Arsenal need to “go on the pitch balls first” at Manchester City if they are to win on Wednesday night, according to William Gallas.
The Gunners travel to the Etihad with their title aspirations on the line following a run of three straight draws. Dropped points against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton have opened the door for City, who are now just five points behind their rivals with two games in hand.
Mikel Arteta’s side threw away two-goal leads against Liverpool and West Ham before going 2-0 down within 14 minutes against bottom side Saints. The wobble has undermined their efforts to win a first league title since the Invincibles of 2003/04 and a response is needed against City.
City have been in imperious form of late and are unbeaten in 16 matches across all competitions since a 1-0 loss to Tottenham on February 5. Pep Guardiola’s team come into the match as favourites – and former Arsenal defender Gallas has demanded his old side show some character, who else wave goodbye to their dream.
“On Wednesday – and I’m sorry to speak like this – I want to see if the Arsenal players have got balls! They need to go on the pitch balls first,” he told Genting Casino. “They need to fight against a team that are on top of the world now. I want to see which players have got the balls and are not scared of the challenge. Simple.”
The last three games have seen heads drop in the Arsenal team, with the absence of William Saliba being felt in defence. Gallas thinks leadership will be an important factor at the Etihad and Arteta’s pre-match team talk could prove crucial.
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“I think Arteta will probably be saying the same things to his players in the build-up to this match, telling the players to believe in themselves,” he added. “I would also expect his more experienced players to be saying the same things to the rest of the squad.
”Arsenal must go onto the pitch and give absolutely everything during the game. They must give all of themselves and they need to show their desire on the pitch. They must work harder than Manchester City. They must die for each other on the pitch.
“They can’t leave Manchester with any regrets. Everyone must take their responsibility and do what they must do. Don’t hide. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Arsenal is in this situation where they must win because they haven’t got the right result in the last few games.
“The Premier League is not easy. They must understand that, for eight months, they have made such a massive effort, they have sacrificed a lot.”
Arsenal were beaten 3-1 by City at the Emirates Stadium in the reverse fixture back in February. Goals from Jack Grealish, Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland sent Guardiola’s side back to the top that night, but Arsenal must turn the tables this time around.
