Can Henry write another fairytale headline?

ANY lingering hopes that Arsenal could still win the title are probably over following defeat at Swansea but next Sunday there is an opportunity to wind back the years and pretend differently.

Just the sight of Thierry Henry on the bench against Manchester United should be enough to remind Arsenal of the days when they were Fergie’s nemesis rather than Jose Mourinho or Roberto Mancini; and maybe to spark the kind of revenge mission their fans are dreaming of to save a difficult season.

There can be few teams in history with a bigger desire for retribution than Arsenal, whose 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this season was not just the low point of the year but of Arsene Wenger’s entire career in north London; a total humiliation that left even the staunchest Wenger supporters wondering if the great man had reached the end of the road.

He hadn’t of course; and if anything the way he has rebuilt his team since then has actually strengthened his position with the club’s board and cemented his place even more deeply in the hearts of Arsenal fans — regardless of the Swansea result.

So the phrase In Arsene We Trust remains as valid as ever and Sunday’s match is an opportunity to find meaning in a season that at one stage was heading for disaster; and the arrival of Henry has come just at the right time to remind his players that this club DID win trophies in days gone by and DID hold an psychological advantage over United in the past.

The prospect of the striker lining up alongside in-form van Persie next weekend is something Wenger is actively considering even if Henry sees himself mostly as cheer leader and support striker for his teammate.

Henry said: “Right now Robin is flying, I can be around and talk to him but he is doing what he does best: scoring goals. You don’t want to disturb that, you want to help that and make sure you can give him some help. He went to the final of the World Cup and like the fans say, he scores when he wants.

“When the boss spoke to me about coming back, I wanted to make sure I didn’t disturb the team that was in place. That was important to me, I am a fan don’t forget that. The team did something incredible to come back to where they are right now, we are far from the first position but if you talk about what the team has done since losing at Man Utd, they have done pretty well.

“I know people want silverware, but you have to think about the long term and to think about what they have been doing for a very long time is amazing.”

To be fair, silverware will be the last thing on the minds of Arsenal fans; their primary focus will be on personal revenge for the terrible memories of Old Trafford. And mindful of the way United came back to knock Man City out of the FA Cup after being beaten 6-1 in the league they know the power of such emotions.

Certainly goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny sees no reason why his team cannot wipe away nightmares of the past by grabbing a result on Sunday that would underline once and for all that the dark days of September are now forgotten or at the very least deposited in a folder marked ‘never again’.

He said: “What happened in the past happened and I forget about it. Whether we lose 1-0 or 8-2 we still get the same points. So why keep thinking about it? “If we can keep going as we have done over the last few weeks then we will show people how good we really are this time. We’ve got more about us now. I think the tough times we went through have made us stronger.”

That, no doubt, is what worries Alex Ferguson most ahead of next weekend’s big match; that and the knowledge that old adversary Henry has a habit of writing fairytale headlines.

For one game, and maybe one game only, it will feel like it is Arsenal v United for the title all over again; just like the old days.