Dutch Master, Touch Master

The through ball has never known a better exponent than Dennis Bergkamp. And that art was never expressed more forcefully than on Wednesday ...

The through ball has never known a better exponent than Dennis Bergkamp. And that art was never expressed more forcefully than on Wednesday night, when Arsenal devastated Everton in a shock and awe display. The magic of Bergcamp8217;s defence-splitting passes that had the Highbury crowd transported to a bewitching Harry Potter world.

For 90 minutes, the ball was taking commands directly from Bergkamp8217;s neurons and motor cells. And Bergkamp was everywhere in Everton8217;s half, like a quidditch wizard flying his broomstick, the uncertainty over his contract seemingly far removed from his mind.

Bergkamp8217;s reply to a dithering Arsenal management 8212; the club has refused to commit till season-end to another one-year contract 8212; came from his feet; it said that his 36 years had not only not diminished his stamina but had also sharpened his brain. If indeed the match against Everton was his last for Arsenal, he bade one of the most remarkable farewells in recent football history.

Every high ball moved from Bergkamp8217;s right foot traced a perfect arc. One to Thierry Henry climbed over the defence8217;s shoulders and dropped at the French striker8217;s feet. Had the ace goal-scorer been in touch that ball would have found the net.

Forget the swerving high balls; in the first 45 minutes Bergkamp was threading some extraordinary forward passes that hugged the turf. Each of those passes seemed to be carrying the software of precise time-space coordinates. Each knew the addressee and the precise time lag of the delivery.

Van Persie converted the first pass from his left, Pires latched on to another from behind the defence wall. And Viera, too, found himself alone with the goalkeeper after Bergkamp slotted a perfect 8216;8216;through8217;8217;.

The Dutchman was a mathematician yesterday 8212; or was he a choreographer, able to understand each step of his teammates? He called to mind, transcended, perhaps, the likes of Hagi, Zidane France, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho Brazil 8212; even Maradona in his heyday.

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Yesterday8217;s artistry showed how much of an understated and unsung hero the Dutch Master has been, how little his dexterity with the forward pass has been known to the world outside the English Premier League.

Bergkamp8217;s story is also about graceful ageing. His career did not fade away, as happened to some of his contemporaries like Patrick Kluivert, the de Boer brothers and Marc Overmars. Playing deeper, his vintage passes became much more precise than those Clarence Seedorf or Edgar Davids.

Euro 2004 saw the Dutch side without Bergkamp and the championship celebrated mediocrity without through passes. One hopes that Arsene Wenger and Highbury will retain the artist and not lose the best through-ball exponent currently on the scene.