Not one of Thierry Henry‚s international goals has come from a Zinedine Zidane assist, so the problem for France coach Raymond Domenech is how to get the best out of his two star players

Thierry Henry greeted the news of Zinedine Zidane’s U-turn on international retirement last September with the phrase, “God is back!” Not everyone in France took his words at face-value. For while the return of the Real Madrid maestro, along with the excellent Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram, undoubtedly helped France qualify for the World Cup, it also raised questions about the role of Arsenal striker Henry.

If the French are to repeat their World Cup triumph of 1998 this summer in Germany, they will need the men nicknamed Zizou‚ and Titi‚ to be on the same wavelength.

Yet, France’s two most skilful and exciting players of the past decade have rarely shone at the same time for Les Bleus. Incredibly, not one of Henry’s 31 goals in 76 internationals has come from a Zidane assist.

When Henry scored the fine goal that gave the French a crucial win over Ireland in Dublin in World Cup qualifying last year, it was down to a piece of individual skill rather than from the kind of defence-splitting pass Zidane seems to provide so regularly for others.

Henry and Zidane’s relationship off the field is based more on mutual respect than any particular affinity and there was even talk of a rift during France’s dismal Euro 2004.

Both players are charismatic, even talismanic, leaders at club level – Zidane is as untouchable at Real as Henry is at Arsenal – and they bring that natural authority to the national set-up. And while it is inconceivable that coach Raymond Domenech will deprive his team of either one of his superstars, there is a sense that they suffer from a “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us” scenario. A battle of egos. If so, it’s one Henry will struggle to win.

Zidane, of course, will always be for the French the two-goal hero of the 1998 World Cup final triumph over Brazil. He is seen at home as a big-game player: witness, too, his stunning, left-foot volleyed winner for Real in the 2002 Champions League final. Zidane was injured at the 2002 World Cup and escaped criticism for the Euro 2004 flop. Regularly voted France’s most popular man, he has become almost untouchable.

Not so Henry. French critics such as Dominique Pagnoud, veteran sports reporter for Le Figaro, believe Henry is “overrated” and “rarely lives up to the billing, at least not for France”. The snipers, and they include Henry’s former Monaco and current France team-mate David Trezeguet, dismiss his Arsenal scoring feats – of nearly 200 goals in six years, helping the Gunners to two league titles and three FA Cups – by saying it’s easier to score against defences in England’s Premier League.

Henry’s detractors point to his disappointing contribution at the 2002 World Cup, when he was sent off after 25 minutes of the second game against Uruguay. Euro 2004 didn’t go much better. Although it was Henry who won France the decisive penalty that downed England in the dramatic, opening-game finale, the man who converted from the spot was Zidane. Having scored from a free-kick seconds earlier, Zidane was proclaimed the team’s saviour. Henry bagged a couple against the Swiss but the team was failing to live up to expectations and limped out against Greece in the quarter-finals. Henry had a chance to save the team right at the end, only to loop his header high and wide. The knives came out quickly, and Henry opted to speak out.

France’s game had become too sterile, he complained. Henry wanted the team “to play more like Arsenal, where the quicker I get the ball, the better”. That meant getting the ball forward much faster, skipping the seemingly obligatory passage via Zidane. The problem for Henry was that most of his team-mates had been brought up on Zidane-dependence, and even when nothing was going right against the Greeks, every build-up still went through the playmaker, who was coming deeper and deeper, demanding the ball. Henry had posed the “him or me” question, and the answer had been him.

Still, when Zidane quit the France team weeks later, it seemed Henry’s time had come at last. Surely now the team would be built around him? It was his turn to be the man. The younger players in the squad look up to him, admire his talent, much as the previous generation had been in awe of Zidane. It didn’t work out, though. The experience and class of Makelele and Thuram were sorely missed as Domenech set about rebuilding the team. Home draws with Ireland, Israel and Switzerland disappointed fans and left the team struggling to reach the World Cup. In his defence, Henry didn’t get much decent service.

And he missed some games through injury. But whatever the excuses, the conclusion in France was damning: his year at the helm was a failure. Responding to the public’s clamour, Zidane came back in a blaze of glory.

The question now facing Domenech is how to coax the best out of his two star-turns simultaneously. Undeniably, this France team gets a huge buzz from having Zidane around. His presence in the side, the technical excellence he brings, boosts the confidence of those around him. Zidane, though, will turn 34 during the World Cup. This will be his international swansong. Maybe even the final games of his entire career. He will want to go out on a high.

So how should Domenech employ him to get the best out of his ageing legs while also enabling Henry to dazzle? From the evidence of France’s most recent games, the manager is set to turn the clock back to the glory days of France, using a cross between the tactics employed successfully in 1998 and 2000.

Gone are the days of 4-2-3-1, so beloved by former coach Roger Lemerre, while Domenech’s early experiments with 5-3-2 and 4-4-2 have been ditched. No doubt inspired by his coaching guru, Aime Jacquet, who used a similar platform for Zidane’s skills, Domenech is set to employ his playmaker in a central role in front of a three-man midfield defensive shield, probably made up of Makelele, Patrick Vieira and Florent Malouda of Lyon.

In 1998 Zidane shared the creative role with Youri Djorkaeff, with Stephane Guivarch as the sole striker. At Euro 2000, where France played more spectacularly for their success, we began to see the 4-3-1-2 system that Domenech now seems to favour. Zidane was appointed sole creator, with two strikers in front of him. Henry was paired at times with Trezeguet, at others with Nicolas Anelka, and we are likely to see a repeat in Germany.

At Euro 2000, Henry scored a scintillating goal against Peter Schmeichel’s Denmark, added another against the Czech Republic and grabbed the all-important equaliser against Portugal that took their semi-final into extra-time. He was also named Man of the Match for the final, though everyone recalls Sylvain Wiltord’s last-gasp leveller and Trezeguet’s stunning winner.

If France are to renew their winning ways, the relationship between Zidane and Henry must improve. But so must the approach from their team-mates. The French need to use Zidane more sparingly, both to save his legs and to avoid predictability in their build-up. Henry, with his movement, acceleration and eye for a chance, provides a more direct alternative.

The sum of their unique talents could drive France towards a fresh triumph. And, who knows, maybe we’ll even see Henry find the net from a Zidane pass.