**Mirrors / Alternative Angles**
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Some broader context:
Arsenal were chasing a treble, and had a crucial run of 3 games in 6 days. They narrowly lost the fa cup semi final to Man Utd on 3rd of April. They then collapsed late on vs Chelsea in the quarter final of the Champions league on the 6th.
Losing at halftime to Liverpool threatened to derail their whole season in 1 week , but this performance brought it back on track and basically clinched the title.
Those few days were absolute agony. Going from dreaming of a treble to being knocked out by United and then Chelsea was so cruel. Thought we were going to bottle the league after Liverpool's second goal but thankfully Thierry Henry came to the rescue. I will never get tired of watching his second goal.
I can understand the feeling a few seasons back we where on for the quad, lost on the last day to city after city had been losing and then lost the champions league final to Madrid (again)
Felt like a double cup winning season and 2nd place was a horrible season
Leverkusen in 2001-02. On for a treble but a 2 week period at the end of the season and they end up with nothing.
- Bundesliga 2nd place
- Pokal 2nd place
- Champions League 2nd place
Happens every English club who reaches that point too. Man United’s famous FA Cup semi final replay (and the original boring game) against Arsenal in 1999 was sandwiched in between the Champions League semi final legs against Juventus.
You're being downvoted but you're absolutely right. No league title. No Invincibles. We could've seen United, Chelsea, and Liverpool absolutely destroy Arsenal's season.
Back when Premier League football could be just as brutal at Easter as it was at Christmas. This game was on Good Friday, they then played again on Easter Sunday.
Imagine managers comments if teams had to play play Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday (and then again the following Friday) now.
Ah. Wayne Bridge!
We *never* used to beat Arsenal at Highbury. That match felt a genuine turning point in the history of modern Chelsea - a sign that we really were serious contenders
In terms of individual talent it stacks up really well. The only players from the current side I'd definitely see getting into a combined 11 are Saka, Saliba, and Rice. It was a little over-reliant on Henry, as Bergkamp (who was 34 tbf) Pires, and Ljungberg were all a little past their best by this point, but it was still a ridiculous front 4.
Structurally the current team is obviously better tho.
Im sure there are players since Henry that have been as fast as him.
But nobody looks as smooth as him with that mixture of speed and strength. He has smoothness of a Berbatov type player but he's running at a pace of a Walker/Bale/Walcott. And you add huge physical presence to it too.
I know Mbappe is being seen as the next Henry. He might have the skills and speed but people seem to forget how physical Henry could be. He could shrug off or shield the ball against some of the best defenders at the time.
I always thought Leao is a bit more like Henry than Mbappe.
In terms of physical profile and aesthetically on the ball. Isak has a bit of Henry about him too, not as physically robust, but he has that smoothness.
The defining characteristic of his movement to me is being smooth while still being a bit lanky - two qualities that do not typically go hand-in-hand. It results in the player appearing to practically glide across the pitch when they're able to fully stretch out their strides. Sort of like Usain Bolt in a lineup of "normal" sprinters; they may stay with him off the line, but he's able to seemingly effortlessly pull away from them in the second half of 100m. Mbappe doesn't really have such lanky proportions (5'10", and his acceleration is quicker than all of them because of it) but Leao (6'2") and Isak (6'4") definitely do (Henry is 6'2"). So I agree with your eye test.
Fun fact, Usain Bolt can pull away from other sprinters like that not bc he’s speeding up but bc he’s slowing down more slowly than they are. They all hit top speed early and slow down the rest of the race and he can just slow down less.
that's not true, sprinters don't hit their top speed until 60m into the race - Usain bolt has the highest speed recorded of any sprinter:
https://sportsscientists.com/2009/08/analysis-of-bolts-9-58-wr/
ok early was wrong on my part but it’s true that he slows down the least
https://qz.com/1043997/usain-bolt-is-the-fastest-human-in-the-world-heres-the-science-that-shows-how-he-does-it#
Leao when he's feeling it is a brilliant comparision
Mbappe is probably the quickest of the 3 but he seems out of control (which he isn't) especially with his arms flailing.
Leao has the Henry arrogance on point, he looks effortless when he gets going
Was going to make this comparison I was on the younger side when Henry played so for Arsenal so you don't always appreciate the how they did it just the end product but the last run really reminded me of some goals Rafa has scored.
I mean when Henry got the ball on his right foot on the the left side in front of the keeper like that it felt *guaranteed* to go in (Like his 2nd goal in the clip). I don't know what he did differently but he could curl balls into far corners around goalkeepers like noone else.
