ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers:ARSENE WENGER expressed surprise last night at the speed at which Chelsea have shed points over the last month, though what might be considered more astonishing is the manner in which Arsenal, left bruised and battered by the leaders at the Emirates in November, have refused to be forced out of the title race.
Overcome Bolton Wanderers, a side who have roughed them up in the past, tonight and the leaders will be a mere point ahead. “The title race starts after Christmas,” said the Frenchman, and the momentum is with his Arsenal team.
It is hard to conceive how a side who had wilted so miserably when confronted by Didier Drogba’s brawn have since steeled themselves to close what had gaped as an 11-point chasm from Chelsea. Five wins in the six league games since, with only three goals conceded en route, have enabled them to capitalise on the other contenders’ sloppiness last month.
It is all the more remarkable that the recovery was instigated with key personnel such as Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Nicklas Bendtner and Tomas Rosicky missing at different times, though one senior player who has been a constant has personified the revival.
It is a little over a year since William Gallas’s Arsenal career appeared in tatters. Stripped of the captaincy for publicly criticising his young team-mates in the wake of their inconsistency last season, his days at the club had felt numbered.
Yet, as Bolton may discover tonight, the France international’s form alongside Thomas Vermaelen in the heart of the defence has offered Arsenal reassurance and blunted opponents’ ambition.
“We are getting stronger and stronger, and look to give less chances away than two months ago, but William has been amazing the whole season,” Wenger said. “He does what you dream of as a manager: he does not talk and he plays well. He wanted to do well as our captain but what you respect in these situations is how well he has responded since. He does his job fantastically well.
“At West Ham on Sunday, even when he was half-injured and the physios told me he might not play, he came in and told me he could play. He had a muscle problem but he is an ambitious guy. When he is 50-50, he plays. I have a big respect for what he has done.
“The personality clashes are sorted out now. The young players respect him. Maybe at one stage he might have considered leaving. But it is always the same in life: if you have the right attitude, then people will rate you. He had the right attitude and has, maybe, found his appetite for the club again. That is a credit to him.”
It has benefited Arsenal and has prompted Wenger to seek talks with Gallas’s representatives later this month to discuss a new contract after seeing the defender enter the final six months of his deal. However, it remains unclear whether the manager will be prepared to bend his policy of only offering 12-month extensions to players in their 30s – Gallas turns 33 in August – with Arsenal running the risk of the player being offered longer terms elsewhere.
“I had a pre-meeting with his agents a month ago and we agreed to meet again at the beginning of the year,” Wenger said. Asked whether the offer would merely amount to a further 12 months, he said: “Unfortunately, that is the rule here. But for a striker at 32 you can only give a year. For a defender, we’ll see. I don’t know his thoughts. We have never spoken about his plans, so I will see what they are.”
Gallas remains one of the few members of this squad to have tasted Premier League title success, albeit in his Chelsea days and, for now, his thoughts will be focused upon enjoying that satisfaction again. Bolton have not won in the league at Arsenal since 1962 and will arrive braced for a difficult night as the hosts seek to maintain momentum.
The urgency of Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker in the transfer window will be determined by the results of medical tests to be performed on Bendtner on Friday aimed at ascertaining his recovery from hernia and groin complaints.
Wenger is confident he will be able to sign the Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh, a long-term target, under the Bosman ruling in the summer and could rely upon Bendtner to lead the line in the absence of the injured Van Persie.
Wenger appears resigned to losing his Spain Under-21 international Fran Merida at the end of the season, with the 19-year-old understood to have signed a pre-contract agreement with Atletico Madrid.
“I don’t know, but I fear the worst,” Wenger said. “He is at the stage where he wants to play. He needs to play.”
GuardianService
