 Although Henry played up front as a striker during his youth , he spent his time at Monaco and Juventus playing on the wing . When Henry joined Arsenal in 1999 , Wenger immediately changed this , switching Henry to his childhood position , often pairing him with Dutch veteran Dennis Bergkamp . During the 2004 – 05 season , Wenger switched Arsenal 's formation to 4 – 5 – 1 . This change forced Henry to adapt again to fit into the Arsenal team , and he played many games as a lone striker . Still , Henry remained Arsenal 's main offensive threat , on many occasions conjuring spectacular goals . Wenger said of his fellow Frenchman : " Thierry Henry could take the ball in the middle of the park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score " . 
