King Henry holds court
ARSENAL fans were already dancing around the Plaza Mayor, celebrating Real Madrid’s first Bernabeu defeat by an English club, when Thierry Henry got around to putting the future - both his and the club’s - into perspective.
On nights like Tuesday, the French man is the supreme communicator, failing to respond only once to journalist’s queries and that because of the Spanish language barrier. It wasn’t the only time at the Bernabeu that he turned to Cesc Fabregas for assistance.
He was expansive to a fault, frustrating the media manager who had a vice-like grip on his right arm. As the clock ticked past midnight, he was curt with one questioner, though that had less to do with the time as it did the view, shared by his manager, Arsene Wenger, that Arsenal should have taken a more comfortable advantage back to Highbury for the second leg. “Let’s not be greedy,” he smiled.
Earlier Wenger accepted: “I am happy in every department, but the only regret is there was maybe room for one or two more goals. We had the chances, which we did not take and that keeps the game open for the second leg.”
Even Henry, described by El Pais yesterday as “a viper”, offered a tacit admission that a glorious chance had gone a-begging: “We all know that Madrid are capable of turning this around, so we have to stay focused. How important is the away goal? We will not know until the final whistle blows on March 8.”
Henry clearly enjoyed the fawning praise of his 47th minute goal, but preferred to accentuate the importance of the collective, especially the maturity of the youngsters in such daunting circumstances.
“I’ve always said as long as you play as a team in football, you can manufacture great results. We’ve got some stick for playing 4-5-1 away from home, but this time it worked perfectly for us. “One of the most important things for me was that the youngsters at the back and in midfield were not afraid to play. As soon as you can pass the ball and advance through the lines of the team, then we have the space to attack.
“When you play football in big competitions like the Champions League, the key is not to be scared - even under pressure we were keeping the ball, and playing it on the ground. Consequently, I am getting the ball in better positions, and on the ground.”
A premature rush to judgement on Arsenal’s young guns may yet prove erroneous, but the polished displays of Emmanuel Eboue, Fabregas and even Philippe Senderos offers Henry serious food for thought in terms of his future at the club. His manager believes these tyros can only progress in the company of their talismanic leader.
In the shorter term, though, it eases concerns about missing colleagues. Lauren will not return for the second leg, but the assured football of his fellow African, Eboue, is comforting.
So too is the imminent return of Ashley Cole, Dennis Bergkamp and Robin Van Persie. All should be available for the second leg, though it may come too soon for Sol Campbell.
At the Bernabeu, the importance of having Kolo Toure back from the African Cup of Nations was further underlined. He is a calming ally for the error-prone Senderos. Even Abu Diaby looked comfortable in his ten minute cameo. The key now for Arsenal is to avoid taking an immediate step backwards, a tendency that has blighted their season.
“In good or bad moments, you need to play as a team,” said Henry. “When the unit plays well, you look around and say ‘he played well, and so did he’, but you identify individuals more when you play badly as a team. The fans point to someone and say ‘he was bad tonight’.” Henry sidestepped the pressing question of his future at the club as adeptly as he had the Madrid defence for his golden goal.
“What you need to talk about today is the result and the performance of the youngsters. Sometimes they have been unfairly under the microscope, and compared too quickly to other players, but they deserve so much credit for this performance.”
Three times he was asked where the guided missile that separates the sides ranks among his European conquests.
“At the moment, nowhere. If we go through to the quarter-finals, then maybe I can say it was a really good goal. I don’t put my personal accomplishments ahead of the team’s. Those kind of things are for reflection, when it is all finished and you are retired.
“Of course, at that moment (of the goal), there was a part of me excited as a striker, but the subconscious is saying ‘Hold on a minute, there is nothing done here yet’.”
It is not in Wenger’s make-up to sit back at Highbury, and he acknowledged that to do so in the second leg would be tantamount to football suicide.
“You have to expect Madrid will be giving everything at Highbury,” he said. “I expect them to be at their best, but we have a fantastic opportunity. We will play to win - that is the only approach we can have because to sit in against them would be a mistake.” It did not surprise Henry that journalists were looking beyond March 8 for their headlines. Someone reminded him that Wenger was pressurising him to sign a new deal.
“I’m cool about the future,” he smiled, before offering a shaft of light to Arsenal fans.
“A big game and a big environment like the Bernabeu helps to see where people are, how ready they (the youngsters) are as professionals. They showed great composure, and the future looks good.”
How good remains to be seen. One already senses there is more riding on the Real Madrid return than a place in the last eight of the Champions League.
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