A ship as unsteady as Arsenal have been in recent weeks can scarcely afford to do without a skipper.
But that is exactly what the English champions will have to do on Tuesday night when they seek to navigate their way past Norwegian champions Rosenborg at Highbury and into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The red card Patrick Vieira incurred for an ill-disciplined display in last month’s 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven means the Arsenal captain will be biting his nails in the Highbury stand rather than his opponents’ ankles on the pitch.
The impact of his unnecessary absence is compounded by injuries to Brazilian midfield pair Edu and Gilberto Silva.
But Arsenal fans will take considerable comfort from the willingness of another influential Frenchman to assume responsibility for the outcome of the club’s biggest game so far this season.
With Vieira suspended, Thierry Henry is expected to skipper an Arsenal side that will feature 17-year-old Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini — a 20-year-old who has never started a Premiership or a Champions League match — in the middle of midfield.
”It is true that with Patrick out the other senior players have to take on more responsibility,” Henry admitted. ”We have to show the younger players the way but I have no doubt that we have the quality to succeed.
”Maybe I will be captain, I’m not sure yet — I would be proud to lead the team to victory.”
Henry is well aware that his below-par performances in some of Arsenal’s biggest games and for France at Euro 2004 have taken some of the gloss off his reputation as arguably the best all-round forward currently playing the game.
There is no doubt that the suggestion that he is (as they would say in his adopted city) a big game ”bottler” is one that hurts Henry, regardless of what he says about not listening to his critics.
”I scored my 16th and 17th goals of the season against Birmingham on Saturday, but I know it is not enough,” he said, visibly bristling at the suggestion he lacks the mental strength to make his unrivalled talents count when it matters most.
”When I was young, my father always used to tell me you should never be totally happy with any performance. So 17 goals, even for me it is not enough and there will always be people who criticise.
”If we don’t win on Tuesday that will be my fault again, but there is nothing I can do about that.
”For me the most important is the reaction of my teammates — if I can look them in the eye in the dressing room after a match and see that they are happy with the way I played, that’s all that matters.
”Without the rest of the team, I’m nothing. I’ve only seen one player who could transform an entire team and that was Diego Maradona.”
Arsenal at least go into Tuesday’s group E encounter with their defensive confidence restored by Saturday’s 3-0 win over Birmingham,
The result represented the first clean sheet for Wenger’s side since October 2 and their French manager now faces a tough choice over whether to continue with Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, who played on Saturday after Jens Lehmann was dropped to the bench.
Almunia may have kept a clean sheet but a second-half fumble very nearly gifted Birmingham a goal, and Wenger may be tempted to recall German international Lehmann given the stakes involved.
Only a victory will ensure Arsenal go through, although they could also advance to the last 16 with a draw should Panathinaikos fail to beat PSV Eindhoven in Greece on the same night.
PSV are already assured of their place in the next round but have vowed to field a full-strength side in Greece as they seek to secure top spot in the group and the advantage of being seeded in the draw for the first knockout round.
Rosenborg may be Champions League regulars but they have failed to win any of their past 12 games in the competition. They will also arrive in London with the handicap of not having played regularly since wrapping up their 13th straight Norwegian title at the end of October.
But Arsenal will be mindful of how they failed to make their superiority count when they drew 1-1 in Trondheim in September.
If Rosenborg can get to half-time on level terms on Tuesday, things could be very interesting indeed. — Sapa-AFP