William Gallas questions Arsenal star who 'looks tired' and may 'need rest'

Today at 09:24 AM

William Gallas is concerned about the recent form of Arsenal defender William Saliba and fears the France international is in need of a break.

The 23-year-old has been a rock solid presence at the heart of the Gunners defence since breaking into the first team two years ago.

After being forced to bide his time, Saliba’s performances for his club have been rewarded with a regular place in the France national team, despite the initial reservations held by Didier Deschamps.

After being a virtual ever-present for club and country over the last 12 months, however, cracks have begun to appear in the centre-half’s game.

Saliba committed a dreadful error in last week’s Nations League game between France and Belgium and was ridiculed for his performance.

Back on club duty on Saturday, the former Saint-Etienne prodigy received the first red card of his career after he was penalised for a professional foul on Bournemouth’s Evanilson.

Saliba helped his side keep a clean sheet as they returned to winning ways in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk, but he will miss Sunday’s showdown against Liverpool through suspension, but Gallas feels that might be a blessing in disguise.

‘Listen, the problem with Arsenal is always the same and it looks like it won’t change. If they play against big teams, every player will be 100%,’ Gallas told Prime Casino. ‘If they play against small teams, some players are not 100%. It's difficult for me to understand this, but its true.

‘Saliba gets a red card against Bournemouth, but even so, if you want to win the Premier League title, you find a way to win that game. You have to win that game. It's the first defeat of the season, but it's still damaging.

‘Arsenal can't afford to lose ground on Liverpool and Manchester City because it will be very, very hard to catch them.

‘Saliba can have no complaints about the red card. It was a bad mistake from him, and he made mistakes in the games that he played for France (before the Bournemouth game). He doesn't normally make mistakes, and, at the moment, he looks tired.

‘Players play so much these days, sometimes you need to rotate your team and give them a break. Saliba has been ever-present for the last two seasons – he is only a young guy – he looks like a player who needs a rest.

‘If you want to win the title, you've got to beat the small teams in the league home and away. If you draw, it's the same feeling as a loss because you know how good Manchester City are.

‘Arsenal need to understand that they can't drop points like this if they want to be champions this season.

‘You can't blame the defeat on Saka or Odegaard not being available. Those are excuses that I don't want to hear because Arsenal have a big squad. When Manchester City lose a couple of key players, do they drop points? You don’t see any difference.

‘I was upset about Arsenal, because I don’t want them to let me down. And I told you, two years ago, they will win the league, so please don’t let me down, Arsenal!’