Jamie Fine/Reuters

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Thierry Henry is nearing the end of his second season in Major League Soccer, which could end Thursday, Sunday or in the league championship game on Nov. 20.

On Tuesday, the club held what could be their final training session of 2011, at Red Bull Arena, before departing for California to face the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday night in the return match of their home-and-home, total-goals Western Conference semifinal playoff series. On Monday, Henry spoke with Jack Bell of The Times during a wide-ranging interview at the W Hotel along the banks of the Hudson River overlooking Manhattan, from where he might be able to see his stunning New York home.

A Gooner Forever Arsenal:

A Special Place “That’s the place I stayed the longest, eight seasons. So it goes without saying it went beyond sport. Me and Arsenal, it’s beyond sport. I matured as a man there. Everything changed for me there as a professional as a man. And the relationship I had with the fans and the love of the club. All of that makes it extra special for me.”

Q.

Have you been in a similar situation in the Champions League or otherwise like the Red Bulls find themselves in going to Los Angeles?

A.

Oh so many times. The Champions League. In Spain with Arsenal, we were in similar situations. With any team I played for, found myself being down then winning the second leg. Also losing the second leg. Been in so many situations that I know exactly how it is.

Q.

Is there anything different about the situation here?

A.

I don’t think so. I’m not going to say we’re going to win easy. What I’m saying to you is, you know what, we know what we have to do now. Saw it last season when we went to San Jose and won, 1-0, and we lost at home, 3-1. Sometimes when you have these types of games, you think O.K. we won there, what should we do? Should we wait? Shall we go? Shall we play to win?

Q.

Against San Jose you needed a draw.

A.

That’s what I’m saying to you. You know you only have to do one thing, to win. We had to do it in Dallas. There was no question. No let’s see how they’re going to come out. No thinking. Now let’s see. We got to win.

Q.

What was the situation in Europe you referred to?

A.

Once with Arsenal, and I mean, I’m going to go way back. Since you’re asking me, remember once to go through the group stage we had to win to clinch the group. We needed a four-goal difference and we went to Inter and won, 5-1 [Nov. 25, 2003 when Henry scored twice and set up two other goals]. And if you had said that to me before the game, I just would have said let’s see if we can grab to win. What I’m saying is that you never know what can happen. We can go there and score early, they get a man sent off. You cannot concede a goal early so they can hammer us. They’ve been the most consistent team in the league. I don’t think they’ve lost at home.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Q.

And they have the toughest defense in the league.

A.

Yes, they defended well. Their goalkeeper made a great save on Joel Lindpere. They were solid. They had four clear-cut chances to score goals. We had some little things, not clear. You can also say the game could have been a tie. I can’t say they don’t deserve to win. They came and showed why they are the best this year. Now it’s going to be up to us to see if we can cause an upset. It was going to be a upset from the start. But it is still doable.

Q.

I don’t know if you’re going to answer this question after what happened Sunday night with Rafa [Marquez], but it’s three red cards in four games. Is there a lack of discipline on the team?

A.

I wouldn’t agree. I was with Arsenal when we led the league in red cards and won the league. You know how many red cards Roy Keane took at Manchester United and they won the treble? You know how many red cards Becks took at Manchester United? Dennis Bergkamp? Puyol at Barcelona? Piqué? It doesn’t mean you have to lose the game. Undisciplined? I don’t agree.

Q.

So are big names magnets for red cards?

A.

No. Who cares?

Q.

You haven’t talked about what happened in Kansas City.

A.

No, there’s nothing to say. The ref’s the ref. He’s already called it. That’s it.

Q.

What about some of the comments [Landon] Donovan made after the Sunday’s game.

A.

I have nothing to say.

Q.

It doesn’t upset you?

A.

It doesn’t touch me in the slightest.

Q.

It makes no difference at all? Just one guy’s opinion?

A.

He’s entitled to his opinion. I have no problem with it. If that’s what he thinks so be it. I have no problem with it, we’re in a democracy.

Q.

Is there any truth to what he said?

A.

He says whatever he wants. I don’t have to say whether it’s true or not. I have no problem with that.

Q.

So many people ask me, why doesn’t Juan Agudelo play? I don’t have any answers. I’m not going to ask you why he doesn’t play, but are you more comfortable playing with a guy like Luke [Rodgers] than Agudelo?

