THE ARSENAL captain, William Gallas, has launched an astonishing attack on his young team-mates, claiming they are "not brave enough in battle" and revealing he had been forced to step in to prevent players arguing during games.
The France international also suggested one of his more experienced colleagues, who he refused to name, had proved a disruptive influence at the club on and off the pitch.
The outburst is particularly untimely with Arsenal, nine points off the top of the Premier League having lost their fourth game of the season against Aston Villa last Saturday, already rocked by confirmation that Theo Walcott will be absent for at least three months after the winger underwent surgery on his right shoulder yesterday.
Gallas suggested he had grown tired of the drip-feed of criticism of his captaincy, initially sparked by his bizarre and petulant sit-down protest at Birmingham City in February, though his words will have done little for team harmony at the Emirates Stadium.
"We have to understand that, to be champions, you have to play big matches every weekend and fight," said Gallas. "We are coming up against teams who are not scared to play football against us, who are not scared to take us on at our place and this is becoming dangerous for Arsenal. We are not brave enough in battle. I think we need to be soldiers. We have to be warriors. There are teams who can do it well against us and we have to be able to face up to these attacks. That is how they (Arsenal's young players) will forge their character and how they will get experience. Even though they've played a certain number of matches, they're still young and still learning."
The 31-year-old, whose own form has been patchy, insisted he was speaking out because "there are things that can't be said and can't be tolerated". He revealed the team had fractured at half-time in the recent Premier League game with Tottenham, with the score 1-1 at the time, though his most stinging criticism was levelled at an unnamed team-mate whose attitude had shocked him.
"There was a problem at half-time (against Spurs)," he said. "The only thing that I could say at half-time was: 'Guys, we resolve these problems after the match, not at half-time.' "When, as captain, some players come up to you and talk to you about a player . . . complaining about him . . . and then during the match you speak to this player and the player in question insults us. There comes a time where we can no longer comprehend how this can happen. I'm trying to defend myself a bit without giving names. Otherwise I'm taking it all (the blame). It's very frustrating, but I'm 31 and the player concerned is six years younger than me."
The players who fall into that bracket at the club include Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Eboue and Bacary Sagna. Yet Gallas's suggestion that the tête-à-tête had occurred during an attacking phase of play may be revealing.
Arsene Wenger was made aware of the comments yesterday and, although Gallas is unlikely to be stripped of the captaincy, the Arsenal manager has not been impressed with the outburst after a difficult few days. Wenger's decision to retain his compatriot as skipper, rather than pass the armband to Cesc Fabregas, was a surprise over the summer.
The centre-half's outburst appears born of frustration that Arsenal, well behind Chelsea and Liverpool in the league, may endure a fourth consecutive season without a trophy. "I have to win something this year," he said. "Arsenal has to win something. Another season without a trophy would be a kind of failure."
The loss of Walcott represents a blow. Wenger said he does not hold the English FA responsible for the training injury sustained on Tuesday at the Olympic stadium. The FA have confirmed that their insurers will pay Arsenal up to €118,240 a week in compensation but will only cover his wages.
Thankfully, the 19-year-old's career has not been threatened by this setback. "There is not concern about that," said Wenger. "Once the surgery is done and it is solid, there is no concern at all for the future of Theo Walcott. Not at all."
Guardian Service
