If only more sides played like Henry’s Barcelona + a couple of typical Arsenal signings

Henry holds the trophy aloftThierry Henry has finally become a European champion and I couldn’t be happier. Well, maybe if he’d won it with Arsenal but what can you do?

Henry and his Barcelona buddies tore Manchester United apart in a comprehensive 2-0 win that completed this first treble in Spanish football history. Although he failed to score a goal, Henry played his along with fellow Arsenal old boy Sylvinho while Mr I-Couldn’t-Even-Make-The-Squad-Ahead-Of-Randoms-Like-Pedro-Rodríguez, Alex Hleb, watched on from the sidelines.

Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta were the stars of the show as Barcelona effectively did what United did to us in the semi-final. They were a joy to watch throughout the 90 minutes, beautiful on the ball and hard-working off it – who says they can’t defend? – in a performance as complete as the 6-2 win they achieved at Real Madrid. To keep United scoreless in a Champions League final was pretty impressive although I think Alex Ferguson will look back on his decision to play Cristiano Ronaldo up front on his own and leave out Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov, two players who have the class to unlock teams on the European stage. As it was, Ronaldo was delightfully abject, Wayne Rooney anonymous and the United defence was made to look very ordinary by Barcelona’s pacey and skilled attack. 

I should hate Barcelona for beating us in the 2006 final but I just don’t. Any team that plays beautiful football and can still win trophies deserves all the credit in the world in my books. For me football is about more than just winning and although I am and always will be an Arsenal man through and through, I can always appreciate it when other clubs stay true to the beautiful game. Excellent stuff.

Moving on and there’s not a whole lot of Arsenal news floating around at the moment. Apparently we signed a couple of 15-year-olds and the official Arsenal website has started Player of the Season voting but apart from that there’s nothing much.

I’ve mentioned all week that I’m currently running the first ever Arsenal FC Blog Survey and I’m going to remind you of that again today. There’s some lovely Arsenal books to be won and the opportunity to have your say on the first ever Arsenal FC Blog Seasonal Awards as well as a host of other Arsenal-related issues, so click this link to have your say. It will literally only take about 5 minutes and it will close tomorrow at midnight so get in soon. 

Anyway, that’s it. Friday tomorrow and the end of another week. I’m looking forward to it.

Have your say on Thierry’s win, our new signings or the Arsenal FC Blog survey by leaving a comment.

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Comments

  1. I think we the gooners needed a tonic like Barcelona who made ManUre to shut up.ManUre’s defence was clueless and mesmerised in the process.I think this is a wake up call to all English teams to stop giving SIR ALEX FERGUSON the respect he does not deserve.Week in week out he gives us a seven man line of defence and hopes Rooney or Ronaldo to score.He is less interested in skill given the benching of Nani, for instance.

    Barcelona may have gotten the better of us in 2006 but boy are they skillful.I think it is better to be beaten by a team which plays a beautiful game than the one that plays “skop-skiet-en-donder”(shoot the ball forward).

  2. That was one way traffic. I’m just glad good football was the winner…reminded me of the Arsenal way

    Well done to Barca

  3. @Phemelo
    Hahahahahah… omw… “skop-skiet-en-donde”… lol. Guess only us South Africans will get that… yeah, good point

  4. My house mate is a Man U fan, and after watching us go down to them over 2 legs with him, it was pure joy to see a lack luster Man U side turn up for the final.

    Glad for Henry, and agree with your comments about the beautiful game.

    Must dash now, I have to wind up some more southern Man U fans!

  5. I dont understand how anyone can love football and not like Barca and Arsenal (when we are clicking). Its the philosophy that matters. Barca are at the point where they are good enough to beat squads like Man U- we are a little behind and still developing. I fully expect us to be up near this level in a few years times. Though Im not sure we will ever have anyone quite as genius as Iniesta/ Messi. What a squad.

    Good victorious over evil. Unicef victorious over AIG. Barca over Man Utd. I love football haha

  6. Wow! What a performance by barca.. Thats what we have to aspire to next season. the way they keep the ball is just fantastic.. Man u have been lucky this season. They are nowhere near as good as they are made out to be.. As wenger said thay arent miles ahead of us..

    P.S. Well done titi(though he didn’t score in a final again)

  7. i know thiery henery have got so many tropies .but if he were be at arsenal ,ihope you will get champions league tropy.
    i love henery .i am in full of hope one day he will come back to arsenal.

  8. Finally, Henry got the medal he crave for! If only he won it at arsenal at his peak. Surely world footballer of the year.

