I recently read an article in a reputable newspaper describing Henry as a big game bottler (after scoring the winning the goal against Ireland) and to some extent the FIFpro awards are backing this up…what does Henry have to do to get the respect he deserves as the worlds most potent attacker?
It is widely accepted that Titi is a big game bottler, even by some of our own fans, but his record is more or less incredible. From Euro 2000, when in the best international football tournament I have ever seen, he was top scorer for France. Since then he has topped the EPL scoring charts, won two golden boots and almost certainly (not sure) had more assists than any other player in the european leagues. He regularly scores in our big games against Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool, ok Tottenham as well…He is also Arsenal’s top scorer in the CL year in year out. So can anyone tell me how the f@ck can he still be considered a big game bottler?
If Henry played for Barcelona, in a league that is less concerned with pressing and defending than the EPL, he would be considered the worlds greatest.
19 Responses to “‘Big game bottler’ Thierry Henry”
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September 28th, 2005 at 9:31 pm
Personally I do not think Henry is a big game bottler. As you have stated, he has scored his share of goals in big game against big teams.
My concern is - he does has the tendency to disappear when the going get tough. For instance, during our double winning season, Henry started to emerge as a true superstar of the world by having taking the Premiership by storm during the first half of the season. Nevertheless, when the season marched towards the crucial part of the late season, when every game was crucial, it was Freddie who stepped up scoring vital game winner game after game, while Titi suffered an untimingly goal drought during that spell.
If it was a player like Wiltord, Pires, or Ljungberg, people probably wouldn’t have labelled him as a big game bottler. But because of the fact Titi is our MAIN MAN, so naturally there is a higher expectation on his shoulder that when matter really counts, we needed him to step up to take the matter into his own hands more than anyone else.
Big game player sometimes don’t just mean scoring. I watched the Ireland v France match as well, until Titi scored the match winner he was having a rather quiet game, as did with most of his teammates. It was Roy Keane, however, who really stepped up in the game and made a hugh influence. Though Ireland had lost and Keane didn’t score, but he looked very much a true big game player than anyone else on the pitch that day.
Talking about big game player, Freddie Ljungberg wan’t really a player who would catch ppl’s eyes at the past with so many top class talent (and more gifted) playing alongside him. Some fans at one stage even suggested him as our “weak link”. But the Ajax match reminds me just how important Freddie is, not just to Arsenal, but also to his teammates.
His presence on the pitch that day seemed to inject a bit more self belief in his teammates. And boy don’t him just love to score when it matters?!
September 28th, 2005 at 11:55 pm
Herny is a great player, there is no doubt about this. But How many great strikes or scorers are over there, A lot, starting from the long ball drogba , RVN, Trez’que, Chevchinho, Etou… All play for big teams, and for big internatioal teams.
Some gets the title as the best striker. But the rest, the media would lower their place. 100% Henry is better than Crouch, 100% better than 10’s of those who play for big teams. But the big player are compared with big players not with normal players, thats why Henry does not get much attention. I also agree with the point that Andez pointed out.
September 28th, 2005 at 11:58 pm
Classic Striker… quiet all match, one moment of brilliance, BOOM… game on its ear.
Thierry Henry is the BEST STRIKER IN THE WORLD, period exclamation point
Day in, Day out… there is NOBODY I would rather have in his position. He’s unselfish, and as you noted… sets up as many as he scores… what other striker is known for that. How many brilliant goals has he scored for our team??
I don’t care WHO says WHAT about Thierry Henry. I’ll defend him ALL DAY, EVERY DAY… our offense is a shell of itself without him, and we don’t exactly have a chopped liver team… he makes everyone around him BETTER. He draws incalculable attention from the opponent whenever he is on the pitch.
Frankly, Freddie or Pires… our next best scorers… and not even CLOSE to Henry… Henry makes them look better than they are…
A bottler? My freaking ass… He’s SIMPLY THE BEST.
September 29th, 2005 at 1:49 am
I do not agree with the notion that Henry is a big game bottler. But I can see why he is perceived as one. When you keep banging in around 25 goals per season in the league, people expect you to reproduce the same in Europe as well. When you don’t, questions are raised. It’s easy to score hat-tricks and doubles against the likes of Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, Fulham, etc. But it’s not the same in the CL. That coupled with the fact that Arsenal have always struggled in Europe just makes it look worse. Henry being our main man ends up taking most of the blame.
September 29th, 2005 at 2:04 am
These awards are all a popularity contest. For a while every year, Ronaldo and Zidane regularly topped the list. In 2002, Ronaldo was FIFA player of the year. Sure he scored 8 goals in the world cup but he only played a handful of games for Inter from Jan - May because of injury. And he was subbed off in Inter’s final game when they lost the title on the last day to Lazio. He did nothing during that game….After the world cup, he threw a tantrum and went to Madrid. Scored some goals, and wallah, best player of the year.
