Thierry Henry’s 2007 move from Arsenal to Barcelona happened very much thanks to Frank Rijkaard: the Dutch tactician wanted the Gunners’ star badly. Pep Guardiola, not so much.
Pep took over at Barca in 2008, and his lack of coaching experience didn’t stop him from making bold decisions. He axed Deco and Ronaldinho to help Messi develop, and then he told Thierry Henry that he would no longer be a regular starter.
The Frenchman accepted the challenge but that was not all Pep had in store for him. The Barca manager wanted to use Andres Iniesta’s potential to its maximum. That meant Henry would have to change his playing habits.
At Arsenal and in his first season at Barcelona, the Frenchman was allowed to drop deeper when necessary to win the ball. Under Guardiola, that was no longer an option.
“I think I know my game. You come out of Arsenal. You go to Barcelona and he [Pep] comes and he tells me to stay high and wide because he says he wants to free space for Iniesta,” Henry recalled speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast in October 2023.
“I’m looking and thinking ‘What the hell is he talking about, this guy? You’ve never seen me play? I can come in midfield and take the ball.’ But he says ‘I’m happy for you but we are not doing this’. Every time you need to make a run and most of the time you won’t get it.
“I’m like ‘hang on, am I a decoy player now?’ From touching every single ball both halves, even when I didn’t want it?’ - ‘Yes you need to go in and run in behind. You free the space for Iniesta’. I’m like ‘That won’t work, what is he talking about?’ But that’s exactly what happens every game.”
The change worked though. In his first season in the dugout, Pep Guardiola guided Barca to the historic treble, winning La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Moreover, the tactical switch was mutually beneficial. Under Rijkaard, Henry produced 19 goals and 12 assists in 47 games. In 2008/09, he ended up with 26 goals and 11 assists in 42 appearances.
One of Henry’s best performances was 2009 El Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu where Barca thrashed the hosts 6-2.
Relive the game that Henry described as the one he didn’t want to end: Thierry was named the MotM on that day!
