这篇文章也不错~
哈哈,尤其是最后那句...
No Henry? No Problem
The Insider
Soccernet's Insider was in attendance on the last occasion the great Frenchman missed a major game for the Gunners and his absence was glaringly obvious as Arsenal stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Leicester. On that occasion, Ferguson's suggestion that his main rivals would win nothing without their talisman proved to be true, but the Manchester United boss' assessment was not to accurate as they turned on the style in Henry's absence today.
Bergkamp: Celebrates his opener (CliveRose/GettyImages)
In a week when United spent almost ?3m to boost their striking resources, Wenger had just Dennis Bergkamp to name from his list of absent forwards. The fact that the veteran Dutchman has not played a competitive game since late December due to injury highlighted the lack of depth Wenger can call on at this crucial point in the season.
Henry has been on holiday this week and will not return until Sunday, so Wenger opted to play Freddie Ljungberg in a more advanced role to fill the void alongside Bergkamp and the first 15 minutes of this game would have been a major concern for Wenger. His side are famed for being quick out of the trap, trying to stamp their class all over opponents who are already in a touch of awe at the force they are facing.
Yet you wonder just how much of that fear from their opponents comes from the presence of Henry. In the opening exchanges of this game, Boro looked comfortable and it took a mistake to hand Arsenal a lead they barely deserved after 19 minutes. Stuart Parnaby' attempt to run the ball out of play was blocked by the ever-willing Ray Parlour and his cutback allowed Bergkamp to open the scoring, with the help of a deflection off Chris Riggott.
This, however, was not Arsenal at their brilliant best and within three minutes Boro were level thanks to a fine finish from Joseph Job. Michael Ricketts did well to flick on the ball in the build-up, but Job's control and finish was Henry-esque.
A game that had not set the pulses racing suddenly had two goals and after 28 minutes the third arrived when Patrick Vieira set up Freddie Ljungberg in a crowded penalty area and Arsenal's lead was restored, but they were hardly the fearsome force who swept teams aside despite that goal.
There can be no denying that the likes of Bergkamp, Pires, Vieira, Campbell and Ljungberg would walk into any Premiership side, but the muted nature of the Highbury fans and lack of spark from Arsenal was obvious for all concerned. They may have gone into the half time break ahead, but this game was not beyond Boro.
Had the visitors gone at Arsenal with any sort of purpose in the second half, they could have secured a draw at the very least, but instead they sat back and waiting to be beaten. And their fate was confirmed when Ljungberg was left unmarked from Pires' 67th minute corner and the Swede headed home the decisive third Arsenal goal.
Referee Mike Dean did his best to ruin the game by throwing around a collection of pointless yellow cards and when George Boateng lunged in on Ray Parlour with just four minutes to go, he had his chance to make a few headlines. He had no option other than to issue a red card for the harsh lunge, but the speed with which he delivered it suggested he enjoyed the moment a little too much.
Arsenal's win was given its crowning glory when substitute David Bentley produced a moment of magic with an inch perfect chip to beat Schwarzer from the edge of the box in the final minute. It was the sort of moment Henry often inspires and confirmation that Arsenal are no one man team.
'Thierry is on holiday and we win 4-1 so that is an interesting result for anyone who thinks we are a one man team,' the Arsenal boss pointed out with a smile.
'We didn't play with one static striker today and it meant the whole team needed to get forward that bit more. Bergkamp, Pires and Ljungberg did that and we were a threat all afternoon.
'But I would not want to say we don't need Thierry Henry. When you have a player of his class, it is natural that a team will rely on him to do something special. What this proves is that we don't rely on him too much.'
Steve McClaren had few excuses as his side crashed to a second 4-1 defeat inside two weeks at Highbury. 'We had the heart of our defence ripped out due to injury today and I b****y hope they will be back for the Carling Cup game against Arsenal on Wednesday,' he said.
'We conceded three very poor goals and you cannot come to Highbury and expect to get away with anything. It's all about Wednesday for us now as we have to bounce back from this setback.'
So your question has been answered Mr Ferguson. Arsenal are no one man team, just a damn good one that are close to being invincible when Thierry Henry is in their ranks.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Ray Parlour - You have to hand it to this veteran who continues to battle his way into this star-studded Arsenal side as he was a driving force for them on the right of midfield in this game.
FOOD WATCH - Soccernet's Insider was a little late in creeping down the tight gangway that leads to the press room and the half time pies and chicken was gobbled up long before he got there.
REF WHINGE - Mike Dean appeared to forget the new relaxed policy for referees as he handed out yellow cards for all kinds of minor offences. He achieved nothing by being so petty.
TALENT SCOUT - David Bentley's goal was a moment of class and Wenger compared him to Dennis Bergkamp after the game. 'He has confidence in abundance and could have a very bright future,' said the Arsenal boss.
THE HENRY DEBATE - They beat Middlesbrough 4-1 in the league earlier this month on a day when Henry was at his brilliant best. The same score line in this game suggests Arsenal could live without him if they needed. Now Mr Ferguson, could your team live without Ruud van Nistelrooy?
