Switch article view:Match preview Henry return is perfect for Arsenal but QPR are in trouble - Wright
By Julian Shea.
Kick off Saturday 31 December 2011 at 15:00, Emirates Stadium.
Robin van Persie will find himself the centre of attention on Saturday, as he has for most of the year, when Arsenal take on QPR - but enjoy the spotlight while you have it, because after that, it's all about Thierry Henry.
The Gunners' game with QPR is the final Absolute Radio Rock 'n Roll Football commentary match of the year, with van Persie needing three more goals to break Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 36 goals for a calendar year.
The Dutchman has kept Arsenal afloat single handed sometimes in what has been a stormy season, hence the shock return of Arsenal's 34-year-old record goalscorer Henry on a two-month loan - but one man more than happy to see Henry back at the club is Absolute's Ian Wright.
"Around the team there's not a lot of help for Robin in terms of goals and if anybody else could have got Thierry Henry, of course they'd have taken him," said Wright.
"Of course he's not one for the future, but if he can come in and relieve a bit of the pressure it'll help give the other guys time to get themselves going - we can't expect too much but he's got enough to make a difference."
Manager Arsene Wenger is unashamed in his adoration for Henry, but Wright says he is unlikely to have let sentiment cloud his judgement before signing him.
"He wouldn't have signed him if he hadn't seen enough in training and didn't think it would help the team."
The scarcity of goals from elsewhere in the team has heaped pressure on van Persie, which is another reason Henry has been recalled by Wenger.
"In the last few games he hasn't nicked too many, and when he doesn't score, it doesn't seem like it's coming from the other areas, so there's a lot of pressure on him - you do worry if not van Persie, then who else?
"Wenger's hand has been forced but he's very fortunate to be able to sign someone like Henry."
Henry will be watching from the stands on Saturday, and will have a chance to assess the service he might get from Theo Walcott after the winger recovered from illness, but Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Andre Santos and Jack Wilshere are all still absent.
QPR will also be adding to their squad in the January transfer window, but they are unlikely to be bringing in the likes of Henry - and for Wright, that is a cause for concern.
"They definitely need new blood because the squad they've got at the moment isn't good enough, and they could be in for a very hard end to the season," he said.
"I think there are things happening in the backroom that need to be resolved - I'm not sure there's a lot of harmony there.
"Teams down the bottom like Wigan know what it takes to stay in this league, and I think Blackburn have had a lot of bad luck, but the way QPR have played, they look weak throughout the team so they really need to strengthen. I really do worry for them."
QPR defender Anton Ferdinand is likely to be absent again because of a hamstring injury, but Armand Traore, Matt Connolly and Jay Bothroyd all are set to be involved against their former side.
Given Arsenal's need to start sharing the goalscoring load around the team, QPR could be the ideal opposition to get that process started..
"I'm going for three, maybe 4-0 to Arsenal," said Wright.
"I've not seen enough of QPR at the back to think Arsenal won't get a lot of goals. This could be a good game for Arsenal."Listen to our football experts Russ Williams, Jim Proudfoot and Ian Wright for a look ahead to the weekend's games in Friday's edition of Ian Wright's podcast.
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