Goodbye Va Va Voom
The tabloids say it all. It was just a matter of time before the most decorated foreign player in EPL for a good part of last decade decided to seek pastures new. Tributes pouring in from fans spanning several clubs, even arch rivals Spurs and ManU stands testimony to the man who has wow-ed fans in England for the last 8 years. It is a sad moment in the history of the premiership having lost another influential player, a goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy and midfield engines Roy Keane and Vieira in the last two seasons. If Beckham was glitz and glamour, Roy Keane was the symbol of ManU's playing philosophy. Henry was the glamour as well as soul and spirit of the French revolution at Arsenal and his presence will be sorely missed at the Emirates.Afterall this was one guy people would pay to watch in England.
Rewind to June 2004: After helping Barcelona finish 2nd in La Liga, Barca's tradition and Ronaldinho's lure were too good to resist for the likes of Eto'o, Deco Edmilson and Larsson. These 4 were key people in Barca's surge towards two successive titles. Rewind to June 2006, Henry was probably expecting similar impact signings to boost his chances of winning European title with Arsenal. However, Arsenal's financial status meant the club had to sell to buy and they did that last year by swapping Cashley for Gallas and Baptista for Reyes. Henry's injury problems and tantrums got the better of him and Arsenal limped to 4th.
The question is how much Arsenal will struggle without Henry?Provided they don't lose any more players, not much. If you see the last two seasons with identical finishes in table, in 2005 Arsenal had to thank Henry's 27 goals that helped them to that position and also the European final. Last season, Henry couldn't even manage to get into double figures. He was getting very injury prone from the beginning of 2005 which wasn't the case till 2004 when he almost played all matches in a season. Wenger has got it late albeit right again, but could have gained 34 million pounds more had he sold him last season, but his injury problems weren't expected to be so severe at that time. Opportunities are wide open for the likes of Bendtner and Theo.When Ferfie offloaded RVN, he had the confidence that Saha who was firing on all cylinders would replace him. Wenger doesn't have anyone for replacement and Titi's boots are too big for anybody to fill in. Unlike Fergie's cautious approach in recent years, gambling has always been Wenger's forte. How else could EPL have got the teenage prodigy, finest passers also dubbed the next Nedved, in Fabregas for peanuts?
Will Titi succeed in Spain?Yes, provided he gets enough playing time and crowd support.Spanish audience is very unforgiving and Henry who took 9 games to open his account for Arsenal will not get any favors from Camp Nou faithful if situation is to repeat. It is a risky project for Barca. They were unable to keep Eto'o and Ronaldinho happy. Now there is another inflated ego to contend with. The fact that Rijkaard lost Henk ten Cate last season has apparently led to these dressing room feuds. It will be a tough ride to keep the 4 attackers happy. Trying to accommodate all 4 could be disastrous as they will be liable to be hit on the counter attack and without any world class anchor man, Barca would be blown away.However, I can't help feel, Henry wants to be like a #12 in Les Bleus than #14 in Arsenal. If that is going to help him win Champions League so be it. Will the move help him become World player of the year?Dont know. Probably the charm of Johann Cryuff's #14 jersey would motivate him.
The tabloids say it all. It was just a matter of time before the most decorated foreign player in EPL for a good part of last decade decided to seek pastures new. Tributes pouring in from fans spanning several clubs, even arch rivals Spurs and ManU stands testimony to the man who has wow-ed fans in England for the last 8 years. It is a sad moment in the history of the premiership having lost another influential player, a goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy and midfield engines Roy Keane and Vieira in the last two seasons. If Beckham was glitz and glamour, Roy Keane was the symbol of ManU's playing philosophy. Henry was the glamour as well as soul and spirit of the French revolution at Arsenal and his presence will be sorely missed at the Emirates.Afterall this was one guy people would pay to watch in England.
Rewind to June 2004: After helping Barcelona finish 2nd in La Liga, Barca's tradition and Ronaldinho's lure were too good to resist for the likes of Eto'o, Deco Edmilson and Larsson. These 4 were key people in Barca's surge towards two successive titles. Rewind to June 2006, Henry was probably expecting similar impact signings to boost his chances of winning European title with Arsenal. However, Arsenal's financial status meant the club had to sell to buy and they did that last year by swapping Cashley for Gallas and Baptista for Reyes. Henry's injury problems and tantrums got the better of him and Arsenal limped to 4th.
The question is how much Arsenal will struggle without Henry?Provided they don't lose any more players, not much. If you see the last two seasons with identical finishes in table, in 2005 Arsenal had to thank Henry's 27 goals that helped them to that position and also the European final. Last season, Henry couldn't even manage to get into double figures. He was getting very injury prone from the beginning of 2005 which wasn't the case till 2004 when he almost played all matches in a season. Wenger has got it late albeit right again, but could have gained 34 million pounds more had he sold him last season, but his injury problems weren't expected to be so severe at that time. Opportunities are wide open for the likes of Bendtner and Theo.When Ferfie offloaded RVN, he had the confidence that Saha who was firing on all cylinders would replace him. Wenger doesn't have anyone for replacement and Titi's boots are too big for anybody to fill in. Unlike Fergie's cautious approach in recent years, gambling has always been Wenger's forte. How else could EPL have got the teenage prodigy, finest passers also dubbed the next Nedved, in Fabregas for peanuts?
Will Titi succeed in Spain?Yes, provided he gets enough playing time and crowd support.Spanish audience is very unforgiving and Henry who took 9 games to open his account for Arsenal will not get any favors from Camp Nou faithful if situation is to repeat. It is a risky project for Barca. They were unable to keep Eto'o and Ronaldinho happy. Now there is another inflated ego to contend with. The fact that Rijkaard lost Henk ten Cate last season has apparently led to these dressing room feuds. It will be a tough ride to keep the 4 attackers happy. Trying to accommodate all 4 could be disastrous as they will be liable to be hit on the counter attack and without any world class anchor man, Barca would be blown away.However, I can't help feel, Henry wants to be like a #12 in Les Bleus than #14 in Arsenal. If that is going to help him win Champions League so be it. Will the move help him become World player of the year?Dont know. Probably the charm of Johann Cryuff's #14 jersey would motivate him.
posted by Marauder | 10:55 AM
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