Arsenal have put one foot in the Champions League semi finals with their slender victory against Sporting Lisbon in Portugal but club icon Thierry Henry still has a major concern
Thierry Henry has issued his thoughts on Arsenal(Image: CBS Sports)
Thierry Henry believes Arsenal’s lack of creativity could end up costing them in the Champions League this season. The Gunners are halfway to booking a place in the semi-finals, having beaten Sporting Lisbon in Portugal on Tuesday.
Kai Havertz scored in stoppage time, albeit Arsenal’s performance was far from flawless, with the North London side struggling to create any real chances of note.
And while Henry believes the victory could give Mikel Arteta’s side a platform for success, the Frenchman has been left concerned about the team’s lack of threat.
Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry said: “It’s better than coming back with a 0-0 obviously! There wasn’t much in the game or a lot of creativity but they did what they had to do. They won away from home, let’s see what happens at the Emirates.”
Asked to elaborate, he added: “I told you, they won away from home, let’s see what they can do at the Emirates. I will talk at the end.”
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Henry’s comments echo a similar concern he shared before the game. He said: “We know their biggest strength already, they are strong as a team and very solid.
“For me they are the most solid team in the Champions League. We also know about the set-pieces – people are crying about that but it’s a part of the game and a big advantage for Arsenal because they’re pretty good at it.
“But if the defence doesn’t work I don’t think we are creating enough at times to be able to hurt teams and that might be an issue.”
Arsenal will now turn their attention to this weekend’s clash with Bournemouth at the Emirates, where a win would take them 12 points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City. They then welcome Sporting to the capital in midweek for the second leg of their quarter-final clash.
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Speaking after his side’s win in Portugal, Arsenal boss Arteta said: “That’s when you have a difficult period. I think the best thing that you can do instead of talk a lot is observe.
“Look around you and see how people react. How they talk, how they look at you, how they judge you, what they do, do they look at themselves, do they start to criticise other people.
“Look around and you’re going to learn the environment and the people that you have around you. And I cannot be prouder to work in a club with people that the only thing they could do is ask, what else can I do to help?
“And when you have people like this, I don’t know if it’s going to take another week or two, but something good will happen at the end because we deserve it.”
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