🎤 William Gallas Interview with OLBG

Speaking exclusively with OLBG, Premier League legend William Gallas has given his thoughts on Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, the Champions League and beyond. We look at some of his predictions and the odds with betting sites today.

Gallas, who won two Premier League titles during his time at Stamford Bridge, has named Victor Osimhen as his dream January signing for Enzo Maresca’s men. The former France international has also explained who is currently leading Declan Rice as the best midfielder in the world and Bukayo Saka’s comparisons with Arjen Robben.

Q: What are Chelsea missing in the Premier League title race?

I think they are missing some experienced players because when we look at the game against Arsenal, they drew that game. Unfortunately, Moises Caicedo got a red card. When we see the image of the challenge, he made a big mistake. Chelsea with 11 players, I'm sure they would have won that game. That's why I say they are missing experienced players, a little bit.

Q: Could Chelsea strengthen their position in January?

If they bring more players, that means they will spend more money. I think they have to deal with the squad that they have. I think the manager has to try to find the solution, to give the opportunity to the team to be more consistent. The squad look really happy to play together, but now they need to have more positive results.

Q: Is Reece James on a par with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield?

Yes, because he has done a great job in that position. Normally his position is right back, but as a midfielder, I think he can give more security for Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Now the question is if he can play in that position until the end of the season. I think with the quality he has, I think he can do it because he's still young. He came back from injury and he looks like he really, really wants to come back to his best shape. If the manager decided to let him play in that position, I think it would be good.

Q: Is Reece James now a midfielder rather than a right-back?

When I look at the game he was playing as a right back, it was great. But he made some little mistakes when he was defending. So to be honest, I prefer to see him as a midfielder because he knows he still has players behind him. With his quality, because he has great quality when he has the ball. He can make some good passes to his team-mates, to his striker, wingers. When he has to defend, it's not like 70 percent he has to defend. It's almost like 40 percent. So that's why I prefer him to play as a midfielder.

Q: Did Jorrel Hato make the right decision joining Chelsea?

You have to fight. You came from Ajax and now you play for Chelsea. Chelsea is on another level. It's a big club and when you play for the big club, you know it will be a big competition to try to be in the starting eleven. So now I think what he has to do is just to fight to be in the starting eleven. It won't be easy but he's still young, he's only 19. He has the quality, so what he needs to do is just to work hard and when he will get the opportunity to play, he has to take his chance.

Q: Is Chelsea’s defence the reason they are not challenging Arsenal?

The problem is not really about the defenders. I think it's about in general because as I said, that team needs maybe a little bit more in terms of experienced players. When you look, all the players, they are young. And last season, they had a great season. They had a good performance. But this season everybody expects them to maybe win the Premier League.

I think it was too soon because that team needed a little bit more time. Now they have to understand the players have to understand now they have to put themselves on another level because to win the Premier League is not easy, as we know. You have to play almost every three games plus you have different competitions, so that's why you need to have a big squad. But when your players are too young, sometimes it's difficult for them to be 100 percent in every game.

So I'm sure this season they will finish in the top four, I hope so, but they will be ready for the next season to really compete for the Premier League.

Q: Have Chelsea failed to replace Thiago Silva?

For me, it's always a problem with a club that doesn't have experienced players in the team. So when we speak about Chelsea, we know Thiago Silva was the captain of Chelsea, was a player who had more experience, and at the same time, he was helping the young defenders who were around him.

When he left, yes, they didn't buy an experienced defender, that's why the defenders have made some mistakes. The problem is when you are on the pitch, when you play against the big clubs, you need someone who is leading the defensive line. When I look at Chelsea, when they play, no one is leading that defense line.

That is a problem because all the players, all the defenders, are focused about what they have to do and not about the defensive line.

Q: What are your thoughts on Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal?

Robert Sanchez // Picture: Alamy

I think he's a good goalkeeper, but I don't think he has the level to be a top, world-class goalkeeper. So now the question is what Chelsea is going to do for the next season. If they will keep him or will they try to find that goalkeeper who can make the difference?

Q: How impressed have you been with Estevao so far?

I think everybody is very excited to see him when he plays. I was at the stadium, against Liverpool and he was a substitute, when he came on, he made a difference. So he's still young, but he looks like he doesn't have any pressure on his shoulders. But when you are a striker or winger at this age, what you want to do is just enjoy and to be on the pitch and to show what you can do. You are not overthinking.

So it's completely different to when you are a defender. Defenders at this age will get more pressure on their shoulders because he knows that if he makes one mistake, his team can concede a goal. When you are the winger or striker, if you miss one pass, if you miss one good opportunity to score, you know you will have the chance to score and get another opportunity. That's why for me, the strikers at this age, they just have to enjoy their football and to show their quality and to make the fans jump. I like that.

Q: Does Liam Delap need to take more risks at Chelsea?

I think he has to take a risk. He has to try to be the same player he was at Ipswich, he scored goals. He looked like he was enjoying his football. I know when you move to another club, especially a big club, you get more pressure, you try to do everything right, but no, just be who you are and take some risks and nobody will tell you not to.

Q: Who would be your dream signing at Chelsea in the January window?

