William Gallas is another Wenger masterstroke - 5 Nov 2007He thumped his chest passionately, and more specifically his badge. He hugged his manager with unconfined joy after scoring and at the end held court in a tight huddle.
William Gallas was loving every minute. Having just denied Manchester United victory with his last-gasp swipe, Arsenal's captain was not about to go quietly without savouring the moment. Last off the pitch after mopping up the acclaim, the pumped-up centre-half finally disappeared down the tunnel a very happy man.
It did make you wonder. Maybe Arsene Wenger has got it right again. By making Gallas captain – against all expectations – perhaps Arsenal's manager has found the best way to keep his volatile defender on track for the next seven months.
And if Arsenal's young warriors preserve the same fighting spirit they displayed at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, maybe Wenger's appointment will even confound the long-held maxim about title-winning sides and their inspirational captains.
All the great teams seem to have them – galvanising figures who bind the team together in times of need, who lead by example, who say the right thing, whether it's in the dressing room beforehand or out on the pitch. Think of recent Premier League winners and the men handed the trophy: Roy Keane and Gary Neville at Manchester United, John Terry at Chelsea and Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira at Arsenal.
Fine players the lot, born winners to a man, but also cut out for captaincy. The responsibilities of leadership came naturally, so few were surprised when the armband came their way.
Gallas fits into a slightly different category. In fact, when Wenger plumped for his centre-half as Thierry Henry's successor this summer, the choice caught most people totally off guard.
It had been assumed that Gilberto would be handed the honour; after all he always stepped in when Henry was injured. The Brazilian World Cup winner seemed an absolute stick-on for the prized role.
Wenger, however, had other ideas, though it is difficult to say for certain how he arrived at that point. Maybe Arsenal's manager had already decided that Gilberto would not play such an integral part in the upcoming season.
Then again, maybe, just maybe, Wenger saw the captaincy as a way of keeping Gallas sweet, as a way of retaining his focus for the long road ahead.
It is no secret, after all, that the player requires careful handling at times. Somewhat unpredictable, he is not the low-maintenance type, nor the sort guaranteed to keep his composure when a situation gets fraught.
By way of example, there was tan occasion last term when he was said to have lost his cool in the dressing room. Frustrated at the way the young team were playing, he apparently started having a go at one or two individuals.
When Wenger quickly stepped in and told his compatriot to shut up, Gallas emerged from the rebuke a disenchanted man, telling friends in the French media that,from now on he would just come in to work, do what he had to and go home again. Nothing more. His boss's reprimand had induced a sulk.
Under those circumstances, Wenger had to think creatively to find a way of keeping his temperamental defender 'on side'. And what better solution than asking the former Chelsea player to lead out the team every week?
Wenger knows anyway that Cesc Fabregas is actually the natural leader in the ranks, with his intense will to win and his exceptional talent. At only 20, though, it would not be right to give him the job just yet, not with a player of Gallas's experience and ability a fixture at the back.
And aside from his dramatic equaliser, Gallas was excellent on Saturday alongside Kolo Toure. Back in full swing after missing two months through injury, he did his best to deny United with some typically stubborn defending.
It was just his bad luck that a lunge to block Wayne Rooney's flick just before half-time bounced off his arm to wrong-foot Manuel Almunia and put the visitors in front. |
發表於 2007-11-5 07:14 PM
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