"We don’t know why" - William Gallas explains what Arsenal lack in Premier League title race with Manchester CIty

Former Arsenal defender William Gallas believes the Gunners lack the character to defeat Manchester City in the Premier League title race this season.

The pundit, while acknowledging the north London outfit's winning mentality in big games, criticised his former club's lack of consistency. Despite the Gunners' great start to the 2023-24 campaign, Gallas expects the club to drop points.

He said in an interview with Lord Ping:

''I think Arsenal are capable of winning important games, such as the one against City, but we expect them to drop points, and we don't know why."

Gallas then spoke about Mikel Arteta's side's 1-0 loss at Newcastle United on November 4, their only loss of the league campaign. The encounter featured a controversial goal from Anthony Gordon. It included multiple instances that potentially could have led to the goal being disallowed but it stood after a lengthy VAR review.

Gallas believes the Gunners should have secured all three points against the Magpies, saying:

"The Newcastle game was what it was. We all know how tough it is to play against Newcastle, but Arsenal had to leave with the three points. That's the difference between a team with a lot of character and a team without it."

Finally, the Frenchman said that the north London outfit don't have a clutch player who can lift them up when the going gets tough. He concluded:

"Arsenal have a good squad, but they need that player who will drag them out of tough situations. They don't have that player at the moment. Arsenal need an influential player who can change games.'’

The Gunners are currently third in the league standings, level on points with second-placed Liverpool, separated by goal difference.

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"He's really great, but" - William Gallas says Arsenal star 'needs to score more goals'

In the aforementioned interview, Gallas was asked whether he was surprised by how well Declan Rice has settled into life at the Emirates. The pundit insists that the England international's great start is of no surprise as he said:

''I wasn't surprised with how well Declan Rice has started - I was just waiting for him to sign! He can help take Arsenal to another level, and what he's doing is great. He has to keep performing as he is and keep hitting new levels, with more responsibility. He's very important in the midfield department."

However, Gallas admitted that he wants to see more attacking output from Rice, who has scored just two goals in the Premier League this season. The pundit added:

"He's really great, but he needs to score more goals - we know he's capable of that. He'll be very important for both Arsenal and the English national team. He has the quality to keep hitting new levels.’’

The Gunners secured Rice's services from West Ham United this summer for a club-record fee of £105 million. The England international has so far impressed fans and has become a regular starter in Mikel Arteta's side, starting all of their league fixtures this season.

He will next be in action for England when they take on Malta in the UEFA 2024 Euro Qualifiers on Friday, November 17.