Henry could score a 100 goals in a single EPL season, win the EPL title and F.A Cup, but he won’t win World player of the year. They will say, unless he wins the CL, he won’t be the best. Even if Arsenal win the CL with Henry, they will say Henry didn’t score in the final. Even if Henry scores in the final, they will say, just because someone scores the winning goal in the CL final does not mean he should be player of the year.
And yet year after year, Ronaldinho could win the award even if he never wins the CL. Sure Ronaldinho is great with his feet but….
Regarding Henry’s bottler tag, I feel it is present because he has not scored in the big finals. 2000 UEFA Cup and Euro Final. Our 2001, 2002 and 2003 F.A Cup finals. And then there was the 2002 World Cup…his red card didn’t help matters…And people expected goals from him in Euro 2004. I think people want to see him score goals in those vital finals. But the truth is very few big players get chances to score the winning goal in a final. Players like Henry do so much for the team…Also, people don’t realize Henry is not properly used for the French national team, which is why 2002 and 2004 were not successful for him and France.
In the last few years, I have felt he deserved the award but no, it went to someone else. Watching him on his runs for Arsenal is just pure joy. It is frustrating.
I just hope he recovers quickly from injury and gets back to his best….
September 29th, 2005 at 2:07 am
Err, slight typo…the words it is frustrating were in the wrong place…silly
In the last few years, I have felt he deserved the award but no, it went to someone else. It is frustrating.
Watching him on his runs for Arsenal is just pure joy!!
September 29th, 2005 at 2:15 am
In reply to your last point, no player outside the Spanish Liga or Serie A has won the FIFA World Player of the year award, right? Hmmm….
September 29th, 2005 at 4:35 am
Henry will never win it. I will be very surprised if he does. Recently he has been awesome (the unbeaten run shows this) however he was overlooked by Zidane and Ronaldinho…If he was playing for Barcelona and Juventus he wuld of received the award.
You want to see a bottler? Look at last years Champions League Final . look how nervous Shevchenko was, noone seems to mention that penalty miss. That was huge….Milan were relying on him and he bottled it big time. Believe me, if it was Henry that had missed, it would of been front page news…and please dont come on and give me stats about what Shevchenko has done.
September 29th, 2005 at 5:06 am
You cant knock Shevchenko. He is one of the best there is. End of.
September 29th, 2005 at 9:37 am
I’m sure you are just winding up, but the point was Henry is one of the best there is (well, the best really in terms of goals/assits - a forwards job).
September 29th, 2005 at 9:57 am
I say he would should dump him. He gets hurt too much.
That was for Stag, if he still reads me. ;^)
Henry came up a part of a Wenger system. Remember, he was a non-entity until he was placed into The Arsenal machine. His talent is impossible to challenge, and there is no one in any league with the possible exception of Ronaldinho, who is more fun to watch on the ball than Henry. Though, I will say that for sheer grace alone, he will be unmatched for decades to come.
But like any machine, when the other parts aren’t running well, other parts suffer. I don’t think he bottles as much as he gets caught “waiting”. He must be being told by Wenger to be patient with the others, and in big games, the deficiencies of our squad are likely to surface. In games against weaker opponents, as Stag pointed out, he only needs a few moments to put it away.
Comparisons to Keane are well noted, but really serve to flatter Keane. Its easier to establish oneself as a big game player in the middle of the park. The game HAS to come through you. Henry is a often a dimond in the rough in the final third who may or may not have the time and energy to pick up everyone’s slack, depending on the circumstances, and what Wenger is telling him.
And his personality isn’t exactly “workmanlike”. Sometimes that’s needed, and makes a difference. What Henry brings to the table is penache and brilliance. It can inspire, or it can cause others to rely too much on him ? including supporters. But for anyone who thinks he’s afraid of tough competition, there are too many examples where he’s come through. And that cheeky free kick against Chelsea last season shows us that sometimes he toys with big clubs like they were cat toys.
Viva Henry!
September 29th, 2005 at 10:31 am
scotty, one of my favourite moments of Henry was during our 2002 season, the 1-3 home defeat to Newcastle, when Graham Poll sent 2 of our players off and it really fired up Henry and he was seen shouting and yelling towards Poll. To some it may be a disgraceful unsportsmanship act, to me I saw a player who cares.
Another moment was in a match which we came from 2 goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2. After Arsenal equalized, Henry dashed into the goal trying to grab the ball back for a quick kick off, an Villa player was holding the ball refused to let go, and henry almost got a fight with him. To other it may be a disgraceful unsportsmanship act, to me I saw someone full of passion.
what started to disapoint me a little in recent years is though Henry is still as talented a player as ever, yet i don’t remember seeing the same soft of passion and fire in Titi anymore…
perhaps i am a nut case, but i hate to see our players getting too “nice” on the pitch…
can’t help but think - should Titi get upset and fired up a little bit more in matches, probably he would finally land the World Player of the Year one day. This guy just got so MASSIVE a talent i really feel he could push himself to even a HIGHER level if he could push himself a little bit harder.
