Barcelona now offers £32 million for Cesc Fabregas

Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas's three-year wait to rejoin Barcelona is all set to end, as the Spanish club have increased their bid for Fabregas to £32 million.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is preparing for the loss of his skipper by signing two new players and is confident of capturing Lille's Gervinho and Velez Sarsfield's Ricky Alvarez - each for £11 million.

Fabregas said: "There is nothing to talk about. I'm calm. If something has to happen it will. I am always optimistic."

"If a player is on the market it's because a club doesn't want him. I have no problem," the Sun quoted him, as saying.

Wenger will use all the Fabregas cash to beef up the Arsenal squad and Ivory Coast striker Gervinho is almost certain to join.

Wenger is also poised for a renewed attempt to get 16 million pounds Bolton centre-half Gary Cahill in the next few days.

Arsenal to offer £11 million for Ricardo Alvarez

Arsenal is ready to make an 11 million pounds offer for midfielder Ricardo Alvarez, whom they have termed as the ‘new’ Cesc Fabregas.


A highly placed source said: "He is definitely of interest. There has been no deal with his club Velez Sarsfield but it is true the club have been looking at Alvarez."


Arsenal were in talks for the 23-year-old last month but negotiations stalled after Emirates executive Richard Law was quoted 11 million pounds by Velez president Fernando Raffaini.


But with the Gunners due to start pre-season training in 10 days, boss Arsene Wenger is set to step up the chase again, The Sun reports.


Arsenal last night insisted they had not reached a deal with Argentine outfit Velez.


Alvarez plays in the same position as Fabregas and landing him could finally see the Arsenal skipper join Barcelona.


Barcelona is set to make a second bid for Fabregas, 24; this week after their opening 27 million pounds offer was rejected.

Benitez believes Liverpool still in Premier League title race

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez reckons his side can blow the Premier League title race wide open again when they visit Old Trafford next month.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been so impressed by Manchester United's nine straight league wins that he admits that he cannot see anyone getting near them.

The bookies also clearly agree, with one already paying out on Alex Ferguson's outfit winning a domestic treble, The Sun reported.

Even Fergie himself believes it is a two-horse race, with only Liverpool placed to make a scrap of it.

But Benitez, whose side host Manchester City tomorrow, insisted: "When I speak of facts, one is that United are a very good team and I knew they could have a run of winning games in a row.

"They will win more than a lot of the other teams, but to say we can't beat them? I don't think so. I can only talk of my team, but I don't think they are untouchable. In football now, every game is tough, so anything can happen," Benitez said.

"We have reduced the gap very well and want to reduce it more. It will be difficult but, if we're in the same position going to Old Trafford, maybe that could be important."

Few men are better placed to talk of shattering the status quo than Benitez, whose Valencia side broke Real Madrid and Barcelona's stranglehold on the title in Spain.

Liverpool trail United by five points, but seven years ago Valencia was even further behind Real and still won the title.

Benitez added: "In Spain we were eight or nine points behind in January and finished seven ahead. It's a big gap, but we can reduce that by winning a few in a row."

ManU boss gives history lesson to team on blown up titles

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has given his team a history lesson in blowing titles to make sure they do not get too complacent.

Manchester United can go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League tonight with victory over Blackburn.

But the memories of surrendering a 12-point lead to Arsenal in 1998 and losing the title on the final day of the season in 1995 still burn deep for the Old Trafford gaffer, The Sun reported.

"My feeling is that we don't get carried away because this game can kick you in the teeth. In 1998 we lost a 12-point lead to Arsenal and that's a great reminder of going the whole road and not taking rests. We don't need a rest - the players are young, fit, and fresh," Ferguson said.

"We just have to make sure we keep our focus on every game. Every game for us now is a must-win situation," he added.

Despite winning 10 Premier League titles, Ferguson remembers the details of the ones that got away as if they were yesterday.

"You can't forget the chance we missed at West Ham in 1995 when we only needed one goal to win the league. We should have had a penalty, there was a clear handball. Then in 1998 we threw it away. It was a foregone conclusion until the start of March," he said.

"Prior to the Champions League tie in Monaco we got Giggs injured, Schmeichel was carrying an injury, Scholes played with a broken toe and we had to play him wide right against Arsenal to keep him away from the central midfield.

"Cole and Sheringham were the only ones playing regularly at that time because Solskjaer was also injured. It told in the run-in because it meant we couldn't freshen that part up. Injuries played their part and when you lose a game, it gives the team chasing you real encouragement," he added.

English clubs handed tough task

England's chances of producing three semi-finalists in the Champions League for the third successive season were dented on Friday by a tough-looking last 16 draw.

Holders Manchester United were paired with Italian champions and Serie A leaders Inter Milan while Premier League leaders Liverpool take on nine-times champions Real Madrid after the draw made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Last year's runners-up Chelsea were paired with Juventus, managed by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, while Arsenal, finalists in 2006, play AS Roma in a third Anglo-Italian clash.

The Manchester United tie will see another former Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho, returning to face Premiership opposition in his new role in charge of Inter.

"Obviously Jose has put us out of the competition before," said United's communications director Phil Townsend in reference to Mourinho's success at the same stage in 2004 with eventual European champions Porto.

"But equally we put Inter out in 1999 when we went on to win the tournament so maybe that's a good omen for us."

Real Madrid's meeting with Liverpool will mark only the second time that the Spanish nine-time European champions have met the English five-time winners in the competition.

Their only previous encounter came in the final of the 1981 European Cup with Liverpool winning through 1-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo wins Golden Ball award

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year on Tuesday, becoming the fourth Manchester United player to take the honour and the first since fellow winger George Best in 1968.

Ronaldo's brilliant scoring form helped him