To be honest, Chelsea, at the moment, I think they are missing one experienced player, and a player who can put Chelsea really on top for me is Victor Osimhen. I wanted to see him sign for Chelsea. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. But yeah, my dream is to see him play for Chelsea because with his quality, I think he can adapt to Chelsea perfectly.

Q: What would your advice be to Raheem Sterling at Chelsea?

I don't really have any advice for him. He's an adult man now, so he has to know what he has to do or which decision he has to take, for his future. I don't know how many years we haven’t really seen him in his best shape, but I think he has to decide to play. He will then have the opportunity to really enjoy it and that will depend on him. So I don't really have any advice for him.

Q: Is Everton at home a must win game for Chelsea?

They have to win, they have to win because after the last two games, it hasn’t been a good result for them. So they have to come back with a victory. They have to win against Everton. I don't want to be too harsh, but I’ll say 2-1, that would be good.

Q: Can you understand why Arsenal fans might be worried in the title race?

I completely understand what the fans are feeling right now, especially after that game at Aston Villa, because normally they should draw that game and I know some fans were very, very disappointed after that defeat. But for Arsenal, I think it's always the same problem, always the same question. If Arsenal can keep that spot until the end of the season. I mean, they started very well, they were unbelievable.

The squad is very strong in every position. When you see the players, they like to play together, but we know the Premier League is very long, especially with all the other competitions they have to play. They play every three days. They have got some injured players, important players who are injured at the moment. So we will see what is going to happen around January, February, because we know that at those moments, Arsenal sometimes can drop some points so they have to be careful.

Q: Should Arsenal focus on the Premier League over the Champions League?

If I have the choice, I prefer to be focused more on the Premier League because now I think it's 22 years since they’ve won the Premier League. So I think they have to be more focused about the Premier League and I'm sure all the fans, if they have the choice, will prefer to win the Premier League.

But they have a big squad, so that's why I think right now they try to play in every competition, but they have to be careful because as I said, they have to play many games and don't forget next year we have the World Cup. So a lot of players who play for Arsenal, they play for their national teams. So maybe around April, they will start to think about the World Cup because we saw already in the past some players who got injured unfortunately before the World Cup.

So I'm sure some players will think about it. So maybe they won't be really 100%. So that's why they have to be careful and they have to be focused on one competition.

Q: Is Declan Rice the best midfielder in the world at the moment?

Declan Rice // Picture: Alamy

Maybe he's one of the best midfielders, but not the best because I think the best midfielder at the moment is Vitinha. I think Declan Rice, what he did with West Ham in the past was really good. But now, you know, with Arsenal, he went to another level.

You can see that in every game he plays, he takes that pressure on his shoulder and he looks like he's the boss of that midfield line. And every ball he has, he will do what he has to do perfectly. So he can score goals, can defend, he can run and he's more consistent. That is the most important. So that's why I think, in the future he can be one of the best midfielders or maybe the best midfielder in the world.

Q: Can Bukayo Saka follow in the footsteps of Arjen Robben?

No, Arjen Robben was unique so it's very difficult to compare Saka with Arjen Robben, even if Saka is a great player. I think what he misses at the moment is to score more goals and to give more assists.

When you have to defend against him, it's very difficult. So most of the time, the opponent likes to put two players on him, even if he has two players on him, he can make the difference. But I think we can compare him with big wingers when he scores more goals or gives more assists.

Q: Just how big of a threat is Gabriel in the opposition box?

For me, he's definitely one of the best defenders in the world because we know he can score goals from free-kicks, from corners, and he's a very important player for Arsenal. I think he went to another level for Arsenal, a level where you can call him a world-class player.

That's why when he was injured fans were worried because they knew if Gabriel doesn't play, Arsenal can concede maybe more goals or they will miss the opportunity to score from corners. His leadership is unbelievable. You can see him speak with his players, shouting if players don't do the right job, that's why for me right now he's a world-class player.

Q: Who would be your dream signing for Arsenal in the January window?

I don't think they have to sign any players because in every position they've got good players. The squad, the team look, they are really happy. The players are really happy to be together. What the manager has done, he has done a great job. So now they have to finish the job and the job is to win the Premier League.

So that's why some fans are a little bit worried after that defeat because they don't want to see Arsenal drop points and to see another club to come back and maybe to win the Premier League instead of them.

Q: Is the comparison between Ruben Amorim and Mikel Arteta a fair one?

I think now Manchester United have to give time to the manager to build what he wants to do. For the manager of Manchester United to bring the club back to the top level, you need time. So I think that it is fair to let your manager rebuild the club.

It's very difficult now to find a good manager. So I think that they still have to keep him and to let him do exactly what he wants to do for the future.

Q: Should Arsenal rest players in the Champions League?

I think Arsenal have to rest some players in the Champions League because the season is very long and when you look at the table, they are top of the table with 15 points. Even if they draw or if they lose, it won't really change anything.

So it can be a good opportunity to put players in who haven’t played a lot at the beginning of the season. That would be the best solution, I think, for Arteta to do.

Q: What is your prediction for Arsenal vs Wolves?

