Arsene Wenger has seen Arsenal's season go from bad to worse in recent weeks, but yesterday's injury bulletin which ruled their captain Thierry Henry out for the rest of the season will have darkened his mood still further.
The manager's gamble in playing a clearly unfit Henry against PSV Eindhoven in midweek, albeit as a second-half substitute, has backfired badly. Henry has now been ruled out until the summer having exacerbated groin and stomach injuries.
"Thierry Henry will be out for a minimum of three months," Wenger said. "But we are confident that he will be ready for the start of next season."
Henry (29) has been troubled with a sciatic-nerve problem all season and it seems that the gruelling schedule of the 2005-06 season has taken its toll on the forward. After the Champions League final defeat last May he headed to the World Cup in Germany with France, where they reached the final before losing to Italy.
Henry managed to score 38 goals in 55 games for club and country but he has not looked the same player this season and has found the net only 14 times in 38 games. Wenger is now facing a striking crisis after Emmanuel Adebayor was handed an additional one-match suspension yesterday and fined £7,500 for his part in the League Cup final melee.
Adebayor denied a charge of reacting aggressively and failing to leave the field of play after being sent off. Despite the disciplinary committee taking into account his record and the mitigation offered, he will miss the Premiership games against Aston Villa and Everton.
Arsenal have also admitted a charge of failing to control their players and/or officials during the final, and the English Football Association confirmed they had received a response from Wenger to their inquiry about comments he made towards the assistant referee.
The Arsenal manager is certainly no stranger to Soho Square this season, with a date yet to be found for the inquest into Wenger's outburst towards referee Steve Bennett which saw him sent to the stands at the Emirates Stadium during the Premiership game against Portsmouth in December.
Guardian Service