  9. What are wonderful,thrilling oohh–entertaining game!!!.Pitty to ManUre if they cant get just a consolation goal!! They had choked us with their big mouths that nothing will stop them from mantaining european glory.What went wrong guys?wat can Evra say?Who were the boys?and the men?Only wondered how the game could have been if we were Arse Vs Berca!!!!!!!!.Only wish one day we will meet at that level.Berca oooheeeeeeee

  10. The Cinderella story is over for Man U in Europe, at least for now. 1999 they were outclassed, outplayed by Bayern, yet they stole the cup at death. In 2008 Lamps hits the crossbar and JT slips at the crucial moment. Last night Beautiful football triumphed over “Luck”. Barca were mesmerizing, Man U were just that ordinary.
    Congrats to Henry an awesome addition to his collection of accolades, Messi,E’too,Xavi,Iniesta, great job done.Team of the world? Puyol,Sylvinho,Pique,Busquets,Valdes,Toure
    Great defending.
    Six in the starting line are Spaniards, 6-5 is Michel Platini vindicated here?
    Its time for Arsenal now to believe and achieve; attacking beautiful football philosophy wins trophies. Lets Go gunners

  11. A good game to watch and for every footballer and coach to learn from.Every Barca player looked comfortable on the ball, there was always a pass on for them, clockwork, sheer bloody clockwork.

    Remind me though – just who was the Barca DCM that were are told EVERY football team has to have ?

    Nonsense innit when you have the players in midfield who can actually attack and defend 🙂

  12. It seems that the 4 3 3 formation is becoming more successful in the modern game. I think Arsenal could adopt this to good effect. RvP plays as a right forward for Holland, so why not for us? Arshavin, Walcott or Vela on the left, Eduardo through the middle.

    Nasri playing the Iniesta role, Fabregas playing like Xavi and Song or a new purchase as the DM?

    Watching Barca last night I think it could be the way forward.

    @ Anicoll5 – didn’t Busquetts play the holding role?

  13. Last nights game proves that the beautiful game can win trophies, I am so happy for Henry and his comments about Arsenal in his interview after the game prove that he is a real Gooner Legend. Wenger take note, U need experience mixed in with youth to win Major trophies. We play the same style of football as Barca but lack the experience in our team, we need Upson (if hangeland does not want to sign), Barry and Roques Santa Cruz (sell Adebayor) and we will be challenging for all the top honours next season. We made it to two semi finals but lacked the experience and cutting edge. Roll on next season!!!!!!!

  14. Nice post as usual Spanish, keep up the good work, you always bring a smile to my face.

    It was wonderful to see Thierry lifting the trophy after so long, and I couldn’t be happier about who he won it against. It was fantastic to see them exposed as what they are – an ordinary team who can terrorise referees in the league and get any decision they want at home. They rely on the pace and ability of their fowards on the counter, especially Ronaldo, who was terrible yesterday, and actually should have been sent off. (With the yellow he should have been shown for the terrible sliding challenge on Puyol near the corner flag).

    Some stories have come out about his future being “unclear” – I would love to see how the scum cope without him.

  15. woohoo!!!im extremely happy for henry:)..too bad he didn’t win it with arsenal..but overall,he really deserved it..if only he could read my comments though…haha.Congratulations Thierry Henry!!

  16. @ Anicol5 – Without being a smartarse, Busquets played the holding role and usually Toure does. He didn’t have to clatter players the way a defensive midfielder is maybe expected to, but his holding work was superb – especially for a 20-year-old! Loved the rest of your comment though 🙂

  17. Okay I am saying this knowing that I’m in a party of one but, the players Arsenal need held that trophy high in the sky yesterday – Henry and YaYa.

    I know it may never happen but it is worth investigating. Is there a place on the Arsenal side for those two players?

    Could Arsenal benefit by having those two players?

    I’m tired of seeing everyone pick up silverware and Arsenal not being a part of that.

  18. Hmmmm – Busquets as the holding player last night?

    Well fair enough he did loads of fetching and carrying but he also was active in attack, made space down both wings, passed beautifully and generally did the same job as Xavi and Iniesta (albeit with less sparkle)

    I want players that can do the lot – in the old days the box to box midfielder – and that is why I am anti the DCM calls.

