Cool Gallas comes of age beside the Rock

The new French manager, Jacques Santini, paused for a second to ponder the question. "What would it feel like to be tackled by Marcel Desailly and William Gallas at the same time? Well," he joked, "I guess it would be like being stuck between a rock and a hard place."

The Rock and the Hard Place: those images perfectly describe the two players. Desailly has long been nicknamed Le Rock, because of his defensive and leadership qualities. Gallas, meanwhile, is fast becoming one of the hardest places to break down, both on and off the pitch. When in England, Gallas does all his talking with his feet. Interviews are simply not an option. But, when on home soil at the French Federation's headquarters, he is a very different animal.

At Clairefontaine a fortnight ago, the normally impenetrable defender briefly dropped his guard. "I'm quite a shy person by nature," he said. "But I like it that way, because it means I always stay focused. When I was selected to join the French squad [in October, for the two qualifiers against Slovenia and Malta], I wouldn't have wanted to arrive shouting from the rooftops. It's important that I know my place."

That place, whether it be for Chelsea or now France, is at the heart of the defence, alongside the man who inspired an entire generation of Gallic centre-backs. "What can I say about Marcel?" Gallas asked rhetorically about Mister Desailly. "I've got to know him very well at Chelsea and that has been a great honour for me. But it is on the pitch that I have learned most. He exudes power and confidence when in a football shirt, and I, like others, dream of being like him. I steal everything I can from his methods and character so that I can improve.

"People sometimes ask me whether it's better to play in a three-man defence rather than a back four, but the truth is that it doesn't matter. Everything is all right, so long as I play to the right of Marcel – to the right of the Father."

Gallas's main advantage is that he is the perfect foil for Desailly. The French captain says so himself. "My partnership with William works so well," Desailly said ahead of today's derby against Tottenham Hotspur, "because he gives me his speed and I give him my experience. He is a very intelligent player, and I would say that he is more advanced than I was at his age. I hope that we will play alongside each other for many years to come. There is certainly no reason why that shouldn't be the case. Playing in the blue of France should be no different to playing in the blue of Chelsea."

Their association has been so strong that John Terry, for a long time his club and country's great hope, has been left to play third fiddle on the substitutes' bench. Rumours persist that he is looking to move clubs in order to secure regular first-team football. The Chelsea manager, Claudio Ranieri, insists that the Englishman is still "very much part of my plans", but also admits that the Desailly-Gallas duo have been in superlative form. "I always believed in William," the Italian says. "He needed a season to get used to the pace and style of the English game, but he is an intelligent boy and has found his feet well now. His work with Desailly is good for Chelsea, but also for the French national team."

Gallas can come across as a quiet, almost aloof character, but those who know him best insist he is charming and dedicated. It tells you much about the regard in which he is held by fellow professionals that his most direct rival for the French team cannot think of a bad word to say about him. "William is where he is today because of the wonderful performances he has put in for Chelsea," Auxerre's Philippe Mexes said. "He is not in the team because he is Desailly's mate; he's there because he deserves it." His old manager with the Under-21s endorses the praise. "William is fast, but good on the ball at the same time," Raymond Domenech said. "In a one-on-one situation, he is the hardest man to get past."

Gallas has taken a long time to arrive at the gates of the national team. After completing his football education at Clairefontaine in 1994, he signed for Caen. Three years later, he moved to Marseille to join the likes of Robert Pires, Christophe Dugarry and Fabrizio Ravanelli, in what was meant to be the new dream team. Things, though, quickly turned sour and Gallas spent an entire season in the reserves. "It was a very difficult situation for me," Gallas explained, "but I was able to get over that tricky period because of my strength of character. It was a very important lesson."

Not surprisingly, Gallas jumped at the opportunity of swapping the south of France for the English capital. "At Chelsea," he said, "there is a lot less pressure on you. Life is more comfortable and people don't harass you in the street. There is a respect for the individual which I love." Lifestyle aside, Gallas also feels that he has stepped up several levels since joining Chelsea in July 2001 for £6.1m. "From a personal point of view," the 25-year-old explained, "I am much more mature nowadays. I have a wife and a child, and I am very content. Marseille is a city that is football mad, but if the results don't come, the pressure can be unbearable. In those suffocating conditions, it can be difficult for a player to express himself."

The relative peace and quiet of Chelsea has helped Gallas relax and play the best football of his professional career. It has, by the same token, also raised his profile on the international stage. Santini, for one, has been a keen follower of the defender's progress.

"For years, the national team was unbeatable, and therefore untouchable," Gallas said. "But now, thanks to my partnership with Marcel at Chelsea, I am being given my chance. It's wonderful."

It was poignant that, on the very day Gallas was earning his first cap against Slovenia at the Stade de France last month, Desailly was notching up his 100th. This was the symbolic coming together of two generations. "Not everyone can reach such a milestone," Gallas said. "Marcel has won everything, and I can only hope that, one day, I will retrace his steps. Even if I am only remembered as half of Marcel Desailly, that would do me fine." Gallas, you sense, is at least halfway there.

William Gallas is featured in "The French Revolution; 10 Years Of English Football After Cantona" (Mainstream Publishing, £15.99) by Alex Hayes and Daniel Ortelli with Xavier Rivoire.