William Gallas has an awful lot to prove
543 comments August 10th, 2007
Three captains in three days. It’s been an odd week, which has ended with the official announcement that William Gallas will be our skipper next season.
On Tuesday, Arsenal held the annual Members Day. At this event, Kolo Toure was introduced to the fans as our new captain, and interviewed about taking on the position. He was even photographed wearing the armband, presumably to accompany his programme notes.
On Wednesday night, the English and International press announced that Gilberto Silva, the favourite, was Arsenal’s new captain. I was suspicious even then, but a number of reputable sources continued to run the story throughout yesterday.
And then on Thursday evening, the William Gallas announcement that rocked arseblog to it’s very foundations.Â
What happened between Tuesday and then? That’s anybody’s guess. If anyone can provide a detailed account of what happened with Kolo on Members Day, do get in touch.
On Wednesday, I said:
“I think Gallas deserves another chance after a disastrous first season. I’ve got a feeling he might change a lot of people’s minds this season.”
Arsene, if you were reading, then you’ve completely misunderstood. Like Hitler reading Nietzsche, you’ve got it all wrong (thanks to Ricky Gervais for that joke).
Gilberto was the obvious candidate for the role. Quite simply, after he wore the armband with such distinction last season, it feels a bit like he’s been stripped of the captaincy. Last night, in my panic, I speculated that he might be about to be sold, but Arsene’s meticulous training regime for him has put paid to that idea. I think it’s more likely that with the emergence of Denilson and particularly Diaby, Arsene can’t guarantee he will start every game. To be honest, I find that in itself a little odd – for me, he was our Player of the Season last year.
William Gallas, it seems, will be starting a lot of games, which is more than you can say for his first season at the club. Injuries and poor form meant that he barely made an impression in his first year. And now he’s our captain? Why?
Well, partially because he’s a centre-back. But there’s got to be more to it than that. Arsene never chose Campbell over Vieira or Henry as skipper. Gallas’ position is not the real reason. There has to be more than he’s letting on.
I suspect Arsene has chosen him because he is a winner. Gallas has won International tournaments and Premier League titles. He has a combination of fiery spirit and experience only matched by Jens Lehmann. And he has a burning desire to prove to his former employers that he can win things with his new club.
It might even be possible that Arsene has chosen Gallas as a deliberately short-term measure whilst he waits for Cesc or Kolo to mature into the role. I suspect we’ll never know the real reasons. Arsene will talk the talk about centre-backs and waffle about “shared responsibility”. Only he knows why he has made a decision that from the outside appears very odd indeed.
The responsibility might raise Gallas’ game and provide Arsenal with a defensive stability we’ve lacked in recent years. Or his divisive personality could segregate him from the younger members of the squad and leave the team split firmly into two camps. Arsene, as usual, has gambled. But if I were him, I would’ve taken the safe bet: the midfielder who has just captained Brazil to the Copa America.
Arsene – if you’re reading (again), I really hope you know what you’re doing.
ps. As if all that wasn’t enough to fry your nerves, look at this. I don’t think I’ll ever quite understand what happened to this lad on English soil.
