Thursday 13 November 2008

Gallas: I've Proved I'm A Strong Leader

Gallas has been much maligned since being handed the armband by Arsene Wenger last season, with his leadership credentials seemingly under constant scrutiny.

His antics during Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Birmingham City last season and recent pictures of him leaving a nightclub with a cigarette pursed in his lips have led to accusations that the 31-year-old is the wrong man to lead the Gunners.

However, the French international believes that he has shown himself to be the right man for the job and states that the 2-1 Premier League win over Manchester United highlighted his qualities to the naysayers.

The centre-back claims that he is happy with his level of performance all season, but is happy to have impressed under the spotlight.

He told the Daily Mail: "I know people were talking about my leadership before the game but what I found interesting is that, after we beat United, everyone was saying my leadership was good.

"But for me I played the way I have been all season. In fact, I think I had a better game against Spurs a couple of weeks ago but no one mentions it."

Win or Bust


The ex-Chelsea defender knows that the pressure is on the Gunners to deliver a trohpy this season, as the public can be notoriously dismissive of teams who fail to clinch success.

He continued: "That's how it is in football, though, people only look at the result and because we beat Manchester United we are getting all the praise again. That's why I always say that at the end of the season, the only thing that will matter is whether you have won a trophy - the rest is forgotten if you can win it."

The skipper reserved praise for Samir Nasri, his compatriot and also a former Marseille star.

The 21-year-old fired a brace to down the Red Devils last week and Gallas believes that the midfielder is making a huge impact on the Premier League.

He continued: "He has fitted in really well since he came over from France - he has picked up the language well and you can see that on the pitch the Premier League is suiting him perfectly.

"He is a very strong player, too, and is always up for the challenge and he showed at the weekend again that he can get goals for us, too."

Arsenal face Aston Villa this weekend and will be eager to capitalise on their bouyant league form against Martin O'Neill's troops.

Gallas is hopeful that all of the Gunners' mistakes are out of their system after early season losses to Fulham, Hull City and Stoke City.

He claims that the workrate within Arsene Wenger's side will help see them through come the end of the season.

He concluded: "What I really liked about last Saturday was how hard everyone worked.

"We really put pressure on them for the whole game and you saw the result. Maybe we haven't done that enough this season.

"We have shown we can do it against United, so why can't we do it in every game from now?''

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