A piece of article to share
Where Do Arsenal Go Without Henry?
Graham Lister analysed a few days ago, how Arsenal would fare with
or without Henry. Now that the latter possibility is set to come
true, Goal.com presents, once again, his analysis of the Gunners'
future...
Are they doomed, or is there light at the end of this proverbial
tunnal? There are many aspects we must look at before we attempt
arriving at a conclusion.
First, we must recall that Arsenal played half of last season with
a half-fit Henry, and the other half without him in the side at
all, so they have got used to being without him.
In his absence, the quality of their build-up play did not suffer
dramatically. The only place they suffered was in the final third,
where Henry's goalscoring instincts (and those of another injury
victim, Robin van Persie) were sorely missed.
His effectiveness may have been blunted without the guile and craft
of Bergkamp and Pires, the drive and passing ability of Vieira and
the intelligent running of Freddie Ljungberg, whose latter career
has been too frequently punctuated by injuries.
However, that is not a conclusive observation, because Henry was
not fit last season, therefore not operating at maximum
capacity.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista were all
given opportunities in strikers' roles while Henry and van Persie
were on the treatment table. None of the three provided a
convincing answer.
Adebayor offered promise and worked tirelessly for the team, often
making things happen by pursuing seemingly lost causes. Aliadiere
(now at Middlesbrough) and Baptista were found wanting either
technically or temperamentally.
Thus, with Henry leaving, Arsenal are looking for a goal-poaching
'fox-in-the-box' forward who can feed off scraps as well as provide
end-product to Arsenal's often sumptuous approach play. van Persie
will be the only really reliable striker, and unless Theo Walcott
becomes the new 'Titi', the search will be a long one for
Wenger.
Niklas Bendtner, fresh from a successful season-long loan spell
with promoted Birmingham City, could offer options as the
Dutchman's strike partner. Would that be enough? After the
frustrating experiences of last season (epitomised by the games at
the Emirates against CSKA Moscow and West Ham, both of which
Arsenal utterly dominated without managing to win or even score)
most Gooners would say: No, it ain't.
Those fans will interpret the sale of Henry, without the
recruitment of a top-rate striker of the Eto'o, Owen, Torres
calibre as a replacement, as a sign that Arsenal were tacitly
surrendering their top four status, possibly to arch-rivals
Spurs.
An exit softened by the purchase of another striker of genuine
quality will be sad but still bearable, particularly with Gilberto
Silva having led the team admirably in Titi's absence. After all,
no one player is bigger than the club, as has been proved
repeatedly - though losing a player as influential as Henry could
trigger a lengthy 'transition' before the good times
returned.
Something else to consider is the effect that would have on the
rest of the squad. Would others be tempted to jump ship? Possibly!
And would it make Arsenal less attractive a destination to some
potential transfer targets? Again, possibly! A Torres, Owen or
Eto'o might just think that one extra time now!
The ideal scenario for Arsenal fans would have been be that Henry
remained faithful to the sentiments he expressed a year ago and
Wenger brought in a couple of world class stars to support him and
underline the club's ambitions. That did not happen, and with the
construction of the Emirates Stadium having put huge financial
strains on the North London club.
As least the 24 million euros can be used, though, ironically, it
might not be enough to land a top striker. Even Darren Bent's stock
is rising that high! Arsenal have so far been conspicuous by their
absence from most of the big transfer stories this close-season,
which can give the impression that the club are being left behind
by domestic rivals like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and
Spurs.
That could be deceptive, though: the Gunners tend to do their
business away from the media spotlight and then announce a new
signing as a fait accompli, so there could be some surprises in
store. Signings, there will be, for sure, even if not lavish
ones!
In conclusion, as a skipper he might not be missed as much. As a
striker, again not so much compared to a season in which he hardly
played. If a good striker comes in, as one should, even less!
However, in terms of the confidence inspired, in terms of the
ambition portrayed, and in terms of sheer branding, the damage will
be huge!
