After missing out on a starting place for the last nine games, Thierry Henry was back in the line up against Mallorca and marked the occasion with a goal, but the French striker insisted to Barca TV after the game: “the most important is Barca”.
Henry had not appeared at the Nou Camp since 22nd September and after a few minutes against Rubin
on Wednesday, he made his reappearance on Saturday night against Mallorca.
It hasn't been a great start to the season for Henry, who has missed a lot of games with
muscle problems. His last game was at La Rosaleda on 26th September when he limped off injured. He
then missed 9 games, having recovered in time to play for France in October only to again get
injured before he made it back to Barcelona.
The group is the most important
Although he was clearly happy at his own contribution, Henry stressed
that: “the important thing is Barca - not Henry or Pedro or Messi... We have to win games and
keep piling up points. If I score and that helps the group - all for the better”.
"I really wanted to score"
Henry's frustration at the start he's made to the season was clear as he kicked out in anger
at the post after scoring his goal and he explained. “I really wanted to score. I really like
helping the team and it's not easy when you are out of the team and you can't do anything, watching
your mates playing and not being able to take part. I still need to get fit and when I play, I want
to score”.
He'd not been on target since the win at the BBernabeu last season and
he admitted: “it's true that I've not scored for a while, but to say it's been 6 months,
well.... you can't count holidays or time I've been off injured, that's incredible!”.
Thanks to the physios and coaches
Henry was full of praise for the back room staff who've helped him get
back from his injuries: “I felt good against Mallorca, though I still noticed a niggle or
two. The work that the physios and the coaches have put in isn't always appreciated by the fans,
but I want to thank them publicly for the work they've done with me”.
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The pressure of playing for FC Barcelona
This is Henry's third season at the Nou Camp and he's clear what it means to play at a club like
Barca: “this is Barca. You win five titles and people want six! You draw 0-0 and they want
three points and a vintage performance every week. That's what this place is like and if you want
to play here you have to know how to deal with that sort of pressure. Right now we are in a good
position: we are top of the league, still in the Champions and playing pretty well”.