep” XI.

Now, there haven’t been any rumours of City players moving to Arsenal, but the transfer window is only eight weeks away. There’s all sorts of rumours that can come out between now and then. Instead, then, I suspect that Pep might be more worked up by another issue entirely: his protégé is doing better at Arsenal than he himself is at Man City—and doing so on a fraction of the amount Pep’s spent on his squad and without the stable of world-class players. Since his arrival at Man City, Pep has spent £1.1 billion on new players, reinforcing a squad that already boasted the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Agüero, to name just a few. He currently has on his bench the likes of John Stones, Riyad Mahrez, and Jack Grealish, rotating others such Phil Foden in and out. Most of these lads would walk into the starting lineup of just about every club in the Prem, such is the depth Pep has at his disposal.

To add another layer, Pep’s tactics really only work when he has world-class players at every position. By contrast, Arteta is implementing similar tactics not only on the cheap but with young, largely unproven players, which begs certain uncomfortable questions about Pep. Do his tactics work because they’re good tactics or because he has such high-quality players to implement them? It’s probably a little of both, but it’s worth pointing out that Arteta’s tactics are working—so far, at least—because he’s training up young players to play those tactics. 

When Arteta came in, I worried that he would try to instill Pep’s tactics with players who were clearly not capable of playing to that level. Instead, Arteta has shown himself to be tactically flexible, adapting his tactics to the players he has available as well as to the opponent we have to face. It’s not for nothing that we beat Man City and then Chelsea to win the 2020 FA Cup despite having a squad that would make the Island of Misfit Toys suffer pangs of sympathy—nay, pity. Yes, there has been some heavy investment to rebuild this squad, but it’s only a fraction of what Pep has spent, and Arteta has basically replaced every member of the XI he inherited. 

It must get under Pep’s skin to see Arteta outclassing him with so few established world-class players. At the rate this young squad is developing, we won’t really need to poach anyone else from Man City (although I’m sure we each covet a few here and there…). Maybe what really has Pep  furrowing his brow is the hair. It’s gotta be the hair.

Hey, on a last note, if you’re still here, please let me know if the new ads are too much of a distraction. I’ve changed some settings but don’t want to put people off with too many ads. 

At long last, Vieira returns to Arsenal!

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It’s true, and not for the first time. Some are saying that he may soon be here to stay. Not me, though. That’s a bit of madness, but it’s understandable, such is Vieira’s legendary status, Arsenal’s difficulty in finding his “heir”, and the fact that we find ourselves mired midtable, just three points clear of Monday’s visitors. Of course, on Vieira’s first return to Arsenal, his erstwhile friend, colleague, and compatriot Robert Pirès greeted him with a somewhat impertinent tackle that left Vieira frustrated as Pirès launched a counter that saw Henry feed Fabregas for the opening goal in a 2-0 win, taking us one step closer to that 2006 Champions League final. Ever since Vieira left, we’ve hungered for someone to fill the role from which he dominated and domineered. Ever since Wenger left, many have wondered if Vieira could return as Arsenal’s manager. Come Monday, we have have more (or less) to wonder about.

For those doubting Arteta’s stewardship, Vieira’s visit must feel tantalising. He is, after all, a club legend and one of the best midfielders of his era. While we’ve had goalscorers (van Persie, Alexis, Aubameyang…) and playmakers (Özil) who could at least remind us of brighter days, we’ve never found that dominant, box-to-box midfielder who could disrupt opponents’ attacks, launch our own attacks, and get into the box to score. Abou Diaby showed flashes of it before Dan Smith ruined his career. There were rumours of us signing Michael Carrick, Xabi Alonso,or Yaya Touré , but of course none of that came to pass. Ramsey showed the occasional flashes but wasn’t enough of a defender to really fit the bill. There are hopes that Thomas will help us forget Vieira if only by being an upgrade on the likes of Xhaka, Coquelin, and other forgettable players.

