This is the poorest Arsenal team of the Arsène Wenger era. The manager may claim that everything is fine but it’s not and I think he knows it. He is surely more concerned than he appears in public because this degree of turmoil off the pitch and the poor performances on it are not something he has faced since he’s been in England.

Wenger must be wondering how he can make Arsenal look like a proper team again. They have acted like they belong in mid-table in recent weeks. Strength, character, experience, winning mentality: all lacking. He’s a man juggling his pack in search of a winning formula that has deserted him.

In the past, if a player’s level dipped, Wenger could bring in a fresh face who would be an improvement. Now he’s short of options. It’s no use talking about a bright future when there are so many problems in the present. And I’m not sure how Wenger is going to turn it around. I suspect that, like me, a few Arsenal fans are questioning the ability of the greatest foreign manager this country has known to deliver another Premier League title.

Things have not been right with the blend of players and personalities at the club since Thierry Henry left 18 months ago and now, after hints such as the row between Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner in the 5-1 Carling Cup semi-final second leg defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane last season, William Gallas has exposed some of the issues for all to see.

A new captain? Irrelevant. Wenger might as well have sat in the press conference yesterday and said that Arsenal will be the first team in history not to have a captain. Or he could just have plucked a name at random. No one, not Cesc Fàbregas, Manuel Almunia or the rest of the squad, is worthy of the armband.

There are no outstanding leaders at Arsenal, no personalities big enough to lift the team to where they need to be.

Contrast that with Liverpool and especially Chelsea and Manchester United, who have half-a-dozen potential captains. All successful sides have a great captain, someone with hunger and charisma who inspires his team-mates.

United may be only two points ahead of Arsenal in the league table but as both clubs prepare for their Champions League games this evening there’s no doubt who will be the more relaxed manager. Sir Alex Ferguson has dealt with unrest during his time at Old Trafford — when he first arrived and more recently when his ability to build a team to overhaul Chelsea was widely questioned.

Ferguson has gone for big players, in stature and ability. What Arsenal would give for a player such as Nemanja Vidic right now. The United manager is excellent at creating sides with flair and determination. Wenger, meanwhile, has constructed a team who can be bashed around, a team who do not look likely to equalise when they go behind. No wonder they are vulnerable at set-pieces when they lack tall and commanding players.

Opponents are not scared of Arsenal any more. Gone are intimidating physical presences such as Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell, replaced by the young, the short and the lightweight. Arsenal need much more than a new captain if they are even to finish fourth. Wenger needs to act in the January transfer window. There are enough players at the Emirates with great technique; how about adding some steel?