Sunday, September 24, 2006
Gallas a believer in Gunners style
William Gallas is convinced Arsenal are still capable of playing the "best football" anywhere in the Premiership.
The French defender scored his first goal for the Gunners since a deadline day move from Chelsea in Saturday's 3-0 win over bottom club Sheffield United.
It helped set Arsenal on the way to a maiden victory at their new Emirates Stadium home, as Arsene Wenger's men made it seven points out of a possible nine in their last three games.
Belief within the squad is growing with each match following a stuttering start to the campaign.
Gallas, 29, is confident his new side are going places fast.
He declared: "When I joined the club, I said to my girlfriend that we were going to do something good this season.
"Then before the Manchester United game, I told her we were going to win, I also told some others and they laughed - but I see what the team is like every day in training.
"It's all very quick, top quality. Now I can say we have the opportunity to be champions. I came here to be a champion.
"Sometimes we play the best football in England, but more important is to win as well.
"Now we know what we can do, we have to be able to play good, but we have to play to win as well.
"Sometimes we have to play really quick football, but sometimes we have to slow the ball down a little more.
"You cannot go out and attack all the time.
"When you play against teams who sit back, you attack with 10 players because they might break and we concede a goal."
Gallas already feels more than settled in new surroundings, although the former Blues defender admits the daily commute from his west-London home can be something of a grind.
He said: "I have not moved house yet, so at the moment I have to tackle the M25 every morning to get to training.
"One-and-a-half hours it takes just to drive there - it's very difficult and I have to get up early every morning just so I can be ready to leave by 8am.
"If it's not the M25, then I have to drive across London, through Chelsea and Hampstead and so on.
"I have to move, but probably will not be able to until January."
Gallas invited his parents, who are visiting from Guadeloupe, to the match on Saturday - and would like them to sit in the stands on a regular basis.
The defender said: "Every time they come to see me, I score. I should get them a season ticket, but they do not come here often because they live so far away."
Arsenal manager Wenger, who celebrates 10 years at the club next week, is more than happy with the way Gallas has fitted into his squad.
"William has the mentality of a winner, to produce it when it's needed, no more than that," said Wenger, whose team will be in Champions League action against Porto on Tuesday.
"I read an interesting article talking about what is in common between winners, about every sport, both men and women, and it said it was competitiveness and composure at the right moment.
"They found that common denominator, refusing not to win and as well mixing that with composure.
"That means not being terrified when you have a chance and I think that makes a winner.
"I have seen many fail because they have inhibition and in top competition you cannot have inhibition when you are under pressure and that takes composure and we saw that."
It helped set Arsenal on the way to a maiden victory at their new Emirates Stadium home, as Arsene Wenger's men made it seven points out of a possible nine in their last three games.
Belief within the squad is growing with each match following a stuttering start to the campaign.
Gallas, 29, is confident his new side are going places fast.
He declared: "When I joined the club, I said to my girlfriend that we were going to do something good this season.
"Then before the Manchester United game, I told her we were going to win, I also told some others and they laughed - but I see what the team is like every day in training.
"It's all very quick, top quality. Now I can say we have the opportunity to be champions. I came here to be a champion.
"Sometimes we play the best football in England, but more important is to win as well.
"Now we know what we can do, we have to be able to play good, but we have to play to win as well.
"Sometimes we have to play really quick football, but sometimes we have to slow the ball down a little more.
"You cannot go out and attack all the time.
"When you play against teams who sit back, you attack with 10 players because they might break and we concede a goal."
Gallas already feels more than settled in new surroundings, although the former Blues defender admits the daily commute from his west-London home can be something of a grind.
He said: "I have not moved house yet, so at the moment I have to tackle the M25 every morning to get to training.
"One-and-a-half hours it takes just to drive there - it's very difficult and I have to get up early every morning just so I can be ready to leave by 8am.
"If it's not the M25, then I have to drive across London, through Chelsea and Hampstead and so on.
"I have to move, but probably will not be able to until January."
Gallas invited his parents, who are visiting from Guadeloupe, to the match on Saturday - and would like them to sit in the stands on a regular basis.
The defender said: "Every time they come to see me, I score. I should get them a season ticket, but they do not come here often because they live so far away."
Arsenal manager Wenger, who celebrates 10 years at the club next week, is more than happy with the way Gallas has fitted into his squad.
"William has the mentality of a winner, to produce it when it's needed, no more than that," said Wenger, whose team will be in Champions League action against Porto on Tuesday.
"I read an interesting article talking about what is in common between winners, about every sport, both men and women, and it said it was competitiveness and composure at the right moment.
"They found that common denominator, refusing not to win and as well mixing that with composure.
"That means not being terrified when you have a chance and I think that makes a winner.
"I have seen many fail because they have inhibition and in top competition you cannot have inhibition when you are under pressure and that takes composure and we saw that."
# posted by mojtaba @ 10:15 PM 