September 29th, 2005 at 11:56 am
Even I thought Henry was right to do with he did against Newcastle. I met some Arsenal fans who said he was a nutcase for doing that. I was annoyed…dammit, we were robbed. Someone had to speak up…You could see Henry winding up near the end of the game and he could not stand the injustice.
And after that game, Arsenal marched to the double. So maybe him being wound up got him determined enough…..
And yes he is missing that fire, anger now. Remember he almost blasted Lauren for not passing to him against ManU in that unbeaten season. But now he is much quieter, keeping everything inside…
September 29th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
“And after that game, Arsenal marched to the double. So maybe him being wound up got him determined enough…..”
Exactly! I do feel Henry can be a tougher man than he has shown. A mentally tougher, more determined Henry + his talent = can anyone stops him?!
September 29th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Do you remember that dark week we had when we had to play Chelsea, Manu, and Liverpool all in 5 days. We were eliminated from the FA Cup and the CL and were about to lose our unbeaten run. After going down to Liverpool for the second time in the match, Henry gathered the ball at about midfield and refused to lose. He went by 6 Liverpool players before scoring the goal of the season. We went on to dominate that game and win pretty convincingly.
The game earlier this year against Bayern at Highbury impressed me also, the way he cooly placed that goal past Kahn was lovely. The way he ran Ze Roberto down and knocked him off the ball to get the ball back and try to score again; that would have fired me up if I were on his team. My striker sprinting back 50 yards to make a tackle like that, hell, yeah let’s win this game. Henry’s a champion with bottle for days. These 2 moments weren’t a long time ago.
Do I believe he’s the best striker, no Adriano is. But Henry is by far the most dynamic player in the world. He has so many facets that make him so dangerous. With all of his champion qualities, I’d pick him first every time. Henry’s phenomenal.
September 30th, 2005 at 2:30 am
TH14 is a great player and is already a legend at Arsenal but he is a bottler when he comes up against players and teams that he considers the very best.
I remember a game against Charlton away where we had a free kick on the edge of the area that favoured a left footer. Henry took the freekick himself LEFT FOOTED and wasn’t too far away. That showed how special and confident he can be when he is at his best. I just thought he was brilliant right there and then.
Against Bayern Munich away last year when we were losing we had a freekick in a similar position and he encouraged Reyes to take it. Believe me this was not an elaborate training ground routine because the look on Reyes face was one of shock. Reyes came close but didn’t score but the point is Henry BOTTLED it! There is no way he would have offered the freekick to anyone if it was against a premiership side.
It’s easier for Henry to produce for France when the pressure to be the man is not on him. Infact we are already seeing evidence of this as Zidane is now back.
Henry is so talented and he needs to have the same arrogant mindset against Europe’s big guns that he has against the Charlton’s of this world.
I think he lacks confidence in being the man and that is also why he is a poor choice for captain. We need someone who thinks he is the world’s best and can make the the team think they are the best as well.
September 30th, 2005 at 4:43 am
TH14 is a great player and is already a legend at Arsenal but he is a bottler when he comes up against players and teams that he considers the very best.
I remember a game against Charlton away where we had a free kick on the edge of the area that favoured a left footer. Henry took the freekick himself LEFT FOOTED and wasn’t too far away. That showed how special and confident he can be when he is at his best. I just thought he was brilliant right there and then.
Against Bayern Munich away last year when we were losing we had a freekick in a similar position and he encouraged Reyes to take it. Believe me this was not an elaborate training ground routine because the look on Reyes face was one of shock. Reyes came close but didn’t score but the point is Henry BOTTLED it! There is no way he would have offered the freekick to anyone if it was against a premiership side.
It’s easier for Henry to produce for France when the pressure to be the man is not on him. Infact we are already seeing evidence of this as Zidane is now back.
Henry is so talented and he needs to have the same arrogant mindset against Europe’s big guns that he has against the Charlton’s of this world.
I think he lacks confidence in being the man and that is also why he is a poor choice for captain. We need someone who thinks he is the world’s best and can make the the team think they are the best as well.
September 30th, 2005 at 6:40 am
fair point but Inter Milan in the champs league 2 seasons ago? At home to Chelsea last season? He does score in the big games we just rely on him too much!
October 3rd, 2005 at 8:53 am
Excellent example at the end there Scotty. You can’t be a big game bottler and still have the nads to play risky options like that free kick against Chelsea. Nobody else on the Arsenal side would have had the balls to do that, and I’m not sure I can think of anyone else except, again, Ronaldinho on any other team who would have taken a chance like that in a big game. I support Henry to the death.