  19. u should be happy that Henry/Hleb/Silvinho have finally become a European champion. my advise is that, Fabregas should move on in order to achieve the same hike as others. stay on and u’ll be cheering others club winning medal and celebrating on Man Utd losses which is pathetic. Given that u havent achieve anything since 2005, the gifted FA Cup

  20. @ amiaq – I appreciate that you’re probably upset about the game. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating United losses or going for other clubs. We all do it at times and I don’t think it is “pathetic”.

    Congrats on the Premier League win though.

  21. If you love football you cant not love Barca. Period. Nothing wrong for rooting against the philosophy you hate for the philosophy you love AND your club is built upon…

  22. Good work Barca.very good work.The good thing is Barca is full of Arsenal exes,who knows maybe if they were still around it would have been us lifting it!

    Our time is coming so we gotta keep the faith.Rem how Barcelona and Henry had a bad season the 2007-2008?It ended so badly i rem hearing rumours of Eto’o and Ronaldinho leaving.luckily enaf Eto’o did not go and see what they have achieved this season.I beleive if we pick ourselves up next season wil be ours.Utd are a team with nothing special,apart from the generous officiating they always receive back in the EPL,i hope they did not xpect 2 find such in Rome.

    To me they are an easy team to beat,frustrate Ronaldo and Rooney and they will lose it,run all over the pitch like headless chickens and voila!!!there u have ua number of goals.Have u gunners imagined how the game would have been with Abidal and the otha absentees?

    Hooray Barca have it! And btw,Ronaldo should be taught football is team work not solo effort.The 25 yard kinda kicks will not work all the time,pass the ball muppet.

  23. Hail amiaq – as a fellow football fan I feel the intense pain in your words, that gnawing ache and emptiness, even though many hours have passed since the final whistle in Rome – you are very, very brave to show your raw wounds on this forum – thank you for reminding me of the effects of failure on the “little people” as we follow our respective clubs 😉

  24. I cant seen to understand why so called Arsenal supporters are so pessimistic. These boys, achieved one of the height others could not achieve by qualifying to the semi final. What caused us trophy this year was the inability to keep the team intact, and so we lost Hleb and Flamini.
    If we could keep this guys for next season with added experienced players, the sky is their limit. Sell Adebayor, Diaby and Sylvester. We could also sell other players on loan.
    I heard today that Torres has signed for Liverpool despite the fact that they havent won any trophy in the last five years.
    With what are they more than Arsenal? Why cant we just give our support to these young boys who have tried.
    How much have we spent on them and they are still in the first four.
    I am gunner for life and will not be forced out no matter.

  25. for amiaq..the reason so many gooners are on here slating MANURE is because we’re sick to death of your obnoxious,arogant supporters-you know the ones.self proclaimed biggest club in world bullshit(incidentally,that goes to real madrid-always were&willbe)& sick to death of the fa & epl refs helping you out of any holes..plus u hate us coz we have no respect for you & why would we with players like “PATRICIA EVRA”!!!
    7

  26. @ Spanish Fry – ur comment is very professional. for that i salute u.

    @ Anicoll5 – if Arsenal is in the final, I’ll be cheering for Barca as well.. hehehe.

    @ king gooner – why are u so hurt when Man Utd proclaim that they are the biggest club in the world?? it doesnt bother me at all. if Man Utd claim that we play the most beautiful game, then i think, u deserve to feel annoying.
    we are better tactically (but not against Barca.. hehehe)

  27. congrat Barca, why didnt AW sign Eto,o from barca when he was pushed out by Pep Guardiola???? Eto’o: My best world striker!! Im a Forever Gooner thou!!! and my enemies are Manure and Chelski!!!
    What in the world a Manure fan is doing in here??? Dont u guys have ur own website??? so please piss off!!!!!!

  28. @ radadsRSA – the moderator allow me to speak. why u bother?!?!?! u dont like people to slam on ur door

    @ king gooner – how can u say “fa & epl refs helping you out of any holes”. i speak with facts. MU receive most yellow and red card, receive less penalty in 2008/2009. yellow/red card-liv-50/0, ars-59/3, manu-64/5, che-50/3. penalty-mu-3(all CR7), ars-6(vp-2,bendtner-1,adebayor-2,eboue-1),liv-5(gerrard-4,alonso-1),che-?/?

  29. amiaq-ferguson: sorry but, it was to easy to see that the ref was giving free-kicks away for manu to make use off, making ronaldo interesting to watch, maybe the large number of cards were deserved since manu enjoy playing with 7 players in da back line and 3 strikers aiming for goal, more chance for fouls to be commited

  30. as a gunnar fan, manu fans and da rest re welcome on this site as long as no bad language or words that might hurt sensitive bloggers

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