A.

I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the season, you can quote me. … First of all, it’s not my place to say, I’m not the boss. Second of all, I can adapt to any player, you know, the way I play. It won’t change the way I play depending on who I play with. I always try to do the same thing, Try to put pressure, get on the ball, set up players. I don’t know what to tell you about why Agudelo isn’t playing.

Q.

You’re a student of the game. When you look around this league, what are your impressions of the skill level.

A.

For me, when I first arrived I said I did not know too much, I only knew some players. I was actually surprised, because when you look at a team like Real Salt Lake, they are well organized and they are playing, they are playing football. It’s difficult to break them down. And they can score,[Fabian] Espindola, [Alvaro] Saborio, [Kyle] Beckerman on the ball, [Andy] Williams. I’m not going to name the whole squad, but they can play. Dallas the same thing. Seattle. Then you have the likes of Houston, they’re a scrappy team. They don’t give you anything.

Q.

Does that make up for lack of technical skill?

A.

I don’t think so. Not because I played with him, but look at Dwayne De Rosario. He scored, what, 16 goals, 12 assists? I mean when you see him on the ball, that’s creativity. Sometimes he doesn’t always succeed in what he does, but you want to see someone that goes and tries to create stuff. Dwayne De Rosario for me should be the face of this league in terms of he’s been playing here for a very long time. I think he has the most championships, the teams he plays on succeed every time. People talk about players like me, Donovan, Beckham all the time. They don’t talk about guys like [Jamison] Olave, [Nat] Borchers, Kei Kamara, all those guys are very good players.

Q.

What I’m getting at, is that once get beyond top, even the midlevel players, the skills seem to drop off. The first touch isn’t there, the ability to hit a consistent cross.

A.

As I said, that’s you saying that. I don’t know. You can say maybe sometimes it’s about not understanding the game, but people can control the ball and cross the ball. I’ve also seen guys in Europe mis-control and mis-cross the ball. I don’t know about the youth here, but in France I can tell you at a young age it’s about learning about the basics of the game. That’s what you do. You live and breathe the basics of the game. We have an idea that it’s about style, about doing it the right way. And at the end of the day it’s about winning. If you can be fancy, be fancy, but if you can’t you gotta win. It starts with the youth. That’s it.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Q.

With the Red Bulls this season, has it been frustrating for you? The team is up and down, players in and out with national teams. Or is it just the way seasons go?

A.

Sometimes. All I can say is that during the season if we had done better we would not have had to go on this difficult path. Playing at Dallas. If we win in L.A. we’d probably have to play at Salt Lake on Sunday. Then we can have maybe a break. It’s going to be a hell of a task. We’re up for it, don’t get me wrong, and we’ll fight until the end. But that’s why you want to have a decent season so you have that protection.

Having said that, we have protected nothing. Where did it go wrong? That’s kind of weird. It’s not the kind of season you want to have, but at the end of the day I always say the same thing, you are where you should be at the end and you deserve what you deserve. You can talk about it all you like. But bottom line, we are in the situation we are in and we have to go and win in L.A. and we all know it is going to be very, very, very difficult. We can sit here and talk about what went wrong, but at the end of the day we’re not here to cry, we’re not here to second-guess. We have to regroup. I’m the type of guy who knows that what is done is done. Good or bad.

Q.

Sometimes we get the impression here that the fans care more, that they take it with them and the players just put things behind them and simply move on.

A.

I don’t know if that’s good, but you’ve got to put these things behind you. And trust me, you don’t want to be around me when we lose or we don’t play well. The only thing you can do about it is in the next game. What do you want to do, cry about what happened before and you stay crying?

Q.

What is your role in the locker room, as the captain, a guy with experience who has won the World Cup and Euro?

A.

There’s one thing, I will not go into a war of words in the paper. That’s not worth it. But I’m pretty vocal. I think you can see it on the field. I’m more than vocal sometimes. But that’s when it’s the time for me to talk. There’s no reason for me to talk in the paper.

Q.

Do your teammates respond?

A.

I’m not in their head when I talk, but you gotta do it. We’re not here to, and I’m not saying it in a bad way, we’re not here to be friends. If I have to tell you something on the field or you have to say something to me, say it and I will say it to you. And let’s move along. That’s how it is.

Q.

