William Gallas is playing a leading role in Arsenal's downfall

The Gunners travel to Manchester City tomorrow with their Premier League title hopes hanging by a thread with less than a third of the season gone.

And in at atmosphere of vulnerability and uncertainty, the man whose job it is to galvanise his team and rally the troops, chose instead to launch a withering attack on his own players with the justification that "otherwise I'm taking all the blame".

John Terry has failings of his own as a captain but his recent behaviour has been exemplary both in triumph and adversity.

The Chelsea defender took responsibility for a goal where Scott Carson was also at fault after England's 2-1 win in Germany earlier this week.

Similarly, Terry came out and repeated what he must have said in the dressing room after the Blues' defeat at Roma - accepting both individual and collective responsibility to deal with it and move on.

It is unclear what question Gallas was asked on Wednesday night. But the mere fact he chose to drag up a fierce argument during half-time in a match against Tottenham that took place over three weeks ago points to a man unable to let go or sacrifice himself for the good of the team.

He chose instead to distance himself from the problems, point the finger and break the unwritten law of team sports - what's said in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room - by revealing disagreements in the inner sanctum.

After recent defeats to Hull, Stoke and Aston Villa, Gallas was nowhere to be seen. On one of those occasions, he braved the gentle inquisition of the club's TV channel but had no excuse, no rallying cry, nothing to offer a wider audience.

Some might argue whether the captaincy even matters. Reports suggested Fabio Capello was more than a little bemused by the circus surrounding who would take the England armband.

In fact, the Italian helped to generate the debate by sharing the job around in his first few games - in no small part to deflect from his own fallibility as he settled into a new job in a foreign country.

Similarly, perhaps it does not matter at Arsenal. The foreign contingent may simply not view the armband with the same symbolic importance that English players often do.

But the nagging suspicion is that what the Gunners lack is on-pitch leadership. Every great title-winning side in recent memory has had an almost iconic and influential figure as its principal driving force.

The raw passion of Patrick Vieira or Roy Keane, the never-say-die centre-back attitude of John Terry, Steve Bruce or Tony Adams, the calming influence of Ryan Giggs, the inspirational brilliance of Eric Cantona.

Captains tend to be chosen based on one or more of four criteria: the best player; the most liked; the most influential; or that it will make him a better player.

None of these apply to Gallas. Ostensibly he is a good choice - an experienced, multilingual 31-year-old centre-back who, at his combative peak, is an excellent reader of the game and one of the best defenders in Europe.

But the Frenchman's form has been below-par this season and it is difficult to imagine the younger players having much respect for him after the petulant sit-down protest at Birmingham back in January.

And it could be argued that Gallas would have acted the way he has whether he was captain or not. After all, this is a player who Chelsea claimed they had to sell in 2006 because he threatened to score on an own goal if he was not granted the move he desired.

So, should he continue as captain? There is speculation this morning that Wenger will relieve him of that position after the game at Eastlands, but don't be surprised if he hangs on to the armband, for all the wrong reasons.

There is a starting lack of alternatives for the role within the Arsenal ranks. Manager Arsene Wenger appears unwilling to burden the most obvious candidate, Cesc Fabregas, with the responsibility at just 21 years old. Kolo Toure would appear to have strong credentials but has found himself second choice behind Mikael Silvestre of late.

Manuel Almunia captained the side in Fenerbahce but it is debatable whether he has the required authority.

There is also the likelihood Gallas would cause more uproar by immediately demanding to leave were he to lose the armband, compromising his status at the club for the remainder of the season.

Arsene Wenger may prefer to steady the ship rather than cause more disruption to a season that has already run into trouble.Nothing hides inward tensions as well as winning and Robin van Persie owes his team-mates a debt after petulantly getting himself sent off late on in the loss at Stoke - his presence was sorely missed in the toothless home defeat to Villa last weekend.

"It is vital for us tomorrow because it was a massive disappointment for us against Villa - not just the fact we lost the game, but the way we lost it," said Wenger.

"Before you start a football game there is always a good chance to win it, but we need massive commitment on Saturday."

They must win if Wenger's utopian ideal of title-winning fantasy football with kids on a budget is not to remain a dream for another season and Gallas must lead by example.

"People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision," said author John C Maxwell.

If the American leadership and business guru is onto something, then there aren't many sold on Arsenal's concept at present.