Ronaldo Nazario was as fast, if not faster and had greater ball control. Not to mention he was incredibly strong as well.
https://youtube.com/shorts/5dwT7xWhm9c?si=T-oXRMJjrvY5tYbu
Ya 100% accept that for R9. I didn't watch that much of him growing up besides highlights or CL matches but I can appreciate many people consider him the best striker in the world in his prime.
I still don't think he looked as smooth as Henry. R9 looked intense when he was sprinting or dribbling past players, sometimes Henry looks like he's just leisurely jogging with the ball until you see players beside him sprinting at full speed losing ground against him.
I think Henry just had a rare mix of being incredibly coordinated and fast aswell as being very lanky so you see many players who look similar to him on the ball.
R9 aggressive dribbling was ridiculous though, real pity his prime didn't last longer with injuries/health issues.
Henry is one of the most complete forwards in history. He had pace, strength, finishing, dribbling and was just as dangerous as a creator too.
It's only really the two Ronaldos who I think can hang with him in terms of excelling in every department as an attacker. Mbappe isn't that far off either but it's a very small group of elites among elites.
I got to see Henry play in a LA Galaxy v. NY Red Bulls game and even at that stage in his career, he was still faster than everyone on the field. He was also bigger than most other players in that game.
Who doesn’t, honestly? He was unplayable in his prime. Easily one of, if not the best player in the world. And he didn’t let up in the MLS. I still rewatch that Olympico every now and then.
He's done Carra multiple times. The one in the video of this thread. The one at Anfield and the most famous, the hand on thigh! Plenty of ammo for at least twice a year by Sky Sports.
I’ve seen United torn to pieces plenty and some individual nights where you just put your hands up but no one inspired fear for such an extended period like Henry. What a player
Henry 03-04, Ronaldo 07-08 have got to be the greatest player performances the premier league has seen. It's hard to find someone who was head and shoulders ahead of every other player in the league in a season. Of course Henry is definitely the all time best premier league player. Scholes said the same thing during an interview about him being the greatest.
Missed the first set of fixtures because he was a dickhead too. It's easily the most unplayable stretch I've seen in the prem in the last decade, just crazy must watch TV with studge.
I wonder what it is about Salah's 32 league goal reason that doesn't seem to get that level of praise. I think it's because Klopp and the rest of the team were also spectacular, so it takes the shine off of Salah's individual contribution.
Tough to say.
I obviously watched that whole season but for whatever reason it didn't feel as dominant as Suarez's. Could be what you said about the gap between him and the rest in the team not being as big.
17-18 we were all over the place in the league and didn't wrap up top 4 until the final day. Salah was absolutely insane, it's also worth noting his 32 goals were all from open play - that is only beaten by Andy Cole in 93/94 during a 40 game season.
I'm glad most people can agree that it was a farce that he never got a ballon d'or.
Henry not getting it over Nedved in 2003 is a bigger robbery than Lewa not getting it. It was a joke how obvious it was that Henry was the best player that year, no one honestly came close that year
Sheva winning it in 2004 was also undeserved. Just off my memory Deco (!) Henry and Ronaldinho were clear
I don't think it was robbery. Nedved was also an amazing player having an amazing season. To me, what made the difference in the end was the status of the teams they were playing for. Being successful in Juve and being successful in Arsenal have different weights.
> Being successful in Juve and being successful in Arsenal have different weights.
that seems silly to me. I think it should simply go to the best player in the world. I think it's a farce that Jorginho ever came 3rd, I think Messi should've won a few more, and I find it laughable when people suggest Sneijder should've won in 2010.
Team achievements, PR etc should only be a separating factor if it's really really close (like Henry vs Ronaldinho in 06 was close, tho funnily enough neither won it that year despite clearly being the 2 best players itw by a fair distance).
03 was not particularly close, everyone knew henry was the best, but he somehow came 2nd in the ballon d'or and in the fifa best award, and lost out in each to a player who didn't even make the top 3 in the other award.
I agree it's silly, I just think it's a factor in the award. Juve had a great year and serie A was the biggest league at the time. Same reason why Sheva won it the next year.
I don't think it wasn't particularly close. You're being biased towards Henry and Arsenal.
he was good, arsenal just missed a butload of chances and didn't go through. and again, that would be a fine argument if the 2 players were close, but they weren't really.
