For Barcelona, there may be less cheer and they are certainly not in the right frame of mind to face a rampaging United. Not that the Red Devils are infallible, as Middlesbrough had brought them to their knees, but I am not convinced that this Barcelona team can grind out results when the going gets tough.

Due to the dismal manner of the 1-0 win (2-0 aggregate) over Schalke 04, Barcelona fans were, understandably, livid. The brickbats were, however, directed towards Thierry Henry, instead of the entire squad. Certainly, Henry cannot shirk his responsibility in this match after an insipid display and wastefulness in front of goal but the fact is, even if Henry is benched from now till the end of the season, there is no guarantee Barcelona can live up to their promises.

Becoming the fall guy for Barcelona’s nondescript season is no fun and in view of the hostile environment, it is not surprising that questions are raised about the striker’s future at the club. Rumors are already swirling in the vine that Barcelona are prepared to off-load him at a discount. With Lionel Messi recovering from his injury and Giovanni Dos Santos waiting in the wings, Henry’s presence on the bench may even be a waste of space.

The Spanish media were keen to expedite the transfer as they did not reserve any kind words for Henry. La Vanguardia, a mainstream newspaper, gave its withering assessment of the former Arsenal striker’s contribution to Barcelona’s victory: “Until the 49th minute, if someone had said he was actually in London, you would have believed them. Then he had a clear chance but sent it over. After that there were complaints, protests but little more.”

Who will have thought such a comment will be made of Henry when he first joined Barcelona? The original idea calls for the creation of the “Fantastic Four” alongside Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o and to bring back the glory days of the club. Instead, what is left of the hubris today are the jeering whenever Henry took to the pitch.

Putting ourselves in Henry’s shoes, it is not difficult to imagine that his morale must be in the doldrums right now. The entire Barcelona adventure has become a nightmare and he must have wished his Arsenal stint was not ended so hastily.

Over there, he has nothing left to prove, having already established himself as the lynchpin and their always dependable trump card when the chips are down. His younger colleagues hold his class and technical abilities in awe but alas, he desired a Champions League medal. And I don’t fault him for jumping ship because Arsenal have shown they cannot win anything in Europe. This season was no different.

Barcelona are, of course, a safer bet for the Champions League crown but Henry failed to acknowledge the risks in joining a team chock full of talents. Chances are, if he even made it into the first XI, he will be played out of position and thus reducing his effectiveness, instead of him displacing established strikers like Eto’o.

Henry did himself no favors too when he took a long time to to acclimatise. When the team is ravaged by injuries and the African Nations Cup, he has the opportunity to show his true worth but his injuries took their toil and he passed up on the chance to impress the fans with a series of forgettable performances.

Henry admitted that his form has been poor and his scoring instincts dulled by playing on the left wing instead of centre forward at Barcelona. He said: “Honestly, it can be a problem. When France played in Spain in February, I was lost up front, I didn’t know where to run. My reflexes in front of goal are not what they used to be.”

I don’t think his slump in form will affect his position as Domenech’s first choice for the Euro 2008 finals, given that he is France’s all-time top scorer with 44 goals in 98 internationals. That could change though, during the competition if he is upstaged by Benzema or a resurgent Anelka.

I am actually amazed that Barcelona bought Henry over to play him out of position. Back when he was at Juventus, it was already proven that Henry is uncomfortable as as a left winger and his potential to cause damage is severely restricted. Arsene Wenger’s keen eyes spotted a distressed talent and he snapped him up for a few cents on the dollar. Then, Wenger made a bold switch by deploying him as a center-forward, and the story, as we all know, is the birth of a goal machine.

Barca’s tactic of short passing and tendency to use the left-wing as a fetch and carry role has tired him out. He disliked the idea of “running 60 metres from goal” and he has “never run so much in my whole career.” I really can’t blame him if he has not much firepower left when presented with chances after all the physical exertions.

Besides on-pitch problems, Henry also claims of unhappiness in his personal life. He has not seen his daughter Tea since his divorce from English model Claire Merry in September 2007. The high-profile divorce coincided with his move to Barcelona.

From a financial perspective, if the Barcelona board are impatient and refuse to let Henry’s contract run out till 2011, there are of course some benefits to be reaped. For a cost of 23.5 million euros paid to Arsenal last summer, Barcelona can still recoup their losses in a cut-price deal.

If they wait longer, and Henry is already 30 years old, they may be left with little left. More importantly, they save on the operating expenses as Henry’s salary is astronomical. Earlier this week, France Football assessed that Henry was the fifth biggest earning player in world football with a current income of 16.8 million euros, approximately half of which would come from his Barca salary.

The next question then for Henry is where to go if Barcelona are no longer interested in his service. Last month, he ruled out a return to England, but I believe his heart is still there. If he goes back to France, perennial champions Lyon is most likely to sign him but his current salary will test their resolve.

Italy may be a viable destination but Henry wasn’t particularly successful there so I will take Henry’s words of not returning with a pinch of salt, after all, he pledged his long-term allegiance to Arsenal in the summer of 2006, but still he departed.

Of those who have made their overtures, Chelsea believe that they are the forerunners for Henry’s signature. They have the advantage of a strong financial backing in Roman Abramovich and the club is London based. Henry could be swayed by the desire to see his daughter and that alone is a key push factor.

Add to that, their ability to qualify for Champions League consistently is still intact. But player politics in Chelsea is the decisive factor. If you are sitting on the wrong side of the fence, prepare for a harsh time out in the wilderness. And the manager, Avram Grant, doesn’t inspire confidence.

He may be a lucky man and ensure Chelsea win the majority of games but he is not a tactical genius nor a motivator. He is not able to control the dressing room strife and Henry is likely to take on a second-stringer role. The fate of Shevchenko and Ballack in not securing a first team spot should be a clear reminder. And considering Drogba’s desire to be main and only striker (he doesn’t like to share the limelight), that leaves Henry fighting for a supporting cast with Anelka.

The other club to have voiced their interest is Newcastle. Kevin Keegan was asked on a radio show this week who he would most like to sign this summer and he said without a hint of laughter: “I’d fetch Thierry Henry back to England. I know who I want. Mr Ashley said he wanted to win something in three-and-a-half years. When we sit down in the next few weeks, we’ll see how desperate he is to win.”

For the price of £16m, Keegan believes he can get Newcastle chairman Chris Mort and owner Mike Ashley to table an offer. This seems to be a better choice as Henry is suffering from a loss in confidence. When a striker does not believe in his own abilities, it is the worst thing that can happen; just ask Michael Owen, nothing goes right for him previously.

Keeping faith in a player is important and when his momentum returns, there is no stopping him again. A super-motivator like Kevin Keegan can do wonders to Henry’s confidence but Keegan has a lack of tactical nous and pays too little attention to defense to wrest the Premier League title, not to mention the Champions League which is the ultimate aim for Henry.

I believe the best choice for Henry, if he is keen to return to England, is to join Liverpool who have made the Champions League their own competition. But the Reds have remained passive on this issue. Whether they want Henry in their ranks is doubtful. But I will not discount such a possibility, Henry is still in frequent contact with Steven Gerrard over the phone, so keep your fingers crossed.

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