Henry will come out ‘second best’ again

YOURI DJORKAEFF has warned Thierry Henry he will again have to settle for second best today after believing his close friend should have been named World Footballer of the Year this week.

Henry was beaten to the award by compatriot Zinedine Zidane but Djorkaeff was left stunned the Arsenal striker was not crowned the game's top star.

Henry and his Gunners team-mates now head to the Reebok Stadium, where Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce reckons Arsenal psychologically lost the Premiership title last season.

Arsene Wenger's side cruised into a 2-0 lead last April against a Bolton team fighting to beat the drop but they slipped up both in the game and ultimately in the title race as Wanderers snatched a point.

"Thierry has demonstrated this year he's the best player in the world," said Djorkaeff.

"But tomorrow is different.

"He knows he is playing against me and he will be thinking to himself 'what can I do in a game like this?'

"He will be thinking about me because he knows what I can do.

"I was surprised he didn't receive the award, not just because of what he has done this year but for what he has done for Arsenal for many years. It was strange.

"He's certainly one of the best players I have played with and I have played with a lot of great players.

"I am not surprised at how good he has become.

"I remember when he started out at Monaco when I was there and when he first broke into the national team.

"He has improved so much over the years and, in some ways, I wish I was still playing alongside him now because he is a real pleasure to watch not just for me but for everybody.

"Over the summer, I watched him grow as a player with the national team and now he has the same responsibilities as he does at Arsenal.

"There were a number of players who didn't play in the Confederations Cup, including Zidane, and Thierry took the team into his hands.

"Now he's very confident when he plays for the national team. He is playing some great football and scoring some important goals and I think he could be the man of the European Championships in Portugal next summer."

Bolton are on a high after a run of just one defeat in nine games and are into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. Despite that, Allardyce admits Arsenal pose threats to that record all over the pitch.

"You can come up with a plan but it's about stopping the service to Henry and seeking to restrict his opportunities," said Allardyce.

"But they have any one of five or six players who can turn a game in their favour, so if Henry is not on song, then it will be Bergkamp and, if it's not him, then Pires, Ljungberg or Vieira.

"That's why they are where they are. If somebody fails to do it on the day, then they have somebody else who comes in.

"But if Henry hasn't got his shooting boots with him and we are at our best, then who knows?

"But the whole of the Arsenal team is on a better run this year than they were last. Arsene thought they could go the whole season undefeated and he said it publicly, which I thought was a brave statement.

"He hasn't said it this year and they've not been defeated yet, so maybe he has learned his lessons from that point of view but 15 games unbeaten in this league is a major achievement."

Wenger is still unhappy at the "leniency" of referee Andy D'Urso in that game in April as "we got two players kicked off the pitch without any punishments being given out."

He said: "We have bad memories of that day as it was the decisive moment of the league, even if it wasn't where we lost the championship.

"You always expect a committed game there but you can only change what is ahead of you and that's why we will go there with a completely different mindset.

"We want to be positive, play our own game and the team are highly focused on the game as they know we are facing a big test."

Asked if he enjoyed the chance to return to grounds where his side had previously struggled, he responded: "Yes, highly.

"I feel that we can show that we have improved since then. We were maybe too nervous in that game and we paid for it. Now we are not under any special pressure."

Wenger, who looks set to replace the suspended Ashley Cole with teenager Gael Clichy, is well aware of Bolton's potential to cause upsets after their victory at Chelsea last week.

"I have no resentment from what happened last year. It is a memory as far as I am concerned.

"Sam Allardyce has done well there. They have a team that is more stable this year as they've played for longer together now."