Wed, Jun 16, 2004 page20

• Thierry Henry may be in the wrong position

  • AP
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  France coach Jacques Santini says he is not worried about the form of Thierry Henry, while captain Zinedine Zidane feels the striker is being played out of position.

  Although Henry won a late penalty in the 2-1 win over England in Group B of the European Championship on Sunday, he looked out of sorts in a more central role and hardly troubled the English defense.

  Henry has not scored for France this year, but Santini maintains the Arsenal forward will still be a major threat when the defending champions face Croatia on Thursday.

  "Thierry is playing well, he did some nice things against England," Santini said.

  "I did not sense a worried player. He is a leader, although maybe he puts added pressure on himself."

  But Zidane, who struck twice in injury time to break English hearts at the Stadium of Light, insists Henry should be returned to a free-roaming role which he uses to such devastating effect for Premier League champion Arsenal.

  Under close marking, Henry can look stifled and is less effective than David Trezeguet with his back to goal.

  "We looked better in the second half [against England] when Thierry was moving out to the wing more," said Zidane, who now has 25 international goals.

  The Real Madrid midfielder added that when Henry drops back "to pick up the ball and run at defenders," he becomes a greater threat.

  France has traditionally been more successful with Henry drifting in from the wing and strike partner Trezeguet staying in the fixed central role. In the first half against England, the roles were reversed and the pair did not seem to click.

  Although Henry has 25 goals for France, he has never received an assist from Zidane -- one of the best passers in the world. By contrast, several of Trezeguet's 28 national team goals have been created by the mercurial Zidane.

  The fact that Zidane has yet to find the same level of complicity with Henry remains a mystery, but midfielder Patrick Vieira tried to explain why.

  "Thierry likes to drop very deep and then make his runs," Vieira said. "When he gets the ball, he often plays a one-two with Zidane near halfway and then runs at defenders.

  "David is more central, he moves less and it is easier to pick him out."

  France leads Group B and could all but ensure qualification for the quarterfinals by beating 1998 World Cup semifinalist Croatia in Lieira.

  However, Santini is urging French followers not to get carried away just yet, and says sometimes the expectation on his team is excessive.

  "The fans want us to win 3- or 4-nil, no matter which team we are playing against," he said.

  But perhaps Santini is partly to blame. In 25 matches in charge, France has lost only once, conceded just nine goals -- including one in the last 12 games -- and remains undefeated in 19.

  The iron will of stars like Zidane, the team's remarkable composure under pressure and a sheer refusal to throw in the towel are hallmarks of a great team, which will look to clinch its third European title on July 4.

  "We are only concerned with what we have to do," Santini said.

  "We have the potential, the spirit, the humility, to feel we can always find that something extra.

  "There will always be leaders in this team to show us the way."

  If Henry rediscovers his scoring touch against Croatia, Santini's team will no doubt become even more menacing.

  Meanwhile, France's reserve players beat local team Deportivo de Aves 4-0 in a friendly match in Guimares.
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