After Padraig Harrington confounded a wrist injury to defend his Open title, and Greg Norman rolled back the years at Royal Birkdale, it was fitting that Thierry Henry should begin his own personal reinvention from the splendour of the Old Course Hotel at St Andrews.

The Barcelona striker ended the 2007-08 season physically battered and psychologically bruised. Not even Bob Torrance could have lifted his spirits after France's ignominious departure from Euro 2008. The national embarrassment occurred after a deflating introduction to La Liga.

Unfit and uninspiring, Henry's hollow contribution helped consign Barcelona to a hapless domestic campaign and Frank Rijkaard to unemployment.

Now with Josep Guardiola, the Barcelona legend, the surprise choice to revive the Catalan club, Henry expects a more satisfying season than his personal nadir. Already he has been assured centre stage after the departure of Ronaldinho to AC Milan, Deco to Chelsea and the ongoing attempts to sell Samuel Eto'o.

Henry still managed to plunder 19 goals despite suffering regular flare-ups from his long-standing sciatica problem. With Alexander Hleb recruited from his former team, Arsenal, and Bojan Krkic expected to flourish in Ronaldinho's absence, Henry expects a more productive, if less star-studded, season.

"Hopefully it cannot be worse than last season," he said of his toils. "I was in a new town, with a new language, I was injured at the start but I wanted to play rather than work with the fitness coach. I paid the price for that.

"The team was also not doing so well. It is always easier in a winning team but without playing well, I scored 19 goals. Now I am feeling better, fresher, we have a new coach, I have the desire and hopefully there can be more of me finding the back of the net."

After the initial fanfare which followed Guardiola's appointment, doubts have since surfaced over his suitability and experience for one of world football's most demanding jobs. A European Cup winner with Barcelona in 1992, and a veteran of six La Liga championships, his playing credentials have ensured his place in the Camp Nou pantheon. That his coaching credentials only extend as far as a successful spell in charge of Barcelona's B team is less impressive.

He has attempting to win favour with a blockbuster signing and is openly bidding for Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin. The pursuit of Adebayor, the player who has filled Henry's boots at Arsenal, is most intriguing. "If you have the kind of season he had, a lot of teams will try to get you," said Henry. "It is up to him to make up his mind. I can't think for him. He had a great year.

"It is like that every year. Every year teams want to buy big players. Sometimes clubs are not happy with a player when he leaves during his contract, sometimes clubs buy players who are in contract; that is the way the game is."

Henry was more elaborate on the artistry of the Belarusian internationalist, Hleb. After adjusting to the more intricate build-up play prevalent in La Liga, the striker is keen to resume his understanding with Barcelona's new playmaker.

"The main thing I learned last season is to be patient," said Henry. "The pace of the English league is so much quicker; I was caught offside so many times in Spain because I thought the ball would come to me quicker, I was expecting every pass early.

"Alexander is a versatile player; he can play on the right, the left, or behind the strikers. He can change the course of a game in a split second. He has great vision, technique . . . I better stop now because you will think I am talking about Pele. He has a lot of qualities and great vision and hopefully he will be a great player for us."

Barcelona play the first match of a Scottish double header against Hibernian at Murrayfield Stadium tomorrow night. Barcelona fatigue - they played Scottish opposition eight times last season including the Old Firm in Champions League duty - has affected ticket sales as much as the credit crunch.

Around 25,000 fans are expected at Murrayfield, while Dundee United remain optimistic of a sell-out when Barcelona visit Tannadice on Saturday. Henry identified Barry Robson's talents at this stage last season and was unsurprised to see him transfer to Celtic in time to score against Barcelona in the Champions League last 16.

"I remember all you guys saying to me you did not have such good players, then you beat us twice," he said playfully, despite Scotland's wins over France failing to secure their qualification for Euro 2008. "I know a lot about your teams from playing Scotland in qualification and the Old Firm in the Champions League.

"When I saw Barry last season with Dundee United it was only a matter of time before he moved to a team like Celtic. We will play Scottish opposition again this week and I am sure I will be impressed with some more players."

One silver lining from Henry's season past was returning to the Emirates Stadium to pick up the award as Best Ever Gunner. Arsenal could not maintain their surging start last year, have lost Hleb and Gilberto Silva and are now fending off interest in Adebayor. Henry expects his Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, to unearth new gems for the new season.

"Last year people asked me if they could win things and I said yes, they could. They easily could have but they didn't. I will say the same this year," said Henry. "I don't know how Arsene does it.

He brings in players who people maybe don't know and they still challenge."

Henry intends getting back into the swing of things at St Andrews this week.