The Comeback Kings.
At long last
my unintentional sabbatical comes to an end and I return to grace this blog
with more of my mindless dribble. As I wrestle away from the clutches of
procrastination and attempt to make a comeback, it is befitting that my topic
of discussion be.. well.. comebacks.
The dawn of
the new year brings with it the return of two legends. Paul Scholes and Thierry
Henry lit up the third round of the FA cup with their majestic presence.
Henry’s return had been widely suggested and was considered a done deal even
before pen met paper but Scholes on the other hand managed to sneak in
undetected, which is perhaps typical of the veteran’s manner and synonymous
with Sir Alex’s method of operation.
Scholes’ return to the team sheet was
concealed to such an extent that Wayne Rooney admitted, he along with the rest
of the United side were only made aware of it in the dressing room before the
game. The Salford born maestro was given half an hour to make an impression as
he replaced Nani with United boasting a comfortable two goal lead and a one man
advantage. He slotted into midfield with ease and the expectancy from the fans
and media alike to see him produce something of significance was duly met in
uncharacteristically sloppy fashion five minutes into his comeback. His return
pass from Evra’s throw-in was under hit allowing an alert James Milner to nip
in to intercept before racing to the by-line and pulling a cross back for
Aguero who’s venomous strike was fumbled by Lindegaard only for the Argentinian
to make him pay on the rebound.
So even though some questionable keeping
played a part in the goal, Scholes was naturally held responsible for his
critical error and one began to wonder if it was all about to go pear-shaped for
the Reds. Instead of allowing his return to continue on the path to being the
comeback from hell, the ‘Ginger Ninja’ composed himself and set about dictating
play. He accomplished what every United midfielder has failed to this season –
monopolise possession. From a position where they could very well have crumbled
with the crowd and all the momentum with their opponents, Scholes played his
part of midfield general to perfection and allowed City precious little of the
ball to conjure up the final blow. His troops were a shade lucky to hold on in
the end after Kolorov’s injury time free kick was unconvincingly parried away
by Lindegaard. It wasn’t the perfect comeback and he did seem to blow hard in
the final few minutes but Scholes managed to get the midfield ticking once
again and even managed a decent strike on goal.
At the
Emirates stadium the following night there was just one thought on everyone’s
mind when the whistle blew at kick-off – fast forward to the hour mark so Henry
can come on! The players on the pitch offered little to excite as though obliged
to wait for the King’s return lest they steal his thunder. The 67th
minute mercifully ticked on and marked the second coming of one of the greatest
players the premiership has ever seen. Wherever you were in that moment, you
probably sat up in your seat in unison with everyone watching in the stadium
and around the world. At 0-0 the stage was set.
Even after
watching an unfamiliarly thicker Henry flutter around without affecting play
for the following ten minutes, you still expected him to get that one clear-cut
chance that could make the difference. Predictably, he got that chance when he
beat the offside trap to collect Song’s pass. His first touch was impeccable
and teed himself up for his trademark finish – a curler inside the far post. It
proved to be the winner and the prophecy was fulfilled. Forget Hollywood! You
couldn’t write a script like this.
The
headlines the following morning proclaimed Henry’s return the perfect comeback.
Whispers that Scholes failed to steal the Frenchman’s thunder began to
circulate. The notorious tweeter Piers Morgan declared, “Scholes returns and
gives away a goal. Henry returns and scores a goal. End of debate.” Although
Mr. Morgan along with the rest of the fickle-minded would love to accept that
notion in all its simplicity, football unfortunately is a tad more complicated
than he would care to comprehend. Yes, it was a sublime finish that oozed class
and composure. But you would expect a natural goal scorer like Henry to be able
to do that even when he’s fifty. Similarly, you
would expect Owen, Raul or Nistelrooy to bury a chance like that even at this
stage of their careers just like Beckham would be expected to deliver pin-point
crosses and bend in a sick free kick. Those attributes never leave a world
class player, natural talent doesn’t fade.
The real questions
are, is he fit? Is he capable of surviving ninety minutes? Does he still have
what it takes to lead the line on his own? If he starts alongside Van Persie,
he’s bound to play wide left. I don’t think he has the pace to be a real threat
on the flank. If he comes in for the Dutchman and plays a central role, he
doesn’t seem to have the mobility to make himself difficult to mark. Bringing him
back was never going to be the wrong decision but maybe the Arsenal faithful
shouldn’t expect too much from their hero.
Scholes has
pretty much picked up where he’s left off and I reckon he will have more of an
impact at United than Henry will at Arsenal and that is my strictly unbiased
opinion believe it or not. Both sets of fans would be wise not to get carried
away with the romance of it all. The fact remains that Henry is not the key to
Arsenal securing a Champions League spot, keeping their flying Dutchman fit is
top priority and Scholes is certainly not the answer to United’s midfield
shortcomings for if he was he would have started against Barcelona last year. The
two veterans are only temporary fixes. No, these players as great as they still
are will not hold the fate of their respective teams in their hands. That responsibility
lies with Robin Van Persie for Arsenal and Tom Cleverly for Manchester United.