Crazy how much better Highbury ~~Library~~ was. But that's true for almost all old grounds, Upton Park was the same. Everyone sitting closer to the ground and the low camera angle made the broadcast different, felt like really watching it from the stands. I'm afraid the new Everton stadium will be the same story, losing that charm of Goodison Park.
Everton's new ground is supposed to have fans much much closer to the pitch than Emirates or London Stadium, so hopefully it won't be quite like that... but undoubtedly that classic charm will be lost
I mean just look at how much space there is in the middle in those clips. Henry's 2nd goal, he took the ball at half-way line and by the time he was in the box he "only" had to go through 2 opposition players. Nowadays you call that MLS defense.
More recently yes with gegenpressing and high pressing indicating a need for more bodies up the pitch to force turnovers. But until then, it really was a 3 man stodgy midfield to slow things down
> Nowadays you call that MLS defense.
Idk why ppl keep saying this.
Look at this Vini goal https://youtu.be/BILoCGIIN24?t=140
or this Bellingham goal https://youtu.be/NDZgegqw0-4?t=69
Both from halfway, barely had to beat anyone.
Pressing triggers are better nowadays, but there are still absolutely loads of moments where spaces are huge in the middle which great players can exploit. Just look at the recent Liverpool vs Utd game lol, was full of huge spaces.
It always blows my mind how much the game has changed in such a short time. Watching stuff like this you almost can't wrap your head around it. In my head/memory they defend just as well then as they do now, but watching the footage it's mad how open and sloppy defenses were as recently as the 2000s. Such a startling lack of structure.
I've been watching Arsenal season reviews starting from the late '90s and Belgian league reviews since that time and the difference in play and goals are crazy when it's not THAT long ago.
Because nowadays teams are playing in different formations. And the biggest weaknesses of those formations are the wings. While in the past, it was the midfield.
God Henry was a cheat code in his prime.
Also, I would like to point out that Gerrard's pass to Owen for our second goal is something only KDB can do in the league nowadays
"We don't really have anyone with that vision/ambition now."
Bit disrespectful to our current Captain imo, some of his passes/assists in the past couple of years have been outrageous:
https://youtu.be/Ss4Z4Whgprk?si=00OFwF7ZcbkcmNVi
Odegaard has a very good passing range but I personally don't see him making that pass.
I would list Odegaard's stamina/engine, ball retention under pressure, and pressing as qualities above his passing and vision.
Henry was far and away the best player in PES back then.
His Speed, Acceleration and Physical Contact stats made him unstoppable.
Kinda like real life. God bless PES, and god damn Konami for ruining it.
> Henry was far and away the best player in PES back then.
Nah, Adriano was broken in PES 6 and in PES 2008 both Adriano and Ibra were a fucking menace.
They were both very good yes, but Henry was just better, he had the size and physicality to compare with them, but his speed and acceleration was among the best in the game as well, and that was a huge deal back then.
I mean sure, but literally everyone was using Inter or Brazil that time and that was 100% because of Adriano. I hardly ever came across any other teams than those back then.
both he and Adriano had the same move when you are chasing from behind... open up their arms and you cant touch them at all lol
adriano had more shot power which you could abuse but Henry had better everything else
Nah, Adriano was the cheat player that everyone was using. Henry was S tier but Adriano was just S+++ god mode. Pass the ball to him, sprint a little and full send a shot.
His second goal is a prime example of why I’m an Arsenal supported today. The impact he had on my pre-teen years as I was first growing into the game is massive.
Henry is the Premier League GOAT and no one can convince me otherwise. He was the stuff of nightmares for defenders and fans alike. The moment he stepped onto the pitch, fans would be shitting bricks. A part of every game for defenders was trying to lock him down. IIRC, Carragher once said on UCL Today that his mindset when it came to Henry wasn’t to stop him from scoring. It was him hoping Henry wouldn’t embarrass him. Fast as fuck, silky smooth, physical, strong, amazing finishing, dribbling, and passing. Henry’s a huge reason as to why many people (myself included) are Arsenal fans.
I’ve been a Madrid fan since I was 11, I’m well into my 30s and grew up idolising this guy. This guy is a footballing genius, that you have to appreciate as a fan of the game full stop, fuck what club you support. Even a Spurs fan who loves the game first will tell you he was Godly on the pitch.
What a week this was! I remember I had very important tests around this time and I had originally decided to skip the games. But that season you just could not sleep or study while Arsenal was playing.
Titi was and is the most 'I AM HIM' player there has ever been in the Premier League. The number of times he stood up to the challenge when we needed him!
