Thierry Henry's French U21s put on a show in his first game in charge
Thierry Henry’s French U21s put on a show in his first game in charge, with young hotshot Elye Wahi scoring twice in 4-1 win over Denmark
- France Under-21s have a new boss in the form of Arsenal great Thierry Henry
- This was a routine win, with Henry’s preferred 4-3-2-1 system a roaring success
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off
Thierry Henry marked his first game in charge of France’s Under-21s with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Denmark.
Much had been made of the former Arsenal and Barcelona striker’s career in management to this point, with mixed reviews from Monaco and Montreal Impact.
The 46-year-old, however, made a statement start with France’s next generation, with young striker Elye Wahi bagging a brace.
Henry laid out his plan early, selecting a 4-2-3-1 system with PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery named as the U21’s captain. At 17 years and 183 days old, Zaïre-Emery becomes the youngest French U21’s captain for 30 years.
Despite a slow start for some of his players, Henry kept hold of the smile he has worn in recent days and he was beaming after 22 minutes when Johann Lepenant, playing off the left, put France ahead with a brilliantly curled shot from outside the box with his right foot.
Thierry Henry made his return to management on Thursday evening with France’s Under-21s
They put on an attacking clinic as the young French side defeated Denmark’s U21s in a 4-1 win
Elye Wahi scored twice in the second half and stood out alongside playmaker Rayan Cherki
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From there Henry urged his players to keep their foot on the accelerator and a few minutes later it was 2-0 when Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, the playmaker who looks the jewel in the crown for this U21 set-up, converted.
France’s momentum showed no signs of let-up going into the second half and Elye Wahi, on off the bench, scored a brace to make sure it was his name on the mind of Henry.
His first goal saw him smartly take advantage of some naive Danish defending to finish on a half-volley.
Wahi’s second, which came in the 90th minute, came on the counter with Denmark chasing the game, and the only irritation for his boss will have been giving up their clean sheet in the 84th minute.
Christian Rasmussen benefited most from some slack French defending largesse of the French.
This is a result Henry will be hoping to build on as he looks to find a home where he can nurture young talents that are just like him back in the day. This feels like that exact job.
Henry will hope this job allows him to nurture his country’s next generation of superstars
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