Recovering Henry has big plans at Barcelona

YOKOHAMA, Japan: Barcelona striker Thierry Henry has warned the club's league and European rivals he plans to win everything on offer this season.

Despite looking shattered after Barcelona's arrival in Japan on Monday, the French striker quickly made the European Champions League and Spanish title his top priorities.

"There's a lot of people in that dressing room who want to win a lot of titles," Henry told reporters before Tuesday's pre-season game against J-League side Yokohama F-Marinos.

"The objective when you play for Barcelona is to win everything. The aims are to win those titles. It's a long road but you have to start the season somewhere.

"I'm playing for one of the best teams, if not the best team in the world - that's where the excitement is."

Barcelona beat China's Beijing Guoan 3-0 on Sunday in the first of three games on a whirlwind tour of Asia which has been criticised by some Barca players.

Henry, who is coaxing himself back from an injury-plagued final season at English club Arsenal, put a positive spin on his new club's hectic pre-season.

"Yes we are arriving physically tired but during the season there'll be times when it will happen," shrugged the 29-year-old.

"There will be 10 minutes left in a game and we will have to dig in mentally. It's not the first time we've arrived for games tired. We still have to perform and keep working."

First start

Henry praised the work of Barcelona's medical staff after starting in Beijing, the first time he started in a game since March.

"It was the first time I started a game for a long time and only the third time I played 45 minutes," said Henry, who scored on his Barca debut in a 1-0 win against Dundee United last month.

"The staff are working hard to get me back to top shape as quickly as possible. What I want to say about this club is that there is a great feeling of togetherness."

Barca coach Frank Rijkaard would not be drawn on whether he would play Henry, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o together in a fearsome front line against Yokohama.

"We will look to play an aggressive style of football again this season but I'm not going to rush things," said the Dutchman.

"We'll look to put things into place bit by bit and build up momentum at the right time. I won't take risks with Henry or with any other player."

Barcelona, denied a third straight Spanish title by Real Madrid on the final day of last season, finish their Asian tour against a Mission Hills XI in Hong Kong on Friday.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/08/2007 page23)