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Arsenal Comment: Gunners' defence stronger with Sol Campbell than William Gallas
Wenger should stick with veteran even when former skipper returns to fitness
15 Mar 2010 09:45:00
By Matthew Weiner | Arsenal Correspondent
If Arsenal are going to win the Premier League title this season then Sol Campbell should remain in the first team even when William Gallas returns to fitness.
Sol Campbell was only brought into the Arsenal squad in January as back-up, but his dominating, no-nonsense playing style has made him a better and more complementary defensive partner for Thomas Vermaelen than the Frenchman.
Vermaelen has proved to be one of the signings of the season, so there is no question that he should always take one of the two centre-back spots. Sol Campbell, on the other hand, is 35 and had played League Two football earlier this season before Arsene Wenger re-signed him in the January window.
Perhaps it is this dalliance with other, less well-organised and prestigious clubs that has inspired Campbell’s insatiable appetite for the game in recent weeks.
His commitment to the Arsenal cause has been second to none and he has repeatedly thrown his aging body into challenges where others who are less brave might baulk.
His contribution in defence has understatedly helped the side go on their current unbeaten run.
In the three Premier League games that Campbell has played a major part in since Aston Villa away at the end of January, Arsenal have conceded just two goals.
Meanwhile statistics appear to suggest that Arsenal are better without William Gallas than with him.
Of course, it’s very hard to compare Campbell and Gallas’s two seasons when the Frenchman has played 26 Premier League matches including tough games against Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. But that is the challenge that will face Arsene Wenger should the Frenchman return to fitness in the coming weeks.
The latest news is that Gallas’ calf problem is only minor, but a couple of set-backs have delayed his return to the squad. If he gets back to full fitness soon, however, Wenger should resist the temptation to return him to the starting line-up.
There is no denying William Gallas’s quality. He twice won the league with Chelsea and twice was picked for the PFA Team of the Year. Yet, Arsene Wenger has struggled to get the balance right at the back for a number of seasons and Arsenal have long been vulnerable to the threat of physical strikers and set-pieces. That is where Sol Campbell steps in.
He offers the towering presence at the back that Arsenal have lacked since... well, since he left the club in 2006.
Admittedly Vermaelen has been phenomenal. Far stronger in the air than anyone imagined when it was revealed that Wenger had signed a 5ft 11in centre-back in the summer rather than the ‘giant’ that the fans craved.
Yet there is no substitute for height and strength when it comes to tussling with the likes of West Ham United’s Carlton Cole and Blackburn Rovers’ Christopher Samba - as the Arsenal defence will have to in the coming weeks.
Campbell is a heavyweight by anyone’s standards, at 6ft 2in and weighing in at 91 kilos. Gallas, in comparison, is just 5ft 11in and 71 kilos.
Campbell is faster than he looks, too. Despite his advancing years, last season Castrol measured the fastest Premier League players and incredibly the Englishman came second with a top speed of 22.5mph. Only Theo Walcott was faster.
The pace and strength of the man were illustrated in the game against Hull City last weekend, when Campbell tackled and left injured the Tigers’ defender Kamil Zayatte. Despite being off the blocks late, Campbell’s pace meant that the tackle was entirely fair but the power of the challenge left the Guinea man crocked.
With so many lightweight Arsenal players getting injured because of hefty tackles of late, it must have been refreshing for Gunners fans to see the roles reversed.
Arsene Wenger’s team, made up of so many smaller, mobile players, need a bodyguard in the side and Campbell is fulfilling that role perfectly right now.
The writer George Orwell once said ‘Sport is war without bullets’, and with tough fixtures against Birmingham City, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn coming up, the Gunners will have to win battles if they are to capture the Premier League crown.
But just think, who would you rather go into battle alongside: hard man Campbell or the stroppy William Gallas?
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If Arsenal are going to win the Premier League title this season then Sol Campbell should remain in the first team even when William Gallas returns to fitness.
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Sol Campbell was only brought into the Arsenal squad in January as back-up, but his dominating, no-nonsense playing style has made him a better and more complementary defensive partner for Thomas Vermaelen than the Frenchman.
Vermaelen has proved to be one of the signings of the season, so there is no question that he should always take one of the two centre-back spots. Sol Campbell, on the other hand, is 35 and had played League Two football earlier this season before Arsene Wenger re-signed him in the January window.
Perhaps it is this dalliance with other, less well-organised and prestigious clubs that has inspired Campbell’s insatiable appetite for the game in recent weeks.
His commitment to the Arsenal cause has been second to none and he has repeatedly thrown his aging body into challenges where others who are less brave might baulk.
His contribution in defence has understatedly helped the side go on their current unbeaten run.
In the three Premier League games that Campbell has played a major part in since Aston Villa away at the end of January, Arsenal have conceded just two goals.
Meanwhile statistics appear to suggest that Arsenal are better without William Gallas than with him.
With or without you | Win percentage up without Gallas
Of course, it’s very hard to compare Campbell and Gallas’s two seasons when the Frenchman has played 26 Premier League matches including tough games against Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. But that is the challenge that will face Arsene Wenger should the Frenchman return to fitness in the coming weeks.
The latest news is that Gallas’ calf problem is only minor, but a couple of set-backs have delayed his return to the squad. If he gets back to full fitness soon, however, Wenger should resist the temptation to return him to the starting line-up.
There is no denying William Gallas’s quality. He twice won the league with Chelsea and twice was picked for the PFA Team of the Year. Yet, Arsene Wenger has struggled to get the balance right at the back for a number of seasons and Arsenal have long been vulnerable to the threat of physical strikers and set-pieces. That is where Sol Campbell steps in.
He offers the towering presence at the back that Arsenal have lacked since... well, since he left the club in 2006.
Admittedly Vermaelen has been phenomenal. Far stronger in the air than anyone imagined when it was revealed that Wenger had signed a 5ft 11in centre-back in the summer rather than the ‘giant’ that the fans craved.
Yet there is no substitute for height and strength when it comes to tussling with the likes of West Ham United’s Carlton Cole and Blackburn Rovers’ Christopher Samba - as the Arsenal defence will have to in the coming weeks.
Campbell is a heavyweight by anyone’s standards, at 6ft 2in and weighing in at 91 kilos. Gallas, in comparison, is just 5ft 11in and 71 kilos.
Campbell is faster than he looks, too. Despite his advancing years, last season Castrol measured the fastest Premier League players and incredibly the Englishman came second with a top speed of 22.5mph. Only Theo Walcott was faster.
The pace and strength of the man were illustrated in the game against Hull City last weekend, when Campbell tackled and left injured the Tigers’ defender Kamil Zayatte. Despite being off the blocks late, Campbell’s pace meant that the tackle was entirely fair but the power of the challenge left the Guinea man crocked.
With so many lightweight Arsenal players getting injured because of hefty tackles of late, it must have been refreshing for Gunners fans to see the roles reversed.
Arsene Wenger’s team, made up of so many smaller, mobile players, need a bodyguard in the side and Campbell is fulfilling that role perfectly right now.
The writer George Orwell once said ‘Sport is war without bullets’, and with tough fixtures against Birmingham City, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn coming up, the Gunners will have to win battles if they are to capture the Premier League crown.
But just think, who would you rather go into battle alongside: hard man Campbell or the stroppy William Gallas?
Become a fan of Goal.com UK's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
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