Can William Gallas Lead Arsenal To Glory This Season?

Amid all the speculation about this year's Arsenal side, the number one concern among fans is arguably William Gallas' capability to captain the Gunners. His was a surprise appointment, with Gilberto Silva or Kolo Toure thought to be the front-runners for the armband. At first, it seemed Gallas would be a master-class captain, scoring a late goal at Manchester United last season and a winning goal against Chelsea. But as the season wore on, a lack of leadership quality was seen in William, and it was made evident at St. Andrews Park that William Gallas was not the leader everyone thought he was. After he broke down on the half-way line while James McFadden scored the penalty which arguably destroyed the Gunners' promising season, the team fell apart.

Arsene Wenger has opted to allow Gallas to retain the captaincy and most fans will be disappointed with his performances so far. Arsenal have only conceded 2 goals in the Premier League and Willie was at fault for both of them. At Craven Cottage, Arsenal stuttered to perhaps their worst performance of the last decade, and even  though it was a collective loss, it was Gallas' dismal marking that allowed the less-than-prolific Brede Hangeland to score what would turn out to be the winner. This past week-end at Bolton, his inability to mark Kevin Davies allowed the Bolton man a free header which he put away with aplomb.

As harsh as this analysis may be, it is only the truth. That's not to say, however, that he is a terrible player. Far from it. The man is a great defender who is simply inconsistent. On the same day that he is at fault for a goal, he will defend brilliantly and shut out the opposition. On the day he defends brilliantly, Arsenal may concede because of one lapse in his or his defensive partner Kolo Toure's concentration. Consistency is the key to our defense, and it hasn't been found yet. Of course, with Song in front of him in that defensive midfield role, Gallas may once again find his form, as he is one of those defenders (again like Kolo) that prefers to let the taller defender take care of the long balls that usually spell our doom while playing sweeper and cleaning up behind the holding midfielder.

This may seem a damning verdict for Gallas' credibility as an Arsenal captain as he has made costly mistakes and compromised his ability to unite and lead his young squad to Premier and Champions League glories. We must however, keep a close eye on Wenger's use of Alexander Song, who can help Gallas rediscover his form. With Song dealing with the high balls and leaving the low passes to Gallas, the Gunners' defense may harden into a steely Championship-winning unit. Can Gallas lead Arsenal to glory this season? It's impossible to say now. When we reach crunch-time, that is, the February through April/May period of the season, we will know.