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.”
