Thierry Henry explains how he overcame ‘the most difficult thing’ to succeed at Arsenal

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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry became arguably the Premier League’s greatest-ever player during his time at Highbury, but he had to work hard to do it.

The striker was one of the most talented players English football has ever seen, and one of the best goalscorers of his generation, but this talent also came with application and development, as he was not always the deadly finisher in front of goal who terrorised defences on a weekly basis.

Henry was such an iconic player that his trademark finish, of placing the ball in the bottom right corner from the left side, is now closely associated with him, and strikers now try to replicate this technique.

The Frenchman has now explained how he developed this 1v1 finishing ability, and how he used an unusual stance to open his body up to finish his chances.

Thierry Henry explains trademark finishing ability

Speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football, Henry explained how he trained himself to aim his finishes at the far post, away from the goalkeeper.

“I walk in a weird way. My left leg is straight, but my right leg comes like this (at an angle), I studied that when I was younger, this is how I stand, I was like ‘Ok, curving is my thing,'” he stated.

“I studied. I used to like to think about what I was going to do. Goalkeepers will always close that first post. So when you look at the picture, where was the space?

“Space is there (far post), and believe it or not when I was younger, I wasn’t good in 1v1, so I had to make sure that I was going to add something that’s going to make me feel safe in front of the net, because the most difficult thing for a striker is when he has time, but I knew exactly what I was about to do.”

Thierry Henry’s lethal goalscoring at Arsenal

Henry first arrived at Arsenal as a young winger from Juventus, and it took him seven games to even score his first goal for the club.

He settled slowly, but his determination, coupled with Arsene Wenger’s coaching, helped him reach his world-class peak.

Playing alongside the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira helped him lead the line in style, and he would be utterly devastating in front of goal.

In addition to this, he was also excellent creatively, and holds the record for the most assists in one Premier League season, where he notched up 20 whilst also scoring 24 league goals.

Henry is arguably the best striker in Premier League history, and any forward now will take note of how he worked on his finishing ability in 1v1 situations.