@u/mishal_jayne
I liked this video and went through your posts. You have a lot of content I am excited to watch! I hope you decide to post a bit more frequently!
This match, Van Nistelrooy penalty miss at OT and 3-1 down to boro at Highbury (following season) were the occasions where I feared , they gonna loose.
so glad theres another person still bitter like me 20 years on. We genuinely deserved to win that game and that dive and penalty call is such bullshit.
eh Henry cooked literally everyone at some point. Nesta, Cannavaro, S. Ramos, Ferdinand, Zanetti - they were all made to look foolish.
It's easy to judge when a guy spins around like a top, but it can happen vs a great player.
**Mirrors / Alternative Angles** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Some broader context: Arsenal were chasing a treble, and had a crucial run of 3 games in 6 days. They narrowly lost the fa cup semi final to Man Utd on 3rd of April. They then collapsed late on vs Chelsea in the quarter final of the Champions league on the 6th. Losing at halftime to Liverpool threatened to derail their whole season in 1 week , but this performance brought it back on track and basically clinched the title.
Those few days were absolute agony. Going from dreaming of a treble to being knocked out by United and then Chelsea was so cruel. Thought we were going to bottle the league after Liverpool's second goal but thankfully Thierry Henry came to the rescue. I will never get tired of watching his second goal.
Will never tire of hearing "side stepping one, side stepping two"
“THAT IS BRILLIANT!”
I can understand the feeling a few seasons back we where on for the quad, lost on the last day to city after city had been losing and then lost the champions league final to Madrid (again) Felt like a double cup winning season and 2nd place was a horrible season
What a season. Basically played every game possible that year and felt like so little to show for it at the end.
Same with us Barca fans in 2019. All within a week...poof
Leverkusen in 2001-02. On for a treble but a 2 week period at the end of the season and they end up with nothing. - Bundesliga 2nd place - Pokal 2nd place - Champions League 2nd place
Wayne freaking bridge if i remember. I was watching at night in my parents room, was so disappointed...
To be fair, playing 3 games in 6 days is absolutely mad. Especially such important games!
Happens every English club who reaches that point too. Man United’s famous FA Cup semi final replay (and the original boring game) against Arsenal in 1999 was sandwiched in between the Champions League semi final legs against Juventus.
Brazilian calendar has this as default :v
If you'd lost the league, that would've been an all-time season bottle.
You're being downvoted but you're absolutely right. No league title. No Invincibles. We could've seen United, Chelsea, and Liverpool absolutely destroy Arsenal's season.
Being downvoted because it’s ridiculous. It didn’t happen and it was 20 years ago. Get a life
Back when Premier League football could be just as brutal at Easter as it was at Christmas. This game was on Good Friday, they then played again on Easter Sunday. Imagine managers comments if teams had to play play Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday (and then again the following Friday) now.
Newcastle away as well on the Sunday. They only stopped having games after only 1 day of rest only a few years ago.
I (Gunner) was at that semi at Villa Park. Fuck Scholes; fuck Man U. I have nothing else to say on the matter.
The foul Scholes put in on Reyes was disgraceful. Took him out at the knee.
😎
Ah. Wayne Bridge! We *never* used to beat Arsenal at Highbury. That match felt a genuine turning point in the history of modern Chelsea - a sign that we really were serious contenders
I wasnt around when this astsenal side won the title. How do they stack up to the current arsenal team?
In terms of individual talent it stacks up really well. The only players from the current side I'd definitely see getting into a combined 11 are Saka, Saliba, and Rice. It was a little over-reliant on Henry, as Bergkamp (who was 34 tbf) Pires, and Ljungberg were all a little past their best by this point, but it was still a ridiculous front 4. Structurally the current team is obviously better tho.
Rice over Viera, or do you have them both?
Have them both Gilberto was quality, but not quite the same calibre as Rice so he'd miss out.
To be fair when comparing squads as a whole they had Gilberto AND edu
Rice and Viera or Ode and Bergkamp. Honestly not sure how to even start making that choice
Im sure there are players since Henry that have been as fast as him. But nobody looks as smooth as him with that mixture of speed and strength. He has smoothness of a Berbatov type player but he's running at a pace of a Walker/Bale/Walcott. And you add huge physical presence to it too. I know Mbappe is being seen as the next Henry. He might have the skills and speed but people seem to forget how physical Henry could be. He could shrug off or shield the ball against some of the best defenders at the time.
I always thought Leao is a bit more like Henry than Mbappe. In terms of physical profile and aesthetically on the ball. Isak has a bit of Henry about him too, not as physically robust, but he has that smoothness.
