When Thierry Henry left Arsenal many assumed that Arsène Wenger's side would struggle to compete with the cream of English football, let alone Europe, without their talisman.
Now they sit proudly on top of the Premier League, the same judges assume that Henry's departure has allowed his former team-mates to play with more freedom and less reliance on one outstanding individual.
Arsène Wenger doesn't subscribe to either view. The Frenchman acknowledges that the dynamic of his team has shifted without the Club's record goalscorer but insists that Arsenal would have improved with or without Henry in their ranks.
"The dynamic is very good and that is because the team has played together for a while now," said Wenger.
"We play well and overall we have the same understanding of the game. That is positive but you cannot relate that to the fact that Thierry is not with the team anymore. I expected the team to grow anyway.
"When a world-class player like Thierry Henry goes other players take more responsibility and that speeds up the blossoming of some individuals and pushes them to take more initiative.
"I would not say we play with more freedom [without Henry]. The natural way of the team always goes through the strong players. With Thierry not being there it goes through some other ways."
