On Arsenal
Did Arsenal send a message to Liverpool that the title race isn’t over after they dismantled Manchester City? Did they show balls?
Arsenal was just magnificent against Manchester City. They were so good, I’ll repeat myself: Magnificent. I loved the intensity in the performance of Arsenal, they put City under so much pressure. I loved the way they defended, very compact. It was the best performance I’ve seen from Arsenal all season and I think it could have been the best game of the season so far, because, regardless of what has happened to City this season, when you beat the champions in that fashion, you deserve a lot of credit. What Arsenal delivered, it was just wow, you know, just wow!
They had the courage to show City. Welcome to The Emirates, we're going to show you by attacking together, defending together - defending properly - everyone did their job very well. The strikers were defending very well by leading the press. That line of the midfielders: it was not just two midfielders who were defending. It was the four midfielders who were defending, the four defenders who were defending.
On Sunday, for Arsenal, it was perfect. What do you want me to tell you? I can't tell you anything more.
At the end, five goals. FIVE. Against City. I'm sure the stadium was on fire. What a day to be an Arsenal fan and what an important victory to keep the faith that this team can do something special this season. It was just what the Dr ordered for Arsenal.
On Myles Lewis-Skelly’s performance
What a performance from a boy who has turned into a man. The Haaland celebration, the zen thing? We know he did it because of what Haaland said about him at the end of the match earlier in the season. ‘Who the F are you,’ Haaland said, well he knows now, that’s for sure.
It was a bit provocative, but that is the spirit of the rivalry. The Arsenal players will have remembered what Haaland did.
Everyone is now talking about Lewis-Skelly, and rightly so because he had a great game against City. He was defending very well against his opponent.
When you score in a big game, and at the end you win that game, everybody is going to speak about you.
His performances, not only against City, but whenever he has played have been excellent, but maybe he was flying under the radar a bit.
That’s why for me, as a defender, it was always important to defend very well, but at the same time if I had the chance, I wanted to score because I know people are going to speak about me. So that's why people are now talking about Myles Lewis-Selly. It’s the same with Gabriel - when he had a good performance and he scored, everybody speaks about him.
The young boy, Lewis-Skelly, I think he's on the right path. He still has to improve, that is for sure. He still has to improve his football, and to be the number one for a long time, because we’ve seen it happen to so many young players before, after one season when people speak about you, the media praises you, you can be a little bit more relaxed and lose your focus. Football changes very quickly. There’s always a player ready to take your spot, and they are really hungry to be in the first team, so that's why he has to keep his focus as much as he can.
Gallas on Haaland aggro
Some players like to show their commitment in a different way. Some players like to provoke the opponent, to speak with him, to say some bad words to him or to push him. I was not like this as a player, but I completely understand why the Arsenal players would have been looking to rub Haaland’s nose in it.
When I came up against a striker who liked to talk, I just wanted to show him that I’m strong on every challenge, but at the same time I was in my bubble. I was so focussed on my job and what I had to do during the game.
Some strikers loved to try and wind you up, they loved to try and make you be a little bit less focused. I faced plenty of strikers that tried to do it, but to be honest with you, not many of them were able to take advantage. I just ignored them and they hated it! At the end of the game, they’d come and ask, ‘William, why didn't you speak to me?’
I replied: ‘Why do you want me to speak to you during the 90 minutes?’
During the 90 minutes, you are my rival. I don't have to speak to you. I don’t want to speak to you. Now we can speak if you want. It doesn't matter if I won or if I lost, the game is finished, it's over, we can speak now. But during the 90 minutes, I wouldn’t speak to any opposition player.
When players tried to unsettle you, did you know that they were already beaten?
Sometimes, yes, because I know they’re trying to find a way to disturb me, and that means they are worried.
Sometimes they would try it and just give up, especially after I won a few challenges against them.
When I lost a challenge, I kept playing, I didn’t respond to any talking.
Which players tried to rile you up?
Drogba, when I was playing against him, he tried to be nice because we knew each other, but I would always ask him even before the game ‘Didier, why are you calling me?’
‘Oh, just to know how you are, William.’
‘Leave me alone. Tomorrow is a big game. Leave me alone.’
But, Didier, and I'm not afraid to say it, he gave me a hard time. I can’t say otherwise. He was very strong, and it was never easy playing against him.
Defoe, when he was playing for Tottenham, he was always talking, ‘Blah, blah, blah.’
I said, ‘Why is he talking? Why does he want to speak?’