That’s interesting because when the incident with Rafa and Tim [Ream] happened there was such a negative reaction here, that someone would be openly critical of a teammate. I once wrote about the Cosmos and there seemed to be an argument every day, but that was just what the European players were used to. It seems that’s a very American reaction.

A.

I’m happy you’re saying that. In my career I’ve been in a lot of big dressing rooms and I’ve said it … what Rafa said, that’s nothing. That’s nothing. I’m not saying it was wrong or right. I’m just saying move on. Rafa got his fine, didn’t play the game. Whatever it was. But man, in a big dressing room, that’s nothing.

Q.

Is it motivation or letting off steam?

A.

We’re all competitors, we all want to win. I saw it more as motivation than anything else. I slept that night. But what was bothering me more was that we lost to Salt Lake. Me, my main concern was how we conceded the goals, and how we lost. How can we improve. That’s where my concern was. How can I play better to help this team and work on winning games.

Q.

Is it frustrating, clearly every player on your team is not up to your level or even U.S. national team level. Is it frustrating to play with guys who are. …



A.

No, I wouldn’t say that. I really wouldn’t say that. I always say if you want to win a championship, even though I’ve played with some great players around me, we won when the team was playing well. The team. You don’t need 11 [Lionel] Messis in the game. I played with Martin Keown at Arsenal. Martin Keown wasn’t [Gerard] Piqué, but he was a hell of a player in what he was doing. That’s why every time when people ask me, I’m not here to think if the level is great or not great. That’s the team we are, let’s try to make something out of it. The other teams in the league are doing it, so why can’t we? The way I see it, that’s why you see me upset after a game, I’m actually more upset with myself because I’m like, what can I do to make this team play better? And I hope that’s the spirit of everyone on the field.

Q.

Is there anything any individual could do to make the team play better?

A.

The individual doesn’t exist to play better. That’s the type of thing you should set for yourself. What can I do to make the team better? If you start to think as an individual then it starts to be a problem. And I’m telling you, big team, skillful players, not-so-skillful players, whatever, you gotta have that mentality. Not all the little additions of individuals that can make a big team. That’s what I believe in. And sometimes I know I’m not doing enough for the team, I know I can do more. That’s what I’m trying to do. Sometimes you succeed. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you’re poor. Sometimes you’re average. But the desire has to be there all the time.

Q.

What was the favorite place you played? You played in France, Italy, England, Spain and now here.

A.

It’s going to be different because you, I’m sure you’re going to understand. Arsenal, and Arsenal why? Because that’s the place I stayed the longest, eight seasons. So it goes without saying it went beyond sport. Me and Arsenal, it’s beyond sport. I became a fan. Because I wasn’t a fan of Arsenal before. I will be a fan of the game till I die, but I wasn’t a fan of Arsenal. But I knew about Arsenal because of [Manager] Arsène [Wenger] going there and Ian Wright. After going there I understood the club. I understood what it meant to wear the jersey. I have my daughter there. I matured as a man there. We all know it’s a difficult thing to know first of all the person you can be. Everything changed for me there as a professional, as a man. And the relationship I had with the fans and the love of the club. All of that makes it extra special for me. I can always put on the side Monaco, because they gave me a chance and I’m thankful. The national team, how can I not talk about it? Also Barcelona. How can I not talk about Barcelona? Also Juve. They got me tougher there, the experience there got me tougher. Every time I have a bad moment I try to turn it into a positive thing. If there’s a special place for me it’s always going to be Arsenal. I had an amazing time in all those places, but for me, it’s always going to be Arsenal.

Q.

Has it been painful for you to see how they began the season? But then they play an incredible game like they did last Saturday [a 5-3 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge].

A.

It was an incredible game. Even more so at the Bridge, eight goals. As I said, I’m a believer and I love the club. You gotta believe. I know they’re 12 points behind. You try to believe in Arsène. Arsène has changed the face of that club. But you know how it is, you don’t win and people have a go at you. Now they didn’t lose for seven games and people look at me, now they’re back. With this game there is no such thing as the middle.

That’s why at the beginning of this season, if you look at my quotes, when we won 4-nil at D.C. and everybody came and said, ‘Wow, wow, you’re going to kill this year,’ I said we’re not as good as you think. We did a great job, but let’s try to keep it low. But when we were losing I was also saying we’re not as bad as the results. But it’s always up here or down there. And you need to try to stay in the middle.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Q.

