For all his qualities and achievements, Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has often appeared to possess certain blind spots - identifying goalkeepers, centre backs and recognising any wrongdoing among his own players, for example - but his failure to find a suitable leader for his outstanding young team could be the most damaging oversight of all.

After being fortunate enough to inherit Tony Adams before shrewdly spotting the inspirational qualities of Patrick Vieira, his last two appointments as captain have been less successful, with Thierry Henry and William Gallas leaving Arsenal short of authoritative leadership when it has mattered most. It is surely no coincidence that Arsenal have not won a trophy since Vieira's last kick for the club secured an FA Cup Final penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United three years ago.

Henry and Gallas were appointed as a result of their seniority rather than any real credentials as captain, but their experience and excellence on the pitch has not made up for the weaknesses of their complex characters. In both cases there was also the suspicion that Wenger was rewarding them for staying at the club, with Gallas flirting with Real Madrid last summer just as Henry had done with Barcelona on several occasions before moving to the Nou Camp.

Whereas Henry's status had the effect of inhibiting his team-mates - as they queued up to confirm after his departure - Gallas has lacked the maturity to cast aside his frustrations and focus on the good of the team, surely a pre-requisite for any captain. Several of his former team-mates at Chelsea privately expressed astonishment when he was given the job last summer, remembering a quiet, introverted character whose mood could change in an instant, and their reservations have been proved right.

Gallas cannot be held responsible for the dramatic implosion that has brought only two wins from 13 matches in the past two months, but he has hardly helped, with Arsenal's form closely reflecting his own. The French defender appeared back to his best at the start of the season after an injury-wrecked first year at the Emirates Stadium but he has been found wanting under pressure, making mistakes in big matches, losing his temper and failing to offer any support to his less experienced team-mates.

Gallas's unseemly tantrum after the 2-2 draw away to Birmingham City in February provides the most obvious example, although almost as shocking has been his repeated dereliction of duty as Lee Dixon, who won two league titles under Wenger, has observed. There is more to captaincy than shouting and screaming, but at key moments Gallas's silence is sometimes deafening.

“I know for a fact that morale in the dressing-room went down after the Birmingham game,” Dixon said. “Players were looking at the captain and asking 'What is he doing?' He wasn't acting like a leader and hasn't done for much of the season. Real captains cannot let their emotions take over, never ever, as they should always be thinking of their team-mates and leading by example. Gallas doesn't appear capable of doing that.”

Gallas does possess one important characteristic of a captain however. His willingness to take responsibility reflects an unusual sense of accountability that runs throughout the club. The 30-year-old also identified an important cause of Arsenal's demise yesterday by focusing on their recent failure to hold on to leads, whereas at the start of the season they scored late goals to come from behind in three of their first five matches.

“In the last few months it has been difficult for us to react well after conceding a goal - we go down very quick,” Gallas said. “When the season started we were not like this. Recently, after we have conceded a goal we've been in trouble.

“For me the most important thing is to win - not playing well and still losing. For me, for everyone, for the fans, the most important thing is to win something. This year we started very well but didn't finish well.”

If Wenger feels the same he must give serious consideration to changing his captain, although given his supreme stubbornness and the lack of obvious alternatives, Gallas could still be leading the side out next season.