'Football is so scripted - we forget to let players play'

Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry on how the game has changed and who is a special talent.

- Miguel Delaney

It was a scene, fittingly enough, that caused those watching to raise their eyebrows with excitement. At the Landmark Hotel in London in January, the Football Writers' Association awarded Dennis Bergkamp a place in its hall of fame, which gathered a lot of Arsenal’s most celebrated figures, including Arsene Wenger.

Thierry Henry was sitting beside Ian Wright, and there was a natural sense of bonhomie. What was most striking, however, was when clips from Bergkamp’s career were shown. Henry and Wright didn’t quite sit back in awe, as most did. They began to mutter into each other’s ears, pointing out little movements and finishes, and what they might have tried. “Look what he’s done there.” It was all the more resonant an image given what Wenger had been talking about in his speech. The former Arsenal manager celebrated Bergkamp’s ingenuity while talking about how the modern game might have lost that capacity “to be surprised”.

Henry never lost that, as can be seen in his own highlight reel. There was that flick-up and turned-volley against Manchester United, the back heel against Charlton Athletic, and so many individual goals. He personified the idea of individualism enhancing a collective – a sense of surprise complementing the structure. It’s a theme Henry warms to as he chats over Zoom, but admits he’s in a distinctive position now. He’s a coach who follows the principles of the modern game, as was seen in his France team’s run to the Olympic silver medal last summer.

“I’ve said it so many times, the game is so controlled by everything, by stats, by coaches. I mean, myself, I’m a coach. I say, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that’. The game is so scripted and schematised at times, that you kind of forget to let players play.