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 67^th 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.