Henry

[Kontra]

I see him play in the EPL and he does amazing things, incredible goals, long runs, slaloms, great shots, passes, etc, brilliance.

I see him play for france and in the champions league and he is never up to the reputation he has in the EPL.

Why is he only good playing in EPL matches?

[Roffadam]

EPL defenders give enough space to let him show off

in the CL the defenders are of higher quality

[king_saladin]

Arsenal's tactics as a whole seem to fit perfect against EPL teams. They can open up defenses very well, and Henry is amazing at making the most of it.

I wouldn't say that Henry not doing as well in other competitions being down so much to him as it is down to different team tactics. But I could be wrong as I don't watch ALL of his matches.

Kind of the opposite of many other great players that came to the EPL and couldn't do ********.

[Colm]

EPL defenders give enough space to let him show off

in the CL the defenders are of higher qualityEPL defenders are of the best quality of any other league, just look where some of the best defenders in the world come from "Terry, Ferdinand, Campbell, A Cole etc..." in the EPL you don't get as much time on the ball as the pace is quicker and people close you down quicker, in Europe the pace is slower and you can have the ball for much longer has people don't close down as much. His CL record is pretty good

[NickSaints]

Defences in the CL tend to sit deeper and any player with similar pace to Henry thrives more when defences push up and squeeze the play a bit more, as happens in the Prem. Also, and Arsenal fans can correct me on this, but for some reason, Arsenal seem to play a lot slower in the CL. Much more deliberate and without wanting to start a row here, dare I say predictable. It's something that frustrates me about most English teams playing in Europe. They play all their domestic football at what is universally recognised as the fastest pace of any European league, then, when they play in Europe they think they have to slow it down and play in a more "European" manner.
As for not doing it for France, blame the coach!! When you have a weapon the class of Henry, you build your team around him and make them play in a manner that brings out the best in that weapon. France certainly dont do this. Henry is not as "free" as he is with Arsenal and god, when they play Trezeguet up there with him, it just cramps him up that much more. They are so similar in the runs they make that they are never ever gonna make a true partnership.

[Miles Brasher]

First off, I'm stupid for getting involved in the 'Henry is rubbish against against big teams' debate, but just to say that in the CL, a competition where Arsenal as a team have struggled, he's still managed to score more that 1 goal every 2 games... (assuming my figures are correct of course!)

I can't be bothered with the France stats, but the whole French team has struggled for a few years now...

[Suss]

EPL defenders give enough space to let him show off

in the CL the defenders are of higher quality

Wait, I thought thats the reason South American players can't play in the EPL...because EPL defenders don't allow them to have any space :rolleyes:

[nicephoras]

First off, I'm stupid

Its hard to argue with a man who starts his posts with such incontrovertible facts. ;)

[soccer365-old]

I would take Henry over anybody in the Premiership. His goal to game ratio has to be up there amongst the best and when you consider the amount of games that he has been playing over the past 5 summers (European Championships, Confederations Cup, World Cup) he hasn't had much time to let his body recover from those grueling Premiership seasons.

I still rank him up there amongst the best in the world but after seeing Adriano's performances in the Confederations Cup, I think his time has arrived.

[elravager]

I think what's needed is a target man, ie: a heading threat up front that can hold up the ball to complement Henry. Arsenal are pathetic when it comes to corners and high balls from the flanks. There's enough speed and skill with the likes of henry, reyes, pires, ljunberg, etc., there's simply no heading ability.

[king_saladin]

I think what's needed is a target man, ie: a heading threat up front that can hold up the ball to complement Henry. Arsenal are pathetic when it comes to corners and high balls from the flanks. There's enough speed and skill with the likes of henry, reyes, pires, ljunberg, etc., there's simply no heading ability.

With their passing ability, they would basically just waste possessions if they tried headers, even if they had a strong heading player or two.

[Kontra]

As for not doing it for France, blame the coach!! When you have a weapon the class of Henry, you build your team around him and make them play in a manner that brings out the best in that weapon.

LOL? The team was built around france's weapon, the thing is that weapon is called ZIDANE.

[asantekotoko]

Henry is not as "free" as he is with Arsenal and god, when they play Trezeguet up there with him, it just cramps him up that much more. They are so similar in the runs they make that they are never ever gonna make a true partnership.

You see evidence of this if you watch the France-Switzerland Euro 2004 game. When the coach took of Trezeguet and brought on Louis Saha, you all of a sudden saw Premiership Henry and he went on to score two goals. I remember Trezeguet himself saying during world cup 2002 that Henry would have performed better with Anelka as a partner instead of him.

[NickSaints]

LOL? The team was built around france's weapon, the thing is that weapon is called ZIDANE.
Zidane was the best player in the world, but he will never score you a goal every other game or better. Henry can and you must do all you can to ensure that your centre forward is supplied in the best possible manner. By weapon, I didnt mean best player, I meant the player more likely to score, rather than create