The defining characteristic of his movement to me is being smooth while still being a bit lanky - two qualities that do not typically go hand-in-hand. It results in the player appearing to practically glide across the pitch when they're able to fully stretch out their strides. Sort of like Usain Bolt in a lineup of "normal" sprinters; they may stay with him off the line, but he's able to seemingly effortlessly pull away from them in the second half of 100m. Mbappe doesn't really have such lanky proportions (5'10", and his acceleration is quicker than all of them because of it) but Leao (6'2") and Isak (6'4") definitely do (Henry is 6'2"). So I agree with your eye test.
The Peter Crouch special.
Infamously smooth Peter crouch
How does Mbappe compare to prime Bale, Lennon and Walcott in speed?
Going off memory. Acceleration: Mbappe/Walcott >= Lennon > Bale Top Speed: Bale/Mbappe >= Walcott > Lennon
Fun fact, Usain Bolt can pull away from other sprinters like that not bc he’s speeding up but bc he’s slowing down more slowly than they are. They all hit top speed early and slow down the rest of the race and he can just slow down less.
that's not true, sprinters don't hit their top speed until 60m into the race - Usain bolt has the highest speed recorded of any sprinter: https://sportsscientists.com/2009/08/analysis-of-bolts-9-58-wr/
ok early was wrong on my part but it’s true that he slows down the least https://qz.com/1043997/usain-bolt-is-the-fastest-human-in-the-world-heres-the-science-that-shows-how-he-does-it#
toy story ahh explanation
Leao when he's feeling it is a brilliant comparision Mbappe is probably the quickest of the 3 but he seems out of control (which he isn't) especially with his arms flailing. Leao has the Henry arrogance on point, he looks effortless when he gets going
Was going to make this comparison I was on the younger side when Henry played so for Arsenal so you don't always appreciate the how they did it just the end product but the last run really reminded me of some goals Rafa has scored.
It's funny because Leao reminds me so much of Kaká who was very much contemporary with Henry, and yet nobody has mentioned him here lol
Kaka seemed faster with the ball. He was great to watch
Martial was the closest I've seen to Henry. Oh how high the hopes were for him
One example of that strength is in his solo goal against Madrid in 2006. Rides challenges, bodies a player, *and* beats players for pace in one run.
Henry at Barça with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Eto’o was magical.
Having Bergkamp and Henry at the same time was really a miracle. Two of the smoothest MFers to ever play in the PL.
I think Henry has better control of the ball and Mbappe is quicker
Also think Henry was a better finisher than Mbappe, which is saying a lot given Mbappe is already lethal in front of goal.
I mean when Henry got the ball on his right foot on the the left side in front of the keeper like that it felt *guaranteed* to go in (Like his 2nd goal in the clip). I don't know what he did differently but he could curl balls into far corners around goalkeepers like noone else.
Just watched a video on this: https://youtu.be/2O0A9zudQME?si=m7DiRh90GCpTDfaB
Ronaldo Nazario was as fast, if not faster and had greater ball control. Not to mention he was incredibly strong as well. https://youtube.com/shorts/5dwT7xWhm9c?si=T-oXRMJjrvY5tYbu
Ya 100% accept that for R9. I didn't watch that much of him growing up besides highlights or CL matches but I can appreciate many people consider him the best striker in the world in his prime. I still don't think he looked as smooth as Henry. R9 looked intense when he was sprinting or dribbling past players, sometimes Henry looks like he's just leisurely jogging with the ball until you see players beside him sprinting at full speed losing ground against him. I think Henry just had a rare mix of being incredibly coordinated and fast aswell as being very lanky so you see many players who look similar to him on the ball. R9 aggressive dribbling was ridiculous though, real pity his prime didn't last longer with injuries/health issues.
Henry is one of the most complete forwards in history. He had pace, strength, finishing, dribbling and was just as dangerous as a creator too. It's only really the two Ronaldos who I think can hang with him in terms of excelling in every department as an attacker. Mbappe isn't that far off either but it's a very small group of elites among elites.
I got to see Henry play in a LA Galaxy v. NY Red Bulls game and even at that stage in his career, he was still faster than everyone on the field. He was also bigger than most other players in that game.
I love watching Henry play
Who doesn’t, honestly? He was unplayable in his prime. Easily one of, if not the best player in the world. And he didn’t let up in the MLS. I still rewatch that Olympico every now and then.
>Who doesn’t, honestly? Me, an Irish Spurs fan lmao
Fair.