More to the point, though, is that many are looking at Monday’s match as a showcare for Vieira’s heir but for Arteta’s, um, abdication? Sorry. I kind of painted myself into a corner with the rhyming, and nothing quite rhymes with “Arteta”. Anything less than a confident win for Arsenal will increase calls for his sacking, presumably to pave the way for Vieira to slot in…as if he doesn’t have a contract of his own to deal with. More to the point again, though, is that Vieira’s managerial CV is only slightly longer than Arteta’s, and his performance has hardly impressed. Yes, yes, he did do quite well with New York City FC, but his record at an actual club, Nice, where he lasted just a season and a half as Nice were eliminated from the Coupe de France in the round of 64 and from the Coupe de la Ligue in the round of 16, finished bottom of their Europa League group, and lost five matches across all competitions.

It’s quite likely that Vieira will prove to be a good or even great manager, but there isn’t much in the way of evidence of that yet. His Crystal Palace side haven’t really impressed yet, other than a 3-0 win over Tottenham due in some small part to Tottenham being reduced to ten men for the last half hour (during which time Palace scored all three of their goals). Vieira does seem to have the makings of a good manager. He doesn’t seem to project the kind of imperial arrogance that so many great players have, the kind of arrogance that makes it hard to communicate effectively with less-talented players. Very few great players go on to become great or even good managers. Instead, it seems that it’s the pretty good players who become the best managers. In time, Vieira may be one of those who bucks the trends. I wish him well. 

Just not on Monday. 

The Heir to Henry? Arsenal move closer to signing French striker…

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He’s French. He’s (potentially) undervalued. Plenty of face, solid finishing, room to grow. Hell, he’s the next Henry. The only asterisk to append to that claim, apparently, is that he’s already delivered one massive season, scoring 27 goals in 31 Ligue 1 appearances, offering a strong comparison to Henry’s delivery at the same age when he scored 17 goals in 31 (or 35) Prem appearances. Let’s set aside the nonsense, though, shall we? He’s not the next Henry, and it’s time to stop billing him as such. As it currently stands, he seems to be a very good striker. Last I checked, we could use one of those.

His pedigree differs from those of other strikers to whom we’ve been linked—Benzema and Higuaín come to mind, to name just two—but that shouldn’t necessarily count as a strike against him. To some degree, each of those has seen his résumé boosted by playing for Real Madrid. By contrast, Lacazette does seem like a player on the cusp of a dramatic leap forward, having led Ligue 1 in scoring those 27 goals in 31 appearances. This represents a surge of sorts from a player who, in his previous season, needed 36 matches to score 15 goals. In other words, he’s becoming a bit of a boss and might be ready to make the leap from Ligue 1 to the Prem.

Then again, he stands a mere 1.76m (5’9″). That’s a far cry from Henry’s 1.88m (6’2″) or Giroud’s 1.92m (6’4″).  It’s hard to feel that he would offer the kind of hold-up play or brawn we’ve come to depend on in the last few years, and it begs a certain question: if he’s the same height as Theo, what are we really after? Lacazette might be two years younger, but he would almost certainly need a season or two to adjust to the rigours of the Prem. Why not put away the cheque book, saving ourselves the £21m transfer fee, and allow Theo to play through the middle more often?

Despite those gaudy overall statistics, Lacazette failed to impress when it mattered most. None of his 27 goals came against Ligue 1’s top-five finishers, and ten of of them came against its bottom five. He barely registered in Lyon’s Europa League misadventures, scoring once as Lyon steamrolled Czech side Mladá Boleslav by an aggregate 6-2 score in a third round qualifier and failing to score at all as Lyon fell to Romanian side Astra Giurgiu on away goals.

Lacazette has stated that a move would “have to be for a Champions League side.” However, it seems as if only Liverpool have expressed any serious interest. They, however, can’t even offer Europa League competition. The larger question, however, is whether Lacazette is ready to feature for a Champions League side, or even one that hopes to contend for a Prem title.

It would be wonderful to see him lay waste to the Prem and Champions League as he’s done to Ligue 1 (but not Europa…), but it’s hard to feel like he is ready to rise to that level, especially when such a signing could hinder the development of other players already in the squad. I’m not against signing him, but he doesn’t represent an upgrade on what we already have. We’ve been at our best when Giroud has been a focal point around whom our wingers and midfielders swirl, and Lacazette just doesn’t seem to offer that same service. If we’re going to throw an undersized, pacey scorer into the middle, let it be Walcott.

