10. William Gallas

William Gallas emerged from a rollercoaster 2008/09 campaign in perhaps the best form of his Arsenal career.
 
The central defender, Arsenal’s oldest outfield player, had officially captained the side since the summer of 2007. However, after some comments attributed to Gallas in the French media, Arsène Wenger decided to hand the armband to Cesc Fabregas.
 
But far from being shaken by the decision, William pressed on and turned in some eye-catching displays before a medial knee ligament injury in April cut short his season.
 
His impressive response to losing the captaincy struck a chord with Wenger, who signed his compatriot from Chelsea as part of the deal which took Ashley Cole to Stamford Bridge in 2006.
 
"I have said many times that after a major incident he has responded like a real professional,” the manager said. “He has dealt well with the situation and that is what we want. I feel it was certainly a big blow to him, but he has shown his mental strength, and [that’s] what I respect a lot.”
 
Most encouraging for Arsenal fans will be William’s burgeoning partnership with summer signing Thomas Vermaelen. The Gunners’ attacking stars might hog the limelight at times this season but their defensive foundations will be just as important.

 

MY YEAR

October

William scored twice in October, once for Arsenal in the 2-2 draw with West Ham, and once for France in a 5-0 win over Faroe Islands. Fellow defender Gael Clichy hailed William's start to the season, describing Gallas as "a great player".

September

William started five of Arsenal's six games this month; the Carling Cup tie against West Brom was the only fixture in which he didn't feature. After a positive start to the season from the French centre-half, Arsène Wenger said he would consider handing him a new contract at the end of the year. "I will assess that in December," said the manager.

August

William scored three goals in August. He nodded in Arsenal's third against Everton from a Cesc Fabregas free kick, grabbed the opener against Celtic in Glasgow, Fabregas again with the assist as the ball cannoned in off Gallas' back. The French defender's third goal of the month came in freak circumstances. In attempting to turn home a close range effort from Thomas Vermaelen, Gallas kicked the ball into his own face and inadvertently headed in his third goal in three games.

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