He always had something to say, and I was not answering. But after, I discovered that was his personality because when I joined Tottenham, in the dressing room, he was a guy who liked to talk. He's a nice guy, always wants to know things. Then I understood him a bit more. He didn't really try to disturb me when I was playing against him. It was just his personality.
Last season, Arsenal won 16/18 games in the run-in but it wasn’t enough to win the title. Do they need to go on a similar run this time around?
Arsenal just need to be focused on themselves. That's what I said last year. The only problem with Arsenal is not the opposition, it's themselves. That’s their biggest problem.
As we saw against City, they can produce 90 minutes of high quality. To win the Premier League, you need to do this against everyone. Not only against the big clubs, but against the small clubs as well. Historically, we know with Arsenal that is a problem.
They can win 5-1 against a big club like Manchester City and the next game they have to go to Leicester and maybe they will drop points and people will be upset. If they do this, that means the players are not professional.
How can you explain to me that Arsenal can deliver a performance against some of the best players in Europe in Man City, and when they play against a small team, they can’t replicate it? It means that you don’t respect your opponent. It means you’re taking your eye off the ball because you think you are bigger than them.
When you think like this, when you take your foot off the gas and play at 60 or 70%, that is not enough to win against a team like Leicester or another small club.
How many more seasons can Arteta survive without winning the title?
Arteta’s had almost five years at Arsenal. I don't want to wait for another five years (before Arsenal are the Premier League champions). Five years for the manager to be in charge is really good. It's really good because we know in football after maybe one year, the club can sack you. That’s why I think after this season, if he doesn't win the Premier League, he doesn't win anything, I think he will have maybe one more year.
Liverpool is going to drop some points.Arsenal’s problem is that they don’t know when. Between now and then, can they get the maximum number of the points they have to get? I'm not sure.
It's going to be more difficult of course as well because Mikel Arteta said publicly that he would have liked to have signed a striker in January. Some of the Arsenal players like Declan Rice said we could do with another player coming in and obviously that didn't happen, they couldn't find the one that they wanted.
Of course, Arsenal couldn’t find the striker they wanted in January. You can’t find a world-class striker in the winter window. It's not possible. Any player that would have signed would have been the second or third choice.
You have to prepare for the summer, that’s where Arsenal are now, because in the summer you have more time. For me, during the winter window, it's not the best time to bring in a player.
If you’re desperately looking to add players in January, if you’re squad is missing something, that shows you that the Arsenal recruitment team made mistakes in the summer. Arsenal made a mistake, otherwise they wouldn’t need to buy any player because they are happy with the squad. The only time that a club can justify signing players in January is if you have had some big injuries to key players. I know Arsenal lost Jesus and Saka in January, but I’m sorry, everyone knows for the last two years that the club needed to sign a world-class striker, so I don’t understand why they didn’t do it in the summer.
We have known about that problem for a long time. Everybody was talking about it.
I've seen some fans ask some questions and they were mad, because they still don't understand why Arsenal didn't get that striker.
On Arsenal’s Transfer Window
Will Arsenal regret not signing a striker in the summer or in January and could that be the difference between winning a trophy this season?
Right now, the fans still believe that Arsenal can win the title because they have to believe. When you are a fan, you have to believe until the end that you're going to be champion.
If Arsenal don’t win anything this season, most fans will say that is the reason. At the moment, the club I still in the race and everything is calm, but if that changes, I think some of the Arsenal fans are going to be furious and will be looking for someone to blame (for not buying a striker).
I think most of them are just waiting to jump on Arteta. To express their emotion about that problem.
I didn't really realize how some fans were so angry with Mikel Arteta about it. I know it’s social media and that isn’t exactly the environment for rational though, but I’ve seen some crazy things on there. I was surprised. I didn't expect that.
As I said, unfortunately, if Arsenal doesn't win anything, especially the Premier League or the Champions League, even if you win the League Cup, I don't think some fans will give any credit to Michel Arteta. I think the fans will still be mad because what they expect, what they want, is to win the Premier League.
On Chelsea
What’s it’s like for a defender when you don’t have confidence in your goalkeeper and does that confidence ever come back? It feels like the goalkeeper position is one where players can quickly make up their minds as to whether someone is good enough or not.
Goalkeeper errors, that is always a problem. Unfortunately for Robert Sanchez, he makes some big mistakes, and he makes them too often. It’s easy to blame the player, but I think Chelsea fans have to blame the sporting director.They have to blame the people who brought him in. He doesn't have the level to be the number one goalkeeper for Chelsea. When you play for a big club like this, you need to have that level. Sadly, he doesn’t have it.
