Arsenal: William Gallas mistake one of a long line of quality of character errors

Jens Lehmann, in an extract of his biography, has revealed the mistake Arsene Wenger made in captaining William Gallas. It is just another mistake in a long line of many where Wenger has ignored character, focusing on quality instead. Arsenal have suffered as a result.

The 2007/08 season is emblematic of the blemishes of Arsene Wenger’s latter decade as Arsenal manager. It was a year in which his side were the best in the country. They should have won the league. They deserved, at least in terms of performance, to win the league. But they didn’t. They crumbled when it mattered most. They, as the saying goes, bottled it.

The one fateful game that everyone, painfully, can recollect, is the 2-2 draw with Birmingham in mid-February. Eduardo’s leg was broken in a nasty tackle, Arsenal’s lead at the top was cut to just three points — it had been five points just 12 days prior –, and their title challenge began to crumble before their eyes.

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In an extract from his upcoming autobiography with The Daily Telegraph, Jens Lehmann, who was engulfed in a goalkeeping battle with Manuel Almunia at the time, spoke of the sulking of then club captain William Gallas. I recommend that you go and read the whole piece, by clicking here. It really is very interesting. Anyway, here is part of what Lehmann had to say. It’s not pretty:

"“After the match, which eventually ended 2–2 thanks to the converted penalty, he [Gallas] refused to leave the pitch but sat down in the centre circle like a sulky child, until the manager himself came to collect him. In the dressing room, Gallas came to blows with Gilberto, who accused him of seeking attention in a daft manner – the row dragged on for the remainder of the season. Finally, it contributed to us finishing only third, four points behind Manchester United, despite having been six points ahead in March.”"

Lehmann talks about how he, and other players, doubted whether Gallas had the character to be captain. They saw him as a sulker, a complainer, not a leader, an inspiration. Not someone to follow. But Wenger felt that the responsibility would bring about a new, more controlled side to his personality. He was wrong.

This is just another example of where Wenger has ignored character in favour of quality. He has overlooked flaws in his players’ personalities, whether it be a lack of fight, a softness to their play, an inability to take and build on criticism, a happiness to settle for mediocrity, to see the qualities, even if they are limited, that they do have.

Next: Arsenal Vs Spurs: Combined starting XI

It is a managerial mistake that has crippled this Arsenal side. For how many years have intangible, mental deficiencies cost this team? And, unfortunately, Wenger’s assembly of the squad, his evaluation of players, and his ignoring of character is to blame. That fateful loss to Birmingham is just another example.

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