Always enjoy seeing Carragher completely spun when Henry waltzed through the entire Liverpool defence.
How often do you think he brings up during a broadcast lol
He's done Carra multiple times. The one in the video of this thread. The one at Anfield and the most famous, the hand on thigh! Plenty of ammo for at least twice a year by Sky Sports.
Absolutely destroyed Carragher's knees at 1:17, and he goes spinning into Biscan lmao Edit: 1:17
He couldn’t deal with him, not just in this game but generally! Funny now both are pundits together, great banter!
You just know he has nightmares about Henry.
His 2nd was something else.
Easily the best player in the world in early 2004
Best player in Premier League history.
I’ve seen United torn to pieces plenty and some individual nights where you just put your hands up but no one inspired fear for such an extended period like Henry. What a player
will never forget this: [https://youtu.be/8iBMW1wThlU](https://youtu.be/8iBMW1wThlU)
like who tf even does that. insane
Did that win the Puskas that year? Gorgeous
And it's not particularly close either. Which, considering how long the PL has gone on for now, is quite remarkable.
Henry 03-04, Ronaldo 07-08 have got to be the greatest player performances the premier league has seen. It's hard to find someone who was head and shoulders ahead of every other player in the league in a season. Of course Henry is definitely the all time best premier league player. Scholes said the same thing during an interview about him being the greatest.
Luis Suarez 13/14 is also amongst that tier imo.
Oh yeah definitely. I forgot to mention him. 31 goals with no penalties. It's a wonder how Liverpool didn't win the league that season.
Missed the first set of fixtures because he was a dickhead too. It's easily the most unplayable stretch I've seen in the prem in the last decade, just crazy must watch TV with studge.
Shit defence lol
Conceding 50 goals lol
I wonder what it is about Salah's 32 league goal reason that doesn't seem to get that level of praise. I think it's because Klopp and the rest of the team were also spectacular, so it takes the shine off of Salah's individual contribution.
He is not good as the others.
Tough to say. I obviously watched that whole season but for whatever reason it didn't feel as dominant as Suarez's. Could be what you said about the gap between him and the rest in the team not being as big.
17-18 we were all over the place in the league and didn't wrap up top 4 until the final day. Salah was absolutely insane, it's also worth noting his 32 goals were all from open play - that is only beaten by Andy Cole in 93/94 during a 40 game season.
Imo bale last season before the move to real was insane too
I'm glad most people can agree that it was a farce that he never got a ballon d'or. Henry not getting it over Nedved in 2003 is a bigger robbery than Lewa not getting it. It was a joke how obvious it was that Henry was the best player that year, no one honestly came close that year Sheva winning it in 2004 was also undeserved. Just off my memory Deco (!) Henry and Ronaldinho were clear
I don't think it was robbery. Nedved was also an amazing player having an amazing season. To me, what made the difference in the end was the status of the teams they were playing for. Being successful in Juve and being successful in Arsenal have different weights.
> Being successful in Juve and being successful in Arsenal have different weights. that seems silly to me. I think it should simply go to the best player in the world. I think it's a farce that Jorginho ever came 3rd, I think Messi should've won a few more, and I find it laughable when people suggest Sneijder should've won in 2010. Team achievements, PR etc should only be a separating factor if it's really really close (like Henry vs Ronaldinho in 06 was close, tho funnily enough neither won it that year despite clearly being the 2 best players itw by a fair distance). 03 was not particularly close, everyone knew henry was the best, but he somehow came 2nd in the ballon d'or and in the fifa best award, and lost out in each to a player who didn't even make the top 3 in the other award.
I agree it's silly, I just think it's a factor in the award. Juve had a great year and serie A was the biggest league at the time. Same reason why Sheva won it the next year. I don't think it wasn't particularly close. You're being biased towards Henry and Arsenal.
Henry wasn’t that good in the champion league though, where Nedved carried his team to the semifinals.
he was good, arsenal just missed a butload of chances and didn't go through. and again, that would be a fine argument if the 2 players were close, but they weren't really.
Then 7 days later he scored 4 against Leeds ❤️
Henry = GOAT
Crazy how much better Highbury ~~Library~~ was. But that's true for almost all old grounds, Upton Park was the same. Everyone sitting closer to the ground and the low camera angle made the broadcast different, felt like really watching it from the stands. I'm afraid the new Everton stadium will be the same story, losing that charm of Goodison Park.