If we’re serious about developing a more-mobile centre-forward who can also offer a bit of size, we already have Welbeck. He’s home-grown, he knows the Prem, and he could grow by leaps and bounds given more time through the middle. Keep in mind how much he had to defer to van Persie and Rooney while at Man U, and how much that deferring stunted his growth. At age 24, he’s just as likely as Lacazette to take the Prem by storm—if not more so. Instead of throwing money at a problem, then, it might make more sense to turn inward and hone what we have. 

Thierry Henry's Hand of God, Arsenal, and the FIFA crisis…

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Perhaps no footballing moment breaks my heart in as many ways as the controversial goal that France scored over Ireland in the 2010 World Cup qualifier play-off, the goal in which Thierry Henry, as quintessential a Gunner as there may ever be, handled the ball twice before squaring a pass to William Gallas, who scored a crucial goal that allowed France to advance on aggregate over Ireland. My family are from Ireland, and I’ll always root for the boys in green. Seeing them miss a chance at a World Cup appearance, seeing them miss that chance through Henry’s hand of god, has to stand as one of the most gut-wrenching moments I’ve experienced as a football fan. To learn that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) accepted a  £3.6m settlement to stop legal action very nearly breaks my heart.

On the international stage, Ireland hardly even qualify as an afterthought. Yes, they pummel the likes of Malta, Latvia, and the Faroe Islands but are regularly humbled by the big boys. After losing the first leg 0-1, Ireland dominated the second at the Stade de France, seizing the lead in the second half while wasting chance after chance. These were heady times for an overmatched squad, and the idea that a second away-goal would earn qualification was almost too exhilirating to describe. Aside from appearances (1990, 1994, 2002), Ireland have had to watch the World Cup rather than participate in it.

A chance to knock off France to qualify for the World Cup might be one for the ages. Instead, the change was cruelly snatched away by none other than Thierry Henry, whose blatant handling of the ball allowed France to advance. Henry himself admitted it, saying “I handled the ball” and calling for a replay. Arsène Wenger agreed, saying that “France has to say, ‘yes, it was a handball and we offer a replay.” (For what it’s worth, Arsenal offered Sheffield Wednesday a replay in the 1999 FA Cup after scoring a goal in dubious circimstances). However, FIFA would not be moved, and the result stood. Fast forward to Thursday, 6 June 2015, and we learn that the FAI accepted an out-of-court settlement to avoid what would be a long, expensive, and difficult case that would establish an awkward precedent for similar disputes in the future. In other circumstances, we could leave it at that.

However, we have to play the hand we’re dealt.

Last week, fourteen people were indicted on various charges of corruption, racketeering, wire fraud, and money-laundering. Earlier this week, FIFA president Sepp Blatter stepped down, possibly probably because he might soon be indicted as well. In almost any other year, the FAI’s decision to accept an out-of-court settlement would be accepted as such. In this particular year, though, that decision positively reeks of corruption. That out-of-court settlement now sounds very much like a bribe.

Liam Brady, an Arsenal legend and an Ireland assistant manager at the time, didn’t mince words after the match, saying this:

With the draw, [which was seeded], FIFA wanted France and Portugal to go through, and that’s what happened. You saw the goal and that’s enough said. It’s a bad day for football. When it comes to the crunch, the big teams always seem to go through.

Depending on whom you ask, the settlement was a loan for “the construction of a stadium in Ireland” to be repaid if Ireland qualified for the 2014 World Cup (that would be a FIFA spokesman). The FAI said that the settlement had no such conditions and was reached only after receiving “strong legal advice.”

I don’t know what to think, to be honest, and maybe this is a case where ignorance amounts to bliss. I fell in love with Arsenal when it had a strong Irish core—Brady, Stapleton, O’Leary—and it tears me to bits to see Ireland lose to France when Arsenal has had such a strong French core—that France squad included Sagna, Gallas, Anelka, and Henry (and, yes, Squillaci, who would join Arsenal later…).

Ironically, it may be Henry who emerges from the fiasco unscathed, admitting that he handled the ball, pointing out that Ireland deserved to to go South Africa in 2014, and calling for a replay. FIFA, of course, look all the more sordid. The FAI look complicit, and the French Football Federation look crassly craven. There’s a bit of karma, of course; that France squad imploded and failed to advance past the group-stage.

To be fair, though, that’s little more than sour grapes. I’ll leave you with Stephen Blackpool: “Who can look on’t sir, and fairly tell a man ’tis not a muddle?”