There’s been talk about guys like Tim Ream being looked at by Arsenal. Maybe Agudelo going to Europe and others. Some have succeeded, some haven’t. Have they ever asked you about the experience, or even if not, what would you advise players?

A.

I think, you know what, wherever you are, wherever you’re from, if you work hard, hard, you can succeed anywhere. Work hard every day, every second in training. You watch games, watch the movement of the strikers. You watch whatever you can to add to your game and try to do the same in training to make yourself a better player. You can go wherever you want. Yeah, I know you might think, yeah right, but that’s my genuine feeling.

Q.

Part of it is that, at least for me, is that so many of the players here don’t seem to be real fans of the game. They don’t watch every game they can. They don’t seem to live the game the way some other people do.

A.

I don’t know, I don’t like to comment about what I don’t know. All I can say is that you must work hard wherever you go, whatever talents you have. I’ve seen players that were not skillful, and I’m not having a go. Lilian Thuram was not the most skillful player. He wasn’t skilled from the start. But working hard led him to 140-plus caps for the national team. No one would have said that when he started. No one.

Q.

Many times at training, I see you staying late, trying to pull balls out of the air and get shots. I don’t see a lot of your teammates.

A.

With me, you’ll see it’s all 100 percent. I do things 100 percent or I don’t do it. On that one, on the field, I can’t be in between. Sometimes when I’m having an off-day you can see it. With me, it’s black or white, I don’t know anything else but work. I’m not trying to do that to impress anyone. On days off I go to train. I don’t know anything else but work. I don’t know any other way to succeed but to work.

When you look at David Beckham, when you look at Lionel Messi, I can name names, they were all hard workers. They were all a pain in the neck, never wanted to lose, do whatever it takes to win. They are animals, not in a bad way, but animals to not want to lose. They will train. Messi is gifted, but I tell you, he stays in training and works hard. Dennis Bergkamp, 36 years old, he never wanted to lose. You take the ball off him and he’ll kick you. He doesn’t like it. He can’t take it.

Q.

Do you see enough of that here?

A.

Oh yes, I think so. You have a lot of great players who can go on with a chance to go to Europe. But I always say wherever you’re from, wherever you go, you can always succeed if you work hard. I know it sounds a bit clichéd. Yes, we heard that so many times, thank you Thierry for your help, but it’s true. It’s the bottom line.

Q.

Throughout the season you’ve given little elbows, little digs throughout the season. Different people have different opinions about why you do it. But what goes on in your head during games? It is your competitive nature? Do you feel you’ve been mistreated by a player? You know, what happened in Portland with the red card?

A.

What happened in Portland? Did you see when the guy fell down with his elbow in my head? Did you hear me crying after the game about it. Do you see me crying and going running to the ref that someone tackled me from behind? We are all men.

Q.

Still, the question comes up about why someone like Thierry Henry needs to react that way?

A.

I’m a player. And I play 100 percent. I said so many times you will not see me say anything after the game. The ref takes a decision. I don’t know if you saw me at Portland, I went to shake the hand of the ref. In Kansas City I went to shake the hand of the ref. You didn’t see me arguing. I left. You need to understand, if you see me play with my family on holiday, if I play with my dad, if I kick him, he kicks me back. That’s your answer.

Q.

So you want to win, no matter what kind of game?

A.

That’s me. It’s, listen, what’s funny — you know I played with a lot of players and against a lot of players. Have you seen Roy Keane play? That’s the game. I have nothing to say about it. It’s how I play. I don’t read anything into it. I have nothing to say about it.

Q.

What does this Red Bulls team need to get better? Nicolas Anelka was available this summer and I know Los Angeles almost signed him before Robbie Keane. Would he be a good addition to this team?

A.

I actually don’t know who’s available and who’s not available. All I can say is that we could definitely do with that type of player and that type of caliber. As I said, going back to the decision making, I’m not part of that.

Q.

But don’t they seek out your opinion?

A.

Oh, I can definitely help, but. …

Q.

Do they ask you?

A.

So far not. But, do we have to talk about it now? We’re in the playoffs. But after the playoffs if they want my opinion and input on something I’ll give it. But right now, we have a game in L.A. and for me that’s the most important thing.