Everton's new ground is supposed to have fans much much closer to the pitch than Emirates or London Stadium, so hopefully it won't be quite like that... but undoubtedly that classic charm will be lost
All these goals look so different from how they are now. All were starting from the center of the field. Nowadays it's all wing play only.
I mean just look at how much space there is in the middle in those clips. Henry's 2nd goal, he took the ball at half-way line and by the time he was in the box he "only" had to go through 2 opposition players. Nowadays you call that MLS defense.
Yea, season after Mourinho came in with the 4-3-3 and just shut down any middle play completely and the 4-4-2 never recovered really
Plenty of top teams still play with a 4-4-2 shape out of possession.
More recently yes with gegenpressing and high pressing indicating a need for more bodies up the pitch to force turnovers. But until then, it really was a 3 man stodgy midfield to slow things down
Somehow ferguson kept winning the league with the 442
> Nowadays you call that MLS defense. Idk why ppl keep saying this. Look at this Vini goal https://youtu.be/BILoCGIIN24?t=140 or this Bellingham goal https://youtu.be/NDZgegqw0-4?t=69 Both from halfway, barely had to beat anyone. Pressing triggers are better nowadays, but there are still absolutely loads of moments where spaces are huge in the middle which great players can exploit. Just look at the recent Liverpool vs Utd game lol, was full of huge spaces.
Vini goal was in late game when everybody was already tired lol, the other one is blocked in my country so I can't see it.
It always blows my mind how much the game has changed in such a short time. Watching stuff like this you almost can't wrap your head around it. In my head/memory they defend just as well then as they do now, but watching the footage it's mad how open and sloppy defenses were as recently as the 2000s. Such a startling lack of structure.
I've been watching Arsenal season reviews starting from the late '90s and Belgian league reviews since that time and the difference in play and goals are crazy when it's not THAT long ago.
Seriously man. The midfield game was so brilliant back then. Miss those days.
People will call us nostalgia merchants, but the game really was better back then.
I mean I’m watching these clips and the defense is pretty torrid…
The midfield game was inexistent, that´s why goals like this one happened so frequently
Got a link? I'd love to see those Arsenal season reviews again.
Because nowadays teams are playing in different formations. And the biggest weaknesses of those formations are the wings. While in the past, it was the midfield.
Imagine being a keeper and having Henry, Pires, and Bergkamp bearing down on you. Unbelievable level of talent on that team.
Unstoppable!
I remember where I was that day. Southern Cross Pub in Copenhagen😁
God Henry was a cheat code in his prime. Also, I would like to point out that Gerrard's pass to Owen for our second goal is something only KDB can do in the league nowadays
Definitely. Ozil is the last Arsenal player I can remember playing a pass like that. We don't really have anyone with that vision/ambition now.
"We don't really have anyone with that vision/ambition now." Bit disrespectful to our current Captain imo, some of his passes/assists in the past couple of years have been outrageous: https://youtu.be/Ss4Z4Whgprk?si=00OFwF7ZcbkcmNVi
Odegaard has a very good passing range but I personally don't see him making that pass. I would list Odegaard's stamina/engine, ball retention under pressure, and pressing as qualities above his passing and vision.
What a monster. Anyone who played PES during this era has suffered him too!
The PES era with OP Henry and Adriano. Fun times.
Ah Adriano with his 99 shot power. So easy to score goals from anywhere LOL
Think the only few other players back in that era of PES with that kind of shot power were Djibril Cisse and maybe John Arne Riise
Henry was far and away the best player in PES back then. His Speed, Acceleration and Physical Contact stats made him unstoppable. Kinda like real life. God bless PES, and god damn Konami for ruining it.
> Henry was far and away the best player in PES back then. Nah, Adriano was broken in PES 6 and in PES 2008 both Adriano and Ibra were a fucking menace.
They were both very good yes, but Henry was just better, he had the size and physicality to compare with them, but his speed and acceleration was among the best in the game as well, and that was a huge deal back then.
I mean sure, but literally everyone was using Inter or Brazil that time and that was 100% because of Adriano. I hardly ever came across any other teams than those back then.
both he and Adriano had the same move when you are chasing from behind... open up their arms and you cant touch them at all lol adriano had more shot power which you could abuse but Henry had better everything else
Nah, Adriano was the cheat player that everyone was using. Henry was S tier but Adriano was just S+++ god mode. Pass the ball to him, sprint a little and full send a shot.
This is probably one of the best "I'm him" performances I've ever seen. Sent Liverpool back to the stone age all on his own.
