My brother sent me this a week ago, my favorite kind of treat. A modern classic Henry goal; counterattack from the left, right foot, far post, stony eyed celebration.

His comment: “Still got it- Pace is overrated, it’s all about timing and technique.”

My comment: This is the sort of situation fullbacks hate. Your midfielder doesn’t pick up his man fast or aggressively enough, the attacker drifts wide, beside you, and then behind you. While he’s beside you, there’s a moment when you know you should be making a decision: where do I go? How do I commit? But that moment ends before your decision is made. There’s a longer subsequent moment you spend wishing you’d made the earlier decision, because now you have no facility, now you’re merely chasing the play. And then the ball is in the back of the net.

The elegance in the move is in Henry’s simultaneous understanding of the space he’s inhabiting, and the speed and direction of all its component parts. It’s not easy to run like that.