Sport | Football
Thierry Henry
This time Thierry Henry blamed hot grass and bad refereeing for France's 0-0 draw against Switzerland.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:00 June 15, 2006
This time Thierry Henry blamed hot grass and bad refereeing for France's 0-0 draw against Switzerland.
Barely a month ago, Henry argued that a poor linesman and cynical tackling from defenders cost the Champions League final against Barcelona.
But in both matches, a greater truth stood out amid the accusations: that Henry misses chances in big games. Switzerland defender Patrick Mueller handled Henry's first-half shot, and Russian referee Valentin Ivanov waved away French penalty appeals.
"Once again the referee didn't see it and it came at a moment in the match when we were really on top," Henry said. "I know that the rule is hand-to-ball, but if the ball hits the hand and it stops it going in, that should be a penalty."
He also lamented that the Stuttgart pitch had not been prepared properly.
Because it had been watered at midday rather than just before the early evening kickoff, Henry said it was sticky underfoot in the hot conditions.
"The ball was getting stuck under the player's feet all the time," he said. "Then I saw them watering the pitch after the match. What's the point of that? There's no game there tonight."
After both Arsenal's defeat, and Tuesday's draw against the Swiss, Henry pointed his accusing finger at everything else except the fact he failed to score.
Against Switzerland Henry missed with a tame header, twice shot weakly at goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler, and mishit a simple pass to Sylvain Wiltord. On the bench sat David Trezeguet: a far less skillful player than Henry but a far better finisher.
Trezeguet failed to even make a substitute appearance, even though the match was crying out for a centre-forward to convert Zinedine Zidane's brilliant passing into goals.
France coach Raymond Domenech leapt to the defence of Henry by also blaming the hot grass. "If they had watered the pitch just before, the ball would have slid properly," Domenech said. "Rather than keep getting stuck."
The bigger issue remains whether Henry, for all his great skill, is truly a big-game player.
While he plunders goals galore for Arsenal 214 in 342 his strike rate for France 33 in 79 games is well below. It does not compare historically with the world's best marksmen.
Henry's last crucial goal in a major competition was against Portugal in the semifinals of the 2000 European Championship..
Henry said he has grown a thick skin to suggestions that he goes missing in big games. "I live with that on a daily basis in England," Henry said. "When I score, I am great. When I don't, suddenly there is a problem."
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