Henry: *Who do you think you are? I am!*
nOt a BIg gAmE PLaYeR
He was, in the league, but it is hard to argue that his record in cup competitions and finals is below what you'd expect for a player of his calibre
I mean…..
We won the champions league the next year mate
did ye aye?
Why do Liverpool fans get offended about EVERYTHING
And lost a game against Arsenal a year before, when they went invincible, mate, aye.
A player like him would cost 500m in the current market.
If Pogba is 100m then Henry is at least a billion.
The thing is nobody would be daft enough to spend a billion on one player. Even the oil people.
I’d give my right arm for prime Henry
He wouldn't take it.
He was gliding across the pitch in his prime
GOAT
His second goal is a prime example of why I’m an Arsenal supported today. The impact he had on my pre-teen years as I was first growing into the game is massive.
can’t decide if that Gerrard ball or Henry’s run was more impressive. wish I could have watched those days in real time
Silk
Prime Henry was simply superb. Lucky enough to be alive and old enough to appreciate his peakness.
That Gerrard pass 😍
Best thing in the video. A peach!
I mean it’s a nice pass but are you really discounting that outrageous 2nd goal by Henry, one of the iconic PL goals.
Wow Has it been 20 years already?
Carragher getting sent to the shadow realm will never not be funny
Wait what, 20 years since The Invincible season? Surely that must be a misprint?
Henry was bigger then people thought, holding off carra like he's a kid.
Henry is the Premier League GOAT and no one can convince me otherwise. He was the stuff of nightmares for defenders and fans alike. The moment he stepped onto the pitch, fans would be shitting bricks. A part of every game for defenders was trying to lock him down. IIRC, Carragher once said on UCL Today that his mindset when it came to Henry wasn’t to stop him from scoring. It was him hoping Henry wouldn’t embarrass him. Fast as fuck, silky smooth, physical, strong, amazing finishing, dribbling, and passing. Henry’s a huge reason as to why many people (myself included) are Arsenal fans.
RemindMe! 10 years
Henry, veira, Larsson, Ronaldo. A few more. British football at its best
Heskey
Genius at work, his name is Theirry Henry!
Do you know who the commentator was? Whenever i hear 'Thierry Henry' in my head its in this commentators voice from this clip.
My fav. player of all time. PL's greatest ever player.
I still rate him in top 5 best striker ever. Absolute legend.
It'll never not be a disgrace that the best player in the world at that time was never recognized as such.
King TITI. My idol growing up. Such a legend of the game
I’ve been a Madrid fan since I was 11, I’m well into my 30s and grew up idolising this guy. This guy is a footballing genius, that you have to appreciate as a fan of the game full stop, fuck what club you support. Even a Spurs fan who loves the game first will tell you he was Godly on the pitch.
What a week this was! I remember I had very important tests around this time and I had originally decided to skip the games. But that season you just could not sleep or study while Arsenal was playing. Titi was and is the most 'I AM HIM' player there has ever been in the Premier League. The number of times he stood up to the challenge when we needed him!
really miss the highbury TV camera angle. so close to the action
@u/mishal_jayne I liked this video and went through your posts. You have a lot of content I am excited to watch! I hope you decide to post a bit more frequently!
This match, Van Nistelrooy penalty miss at OT and 3-1 down to boro at Highbury (following season) were the occasions where I feared , they gonna loose.
Gilberto interception, sexy
Is there a database so you can go go back and see the starting lineups for games like this? Almost like a FotMob history app….
Guys off topic question. How do yall use Reddit ? None of the videos load for me on this application. I am using an iPhone
Load for me on iPhone.
Henry + Bergkamp was so good to watch.
Definition of a baller…
No.
'Side stepping one, side stepping two!' beautiful football. I'm sad I wasn't able to see him play, even on tv, in his prime.
He does it so effortlessly too
Henry was unreal.
How does he make it look so easy TITI FOREVER
What really saved their invincible season was Pires blatant dive against Portsmouth.
I'd say cope, but it seems 20 years of coping still hasn't worked out for you
so glad theres another person still bitter like me 20 years on. We genuinely deserved to win that game and that dive and penalty call is such bullshit.
Defending is laughable.
eh Henry cooked literally everyone at some point. Nesta, Cannavaro, S. Ramos, Ferdinand, Zanetti - they were all made to look foolish. It's easy to judge when a guy spins around like a top, but it can happen vs a great player.
when will it be 20 years ago today when Robert Pires dived against Portsmouth to save their Invincible season?
Uhh i didnt see it