Three points easily for Arsenal so I'm not worried about it. I think after that defeat against Aston Villa, what Arsenal need is to come back with a victory. So it would be important for them to try to score as many goals as they can.

It can be a good opportunity to do a rotation because they're going to play against Wolves who are at the bottom of the league. When you have a strong squad like Arsenal, I think the manager has to be brave, I mean to put in some players, to give them some time, some minutes to be on the pitch and at the same time you will rest your players who play many games from the beginning of the season because the season is very long.

For me that is going to be very important. Could Arsenal get two or three goals? If they don't do this, you know, I think it would be weird.

Arsenal v Wolves Betting Odds

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Q: Who offers the biggest threat to France at the World Cup?

The biggest challenge will be against some countries like Spain, Portugal, Argentina, England. But I think this next year, the World Cup, I don't know if the level of the competition will be very high.

There's going to be too many competitions during the season. And I'm a little bit worried about the quality of that World Cup. I think the players are going to be tired, they will also play in America. It's going to be hot. Most of the players will have already played 50, maybe 60 games. So when they will go to the World Cup, I do not think they will be fresh enough to put on a great football show for the fans.

Q: Will Kylian Mbappe have the most goals in World Cup history?

Image: shutterstock

I think he can do it because Kylian right now is maybe the best player in the world and he likes the challenge. When you see what he can do with Real Madrid he's just unbelievable in his second season.

He has scored so many goals but with the national team as well, I think he wants to beat the record. He wants to stay in the history books. He's a player who was dreaming to be the best player in the world. So he has had some examples like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and he wants to be at the same level as them, so he will do everything to beat that record.

Q: How special would it be to see Argentina vs Portugal?

It would be very, very sad to see one of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo knocked out in that competition because for many years, they have been the best and it was always a competition between the two players. I'm sure all the fans will be a bit disappointed to see one of the two players be out.

I don't know which one will continue in that competition and go to the semi-final, but I'm sure everybody will be in front of their TV to watch that game.

Q: How big will Mexico vs South Africa be?

It would be a big, big game because we know what happened in the past. So that's why people will be in front of their TV, just to watch those two national teams play against each other again. So I think I will be in front of my TV as well.

Q: How big will the pressure be on Christian Pulisic?

The pressure will be higher on Christian Pulisic because he will play in his country and he's a big star of his national team. Unfortunately, he didn't stay in the Premier League for some reason, so that's why he moved to AC Milan, but in this competition, he has to be the leader.

He has to try to bring his team as far as they can go because they will have all the support from the American fans and the people. When you play in the World Cup, it's a completely different competition. Even if you got all your fans behind you, you will play against teams who are stronger than you.

So what you need is to be ready and as well to have that luck because sometimes football is about luck as well. So we will see what they will do. For the American people, I hope they will go very far because otherwise, the fans will disappear.

But, I think American people will be very excited about that World Cup and they will try to show how their country is so big and also how they will support the sport because we know they don't call it football, they call that sport soccer. I hope they're going to change their mind.

Q: Could we see Vinicius Junior move to the Premier League?

I don't know if the Premier League will suit him, especially how he plays. I think La Liga is perfect for him, but I don't know after the World Cup if he will stay in Real Madrid because at the moment his performances are not like maybe two years ago.

It looks like it's not easy for him to be at the same level. So maybe the World Cup can help him get back in his best shape. But the question is after La Liga, where can he go? I don't know if he can go to the Premier League, I don't think so. France? No. Italy? I'm not sure, so we will see.

Q: Might the World Cup come too soon for Paul Pogba?

It will be difficult for him, really difficult. Some people will be happy to see him again with a French national shirt. But don't forget, he was suspended for two years. And he only just came back. I think he has only played a few minutes.

It will be hard because he needs to play more minutes and I hope he won't get injured because that can be a problem for him right now. Even if his dream is to come back to the national team, I think what is most important for him right now is just to enjoy every minute he can spend on the pitch.

I hope we're going to see him soon to play 90 minutes and then we will see his level because right now we don't know what his level is. And all the people from the national team as well, they are looking to see how he will be. So we will see, but I think all the French people are really happy to see him play again.

When he played against Rennes, he played only 15 minutes. All the fans from Rennes were singing his name, so that was really good.

Q: What is your view on the Mohamed Salah situation?

It's a big shame what has happened and my opinion about this is that maybe he should have left before the season started. I know he was very important for Liverpool, that's why he resigned. He extended two more years, but I think it's very difficult for everyone to see what happened, for the fans, for the club, for him to be in that situation. I hope they will find a solution.

We will see what is going to happen in the future. Mohamed Salah is a player who has scored so many goals. He helped the team so much. What he has to do when he comes back from the African Cup is do what we want to see from him is to score goals and to try to bring back Liverpool in the top four.

Q: What is your prediction for the Premier League top four?

I'm sure Arsenal will be there, Man City will be there, Chelsea will be there. Now the fourth one, right now Liverpool, they are struggling. Manchester United as well. Maybe Aston Villa because they look very strong, especially after what they did against Arsenal. So, yeah, I think I will go for Aston Villa. Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Aston Villa.

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