Gallas set for recall but will not apologise
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William Gallas given another chance at Arsenal by Arsene Wenger
...William Gallas is in contention for a rapid return for Arsenal tomorrow, but Arsène Wenger will assess his mood and behaviour in training today before deciding whether to include him in his squad for the Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev.
The France defender has trained all weekend without complaint after being stripped of the captaincy and left out of the squad that was defeated away to Manchester City on Saturday, but has had little contact with his first-team colleagues since further criticism came to light on Friday. Arsenal’s first-team squad members were called in yesterday, but only for a light warm-down.
Gallas, although still angry at the way that he has been treated, wants to return to action as soon as possible and is determined to fight for his place. The 31-year-old is aware that he will struggle to collect his £90,000-a-week wages elsewhere, despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, and is reluctant to be seen to be running away from English football.
Wenger, the Arsenal manager, revealed yesterday that Cesc Fàbregas, the midfield player who returns from suspension, and Gallas are under consideration for a match that Arsenal need to win to make sure of their place in the next stage of the Champions League, but pivotal to his decision will be a desire to keep the dressing-room united.
“Fàbregas will be available and maybe Gallas,” Wenger said. “The most important thing is to keep strong, united, focused and not to panic. We have not lost our football in three days and therefore let’s win the next game. When you play football you can always lose anything, but I believe we have not to panic. We need to focus and keep going at the moment. That is difficult – I don’t deny that – but there’s no need to be desperate as well. What is important is that the environment inside the club keeps the confidence high and that’s where we have our job to do.”
Wenger is unlikely to be rushed into appointing a new permanent captain because all of the main candidates have question marks against their names, leaving Manuel Almunia to keep the armband he has worn against Manchester City and Fenerbahçe this season. The Spanish goal-keeper is popular with his teammates, but has little experience at the highest level and his long-term position in the side is by no means secure after recent poor form.
The same could be said of Kolo Touré, who missed the defeat at the City of Manchester Stadium with a calf strain and has been overlooked in recent weeks for a centre-back pairing of Gallas and Mikaël Silvestre. Gaël Clichy is seen at the club as a future Arsenal captain, but is relatively young at 23 and has suffered a dip in form, while Fàbregas, 21, is even younger and his future is uncertain as a result of long-term interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Gallas has received the backing of Florent Malouda, the Chelsea winger, who believes that his France teammate will stay at Arsenal. “William is a good person,” Malouda said yesterday. “Sometimes you have to be responsible for what you say, but I’m still supporting William because I appreciate him as a person and as a teammate in the national team.
“I can’t judge his attitude in the Arsenal dressing-room, it’s not my problem. He has to be responsible for what he said and, in this context, I know it’s difficult for him. But you know that when you’re friends you have to support your friends even if everybody is against him, and I keep on supporting him.
“It’s not fair to forget everything just because he said one thing. He’s a football player and has already shown his quality.”
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Gallas set for recall but will not apologise
Arsène Wenger has suggested he could recall William Gallas to his starting Arsenal line-up for tomorrow night's Champions League fixture with Dynamo Kiev at the Emirates Stadium.
The manager stripped Gallas of the captaincy and left him out of the team that lost 3-0 to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, a result that gravely undermined the club's title hopes, after his fiery criticism of his young team-mates. Gallas appears to have a problem with the young generation of stars and he does not want to make personal apologies to the players that he offended, particularly to Robin van Persie.
Despite Wenger's disappointment at Gallas' comments last week, in which he accused team-mates of lacking heart and pointedly criticised one particular player, whom he did not name but is known to be Van Persie, the manager has claimed Gallas still has a place there.
"Of course he has a future at the club," said Wenger. "It just doesn't help to talk about it. Nothing disturbed us before the [City] game. I believe it was a flattering victory for them, and we have had worse weeks than this."
Gallas, at 31, is a member of the older guard and he is close to the former Arsenal players Thierry Henry and Emmanuel Petit. Henry did not get along with Van Persie and Gallas could not bear to grovel in front of the young Dutchman and lose face in front of his friends.
There remains the possibility of an escape route back to France should Gallas be unable to regain favour at the Emirates. Paris St-Germain, with whom he has long been linked, are believed to be willing to sign the player on a six-month loan deal once the transfer window opens in January and would be prepared to fund a large proportion of his £90,000-a-week wages.
The French club, coached by the former Rangers manager Paul le Guen, have revived this season after last year's toils and beat Lyon, the league leaders and reigning champions, on Saturday night. Their president, Charles Villeneuve, is a close friend of Wenger's and signalled the ambition of the club over the summer with the signing of Ludovic Giuly and Claude Makelele from Roma and Chelsea respectively, and Gallas is on warm terms with Makelele.
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This guy is a disgrace ... i believe the players and fans have no more respect for him after his last outburst ... i hope he takes the roy keane path and leave the club!
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But seriously, I am not very sure if Arsenal can't do without him at the moment...
Wenger seems more forgiving than Fergie... Gallas is what, 2, 3 yrs at Arsenal only? Keane was like 10 yrs and Fergie still chopped him for his stupid behaviour within days...
To be fair, compare him to Keane... What Keane did was still not so open... Most were behind the scene stuff. His unhappiness with the assistant coach, Rio and some young players. Gallas really take it to a new level, and not just this season... last season was already bad enough but after this...
But unlike Keane, when Fergie kicked him out on the spot, withing days the team started to play better without him... Arsenal unfortunately don't have the personnel at the moment for his position... And too many younsters also would cause what one gunners fan here called "headless chickens" running about against City...
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gallas is like a big spoilt brat. really. at chelsea he cant play centre back, he wanna leave. now at arsenal he suck at centre back he make nosie too.
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i like the way he handled the whole saga. very strong on his points. but neverless, he got fucked in the ass for being like that.