Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia believes William Gallas may benefit from being stripped of the club captaincy.
He said: "Maybe he lost some energy when he was captain. He took responsibility for the pressure felt by all the players. William took too many responsibilities and tried to be the main player on the pitch.
"I think he is playing better than before. I spoke to him last week and he told me that now he is playing better because he is not losing too much energy because he is not worried about other things and other players or other circumstances off the pitch."