But the people who do that job, who bring players in, they have to know. Normally it's not just the sporting director, but I'm sure they have one person who is in charge of the goalkeeper and gives his approval. That person made a mistake when they signed Sanchez.
What have you made of the way Chelsea have conducted transfer business in recent years?
They don't have experience when it comes to buying players. We've got a problem with the goalkeeper. We've got a problem with the defenders.
Robert Sanchez made a mistake, and he was dropped from the team against West Ham. If I have to speak about the defenders, Levi Colwill, in the last two games, he made big mistakes.
The problem is that even though Colwill has potential, he has been asked maybe too much, to be the leader of the defence line. He's still young. He needs an experienced player to help him.
That's why for me, the people who are involved in recruitment, they don't have experience, they don't understand how important it is to have a central defender who has big experience to lead the defensive line.
Like Thiago Silva when he was there. Like John Terry when he was there. Like Marcel Desailly when he was there. When you've got that type of player, you can bring young players and play around them. Those young players will learn a lot.
When you know that Thiago Silva is going to leave, you have to prepare for his departure and bring that experienced player in. That experienced player can't be a right back or left back. No, you need someone in the centre of the defence.
The people who are in charge of player recruitment haven’t done their job properly.
On Tottenham
It’s been a horrible season for Tottenham in the Premier League. What has gone wrong?
We will speak very quickly about City. Almost everybody knows how they play now.So there is that difficult moment. It's the same with Spurs. Every single team knows exactly how Tottenham are going to try and play a game of football.
Last season, Ange’s tactics surprised a lot of people. He had some terrific results, but they tailed off towards the end and maybe some alarm bells should have been ringing. This season hasn’t got going for them at all.
In the Premier League, when every single opponent can hurt you, if you give them opportunities, you’re going to get punished. If you defend like Tottenham have, you’re going to get punished.
Is Daniel Levy the right chairman, or is it time for him to step aside following years of underachievement?
No way. That is a dream of Arsenal fans - no way will Daniel Levy ever leave.
For next season, everyone at the club needs to come together and have an honest conversation about what has gone wrong and how it can be addressed. They need to find the right solutions and quickly.
For me, the most important part of Tottenham’s development is about consistency. How can they consistently challenge for a place in the Champions League? That is where the club needs to be when you think about its facilities. Everything at Tottenham is world-class apart from the team on the pitch! That may seem harsh, but it’s true. They need better players to compete with the best teams in the Premier League and it’s been that way for years now.
Has Levy made mistakes? He probably has, but he has also tried to his best for the club that he likes. I think from a fans perspective, and we know that they are not happy with him, if Tottenham aren’t moving forward then difficult questions need to be asked as to why?
The most important thing is the club, it’s not individuals. It’s not Ange. It’s not the players. It’s about the club and it’s fans and getting that club to be the best possible club that it can be in terms of competitiveness and desire to win.
Tottenham need to get back into the Champions League. It’s as simple as that.
On Tottenham’s Transfer Window
Ange called for signings, and he got them. Are these deals a show of faith in the manager?
When Ange started the season, he’s got his squad of 25 players. You have to deal with those 25 players, to try to win the Premier League or to try to qualify for the Champions League, Europa League, the Conference League.
When you start, everything is fine because all the players are fit, there’s a good atmosphere and nobody is complaining. Slowly, you get some injured players. Players who get injured because they’ve played too many games. Maybe you didn't manage your squad as well as you should have.
Some players don't perform, you don't know why. Maybe you have a good result, even if you don't have all your players. And then, when the number of players out racks up, it’s a crisis; it’s the end of the world. I need players. I need players.For me, it's very difficult to understand why people buy players during the winter windows. Why? They messed up in the summer, that's why. How come they messed up in the summer?
Tel from Bayern Munich, he's a French boy. Why did you sign him? Don’t you have a winger in your squad? You already have Timo Werner.The problem is, you've got a winger already, and you need to bring in another one. Why? Because the winger you already have in your squad, Timo Werner, he is not good enough.
Werner didn't perform when he was at Chelsea. If you know he could not perform at Chelsea in the Premier League, why would you sign him? And now, he doesn't perform again. It's poor recruitment, isn't it?Why was Ange enjoying his football last year and now he’s finding life very difficult? It's because he didn't change his system. When you play, you need to change your system, because all the teams now know how you play.
On The Champions League
The fixture that everyone is looking at is Manchester City vs Real Madrid. Which giant will fall out at the play-off stage?
