Avoiding The Real Issues

So, Thierry Henry scores the winner against Leeds in the FA Cup on his comeback to Arsenal and English Football and everyone goes mad. "You couldn't have scripted it". "It was written in the stars".

Nonsense. When will sports commentators get it into their heads that these sorts of stories happen all of the time and my 2 year old cousin could write these 'scripts'?

No doubt, Henry's calm and clinical accuracy with his finish certainly took us and the delirious Gunners fans back to the heyday of the early noughties and the 'Invincibles'. A fine goal from a fine servant to the game. But why on earth was he playing!?

I'm not talking about why he was brought on for the miserable Marouin Chamakh, but the deeper issue of why Arsene Wenger feels it necessary to bring back Henry in the first place? It stinks of desperation from what can now be called a perennially underachieving team.

And they're not the only ones. Manchester Utd can hardly be put in the same 'underachieving' column, but they share many similarities with their London rivals in that they are desperately deficient in certain areas of the pitch, forcing them to recall former players into their ranks.

Henry celebrating after scoring against Leeds

Wenger said after last nights game "It looks like the best transfer market is to get your old players back".  Slight tongue-in-cheek aside, it's easy to think that Wenger actually believes what he's saying given the success he had with the likes of Henry and how little he's had since.
With Henry last night and the surprise appearance of Paul Scholes on the Man Utd bench on Sunday, both teams have displayed their weaknesses, just in case it wasn't already apparent.

Granted, both teams won narrowly, but they both can't have aspirations of chasing silverware this year with their current squads. Both have to invest this month to be contenders.

Having lost the previous 2 games, I would have defied anyone who suggested that the third straight loss for United was a given, even if it was across town at their new fiercest title rivals. Their first half performance showed true class and resolve, but the second half demonstrated their lack of strength in midfield, with Ferguson having to resort to using Scholes who came on and shored things up a bit. Meanwhile, Henry's short term arrival offers little more than allowing one man goal machine Robin van Persie a break from keeping his team competitive at all.

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he is no hurry to buy this transfer window, but I can't imagine for one minute he won't try and get some reinforcements in. However, a player of the level of Paul Scholes will be nigh on impossible to replace so quickly.

I like Man Utd, but as long as Man City have the strength and depth that they do right now, they have to remain favourites to win the Premier League.