David Lacey: 'The best player in the world is wearing Arsenal's colours' (original) (raw)

From the distaff side has come the observation that English men do not hold conversations, they merely mouth words. To support her argument the writer recalls a recent visit to Highbury where those males within earshot either failed to complete sentences or parroted the inanities of others.

No doubt an afternoon spent at Battersea Dogs Home, the inmates of which tend to be strong on sound but short on dialectic, would have offered a similar experience. It is a fact of football life that for the duration of a match many otherwise sane folk are plainly barking.

A point that appears to have been missed, however, is that the apparent inarticulateness at Arsenal, as at any other ground, was because the people concerned were more intent on watching the game than making speeches.

The way Arsène Wenger's team usually play, moreover, is apt to kill a conversation in mid-sentence. Turn away from the action to offer a pithy retort and a memorable moment may be missed.

This has not always been the case. Not so long ago Arsenal supporters could safely have debated Ludwig Wittgenstein's proposition that an adequate account of language must recognise that any sentence is a picture of the fact it represents, without missing very much on the pitch.

Now, when they get a chance to talk among themselves, the fans at Highbury are likely to find themselves in general agreement that the best player in the world is at present wearing Arsenal's colours.

Maybe the departure of Oleg Luzhny to Wolves has simplified the matter. Either way the case for Thierry Henry being regarded as the most accomplished footballer on the earth's surface is sufficiently strong to warrant serious discussion.

In football superlatives have long been devalued by constant usage. Declaring that a player is the greatest this or that simply invites a host of rival and often viable claims.

Yet Henry's apparently limitless capacity for astounding opponents and spectators alike with his combination of speed, vision, technique and delivery must by now entitle him not only to be ranked alongside Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Luis Figo and Rivaldo but slightly ahead of all but the first two mentioned. And even between Henry and Zidane it is getting to be a close-run thing.

All right, Arsenal are not Real Madrid and the Premiership, eventful though it is, is not quite up to the quality of the Spanish League. Yet such is the variety of Henry's game and so often does he produce a touch of instinctive genius to score or create a goal that in a world lacking another Pele, Maradona or a second Cruyff the Arsenal player must be very near to the best on offer.

For example, how many players would have been capable of setting up Sylvain Wiltord's first goal at Middlesbrough on Sunday in quite the way Henry did? Compared with the gap through which Henry threaded his beautifully angled and weighted pass, allowing Wiltord to score with a first-time volley, the eye of the average needle appeared as wide as the M1.

A proliferation of such moments from Henry last season persuaded the Professional Footballers' Association to elect him their player of the year before the football writers did likewise, and the latter votes were cast even as Arsenal's hopes of retaining the title collapsed.

The latter award upset Manchester United fans, and maybe Sir Alex Ferguson, in view of the considerable contribution made by Ruud van Nistelrooy in restoring the championship to Old Trafford. Van Nistelrooy has established himself both as one of the world's outstanding finishers and one of its best leaders of an attack but, given the choice, which player would a defence rather face?

Van Nistelrooy is a ruthless punisher of defensive errors, witness the scorch marks he left on the grass at Highbury in April when Sol Campbell's ill-judged lunge left the Dutchman a clear route to goal. The difference with Henry is that a defender can do everything right and still be beaten for speed, mentally as well as physically.

Against Henry, defenders who are not fools can be made to look fools. Wise defending can at times hold Van Nistelrooy in check.

Henry's presence alone can unnerve his opponents. When Arsenal had Campbell sent off against Everton, Wenger left him alone up front knowing the threat of his speed alone would deter David Moyes's players from pushing forward to exploit the advantage of the extra man. As Moyes reflected after Everton had lost to 10 men: "Henry occupies all the players at the back on his own."

Few footballers are ever good enough to have this effect on opponents. One was George Best, who in the late 60s effectively scored a goal at Highbury without touching the ball. Peter Storey was about to bring the ball out of defence when he saw Best moving to bar the way. In a panic Storey turned, passed back without looking and left Bob Wilson stranded, giving United a bizarre own-goal.

Henry should be so lucky. But you can see it happening in spite of the decline of the back-pass as a means of escape.