Arsene Wenger certainly seems to have more than his fair share of worries at the moment. Injuries are mounting, Theo Walcott the latest victim with a shoulder injury picked up while training with England, his team have already lost four games this season, lengthening their Premiership odds, and now his captain has launched an astonishing outburst against his own team-mates.
William Gallas has given an interview to the Associated Press in which he appears to be attempting to deflect any blame for the team's woes away from him. Gallas accuses the Arsenal players of not being brave enough, says the youngsters need to toughen up and reveals he is having problems with an individual player he doesn't name (but gives his age as 25).
Gallas also lifts the lid on what happened in the dressing room at half-time during the 4-4 draw with Spurs, saying he told his team they needed to resolve their problems after the game, not during it.
Most of these are good points, but surely what happens in the dressing room should stay in the dressing room. It's one of the few places in football that cameras aren't allowed. How can players be comfortable speaking to their captain if their conversations might be revealed to the media? If a captain can't communicate with his team face-to-face, he shouldn't attempt it through the press.
The revelation of the problem with an individual player while refraining from naming him is also unwise. The press will dig until they find out who it is and this will cause even more damage to team spirit and unrest among the players. All this at a time when Arsenal need to be strong and united if they are to mount any kind of title challenge. Maybe Gallas was intending to sting the team into action but it could all horribly backfire.
Gallas had slowly but surely been rehabilitating himself after his sit-down protest against Birmingham City last season. This latest incident might just prove to be the last straw for Wenger.