But one thing I can say, to go back to what you said … I care. When you say elbow, protection. I care. And a lot of time I hear people, talking about DPs coming to just take the money, if you look at some players, there are a lot of DPs in this league, you can see they put their bodies in.

Q.

When you hear people questioning motivation or commitment?

A.

Not only about me. I just laugh. Because I don’t know any player going on the field not to play well and with purpose, knowing that after he’s going to get killed. Name me one player. You can have a bad game. But no one is doing it on purpose.

Q.

What do you think of the news media treatment of you, other players, the questions you get as compared to places like England or Spain.

A.

The only thing, I understand about being here, you have to promote the game and I understand the rules and you have to play the game. But in Arsenal, you don’t have to speak to the press. If you do, it’s only because you want to. You don’t have to. But anyway, at Barcelona, everybody was speaking. Each week a different player. Everybody has to speak in the mixed zone. But here quite often it’s the captain talking. You have to play by the rules. As in Europe, [media] is not allowed in the dressing room. It’s different, whatever.

Q.

Is it off-putting for you?

A.

As I said, some people have twisted my quotes about this and said I was complaining about having to speak. [Since midseason, Henry has limited his media availability to Tuesdays and days before a game.] I’m just saying that it’s different. At the beginning you have to adjust to it. I was in the dressing room once and I came out of the showers and everybody was around my seat. And I was like, can I please get dressed? And they just turned around. And I’m, please? Whatever. In Europe the dressing room, it’s like a secret.

Q.

But how do you deal with the silly questions? You can see by your reaction that some of the questions are out there. Sometimes it even makes me cringe.

A.

You said it, I didn’t. You gotta do what you gotta do. I go, I do, I understand the fans want to know my feelings before the game.

Q.

After having been around the league the last two years, what sort of things would you like to see in this league? Better referees for example?

A.

Look, you have to give it to them. It’s a difficult job. Sometimes on the replay we won’t agree. The refs have to take a decision in a split second. When I’m on the field I’m always going to argue. But at end of day, they have a difficult job. That’s what I said about the Kansas City/Portland thing — you argue, you argue, then it’s over. With me, that’s it. How can a ref see when the ball is being passed and see if the guy is onside. How do you do that? How? The speed of the players. How do you do that? To go back, salary cap, DPs, if you want to have a big league, you have to have the players.

Q.

Everyone talks about the league being physical, being fast. Do you think those impressions are true?

A.

I said so many times … when I arrived in England they said to me, Thierry, you won’t be able to put the ball down. It’s too physical. Well, I’m scared. It’s like, ‘Whoa, should I stop playing football now?’ That’s the type of question I got, really, do we have to talk about that? Like the Spanish league, they play too much football. Like wow. It’s the type of thing, if it’s physical, it’s physical; if they put the ball on the ground, they put the ball on the ground. I don’t read anything into it. That’s how it is. I don’t know how to even explain it, I don’t see anything to it. When I arrived here people said to me that this league is physical, are you aware of it? I said, do you know that I played in England?

Why the question? It’s physical, there are some good players. We played in Salt Lake and didn’t touch the ball, so you should play like Salt Lake. L.A. played very good football yesterday. Let’s talk about the game at the end of the day.

Q.

Are we in the U.S. immature to our approach to the game?

A.

No, I don’t think so. I just think sometimes, the game is physical. Like you say to me, to live we need to breathe. Yeah, we know that. Yeah it’s physical, yeah I’m going to protect myself. Whatever, that’s just the way it is.

Q.

You mentioned DeRo several times. What happened with DeRo here?

A.

I don’t know.

Q.

[General Manager Erik] Soler said DeRo needs the ball at his feet. Henry needs the ball at his feet. Dane Richards needs the ball at his feet. Not enough balls.

A.

Well, he’s the boss, so … I would have loved DeRo to stay, but that’s out of my hands. You could clearly see what DeRo did after. He did what DeRo does. That’s the way it is. Difficult for me to talk about. I’d rather to have DeRo in his squad than not.

Q.

What was the most valuable thing any coach ever said to you?

A.

Wenger at Arsenal once said that it’s up to me to make the team play better. That you don’t do your job if you don’t play well. Wenger said it’s not about how the other players can help me. But you should always try, first, to think about how I can help my teammates. That’s why I’m very demanding, because I get frustrated with myself.