I think City is going to find it hard to get into the KO rounds. We know Real Madrid, what they are doing right now. They do this every season, they don't start the competition very well, but game by game, they improve and then they normally end up winning the Champion League.
Neither team has qualified for the last 16 directly. You have to say that is a bit strange for both of these clubs.
I think Madrid is going to go through. It's been a difficult season for Man City, we all know that.
If you’re Manchester City, would not getting into the KO rounds constitute the biggest failure of Pep Guardiola’s time at the club?
I think it's not only in the Champions League. I mean, even in the Premier League, they’re having a really difficult moment.
Pep tried to find the solution to boost them, but it looks like they are in damage limitation mode, and they just want the season to be finished right now.
In the Champions League, with that new system, some people like it, some people don't. When you see a team like City potentially go out very quickly, it shows everybody for next season that you need to be ready to qualify directly for the last eight, and you also get the bonus of playing two less games, so you can rest.
I like the new system. In the last round, every game was on the same day, and it was interesting to see how the table changed. It’s added an element of jeopardy and suspense.
We know players are complaining abut the increased demands of games, there are too many games for the top players, but for a competition like this, every club has to give everything to try and qualify. Only Liverpool could afford to put out a weaker team because they were in a great position in the table, but everyone else had to give everything.
More Transfer Rumours
Will Manchester United regret allowing Marcus Rashford to join another premier League club after touting him around Europe for all of the transfer window?
A few months ago, I’d have said it was better for Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United and to try to take back his future and to try to reboot himself; find some enjoyment from playing football and get his confidence back.
When I saw the pictures when he signed for Aston Villa, for me it was a big shame. I thought he looked sad. He could have been a Manchester United legend, given what he did when he was younger.
He did a lot of things, and I think in football, what is very, very difficult is to be consistent. It’s becoming much harder for players to be completely focused on just their football for many, many years. To have that dedication without distractions.
When you start to do too many things that affect your life, it's very difficult to be focused and to have a good performance on the pitch.
And at the beginning, I thought he’s going to be that legend. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Cantona, Giggs, all those players. When you leave the club like this, I don't know if it's going to be good for him. I’m sure there will be plenty of regrets. I don't know if he can re-boost himself.I think the problem with Marcus is a little bit deeper. So that's why nobody knows.
I think Rashford will be surprised to have ended up at Villa. Maybe it was the only option for him, and that isn’t to discredit Villa who are in the Champions League and performing well…
Players are involved in so many things these days. Sponsors, charity things, a lot of things come around the players, especially at that level. Sometimes it's not easy to say no, and you don't protect yourself. You meet so many people and sometimes you have to protect yourself. You have to protect yourself from people and just be focused on football.Messi did it when he was younger. Ronaldo did the same thing. They protected themselves. They were so famous. They were not so famous when they were young. That came with the age, when they got more experience, when they were more mature.
They started to open themselves for different things. But for example, if you compare Rashford, he did some things away from the pitch when he was much younger. I saw the pictures of him and he looked like he's almost 30 years but he's only 26. When you see his face, he looks like he doesn't have that power anymore, and that is really sad to see.
Further Headlines
Do you agree with Ronaldo that he is the most complete footballer ever?
After he called himself the most complete player in the game’s history, people will say, ‘He's an arrogant guy,’ but look what he did, he's just unbelievable.
He still scores goals. At 40 years old he still scores goals even in the national team. Okay, people are complaining, he plays in Saudi Arabia, but in the national team he still scores. You just have to give him credit and he has earned that credit.
I think he is the most complete player to play the game. Over the long term, yes, he’s the most complete footballer.
One player who was a magnificent player, top class, Alesandro Nesta, spoke about those two players.
Nesta had the opportunity to play against both of them and he said that the Brazilian Ronaldo was better. He said he couldn't do anything to try to stop him.
He played against Cristiano Ronaldo, when Cristiano Ronaldo was younger and Nesta was a little bit older. Unfortunately, Ronaldo got some bad injuries during his career.
I played against Messi, but he was not really in my area. I was not really marking him. I played, two or three times against him. Ronaldo, he was playing more in my area, I played a few times against him.
I put those two players in the same spot, because what they did in football is just incredible.
They have different profiles. Some people go for Ronaldo, some for Messi. Cristiano, what he built, is something unbelievable. To have that winning mentality and working that hard every day, even now, that dedication. It should be applauded by everyone. The first at the training, the last to leave the training, all that.
Messi had that God-given gift. What was difficult for Ronaldo was to stay at the top for son long, whereas for Messi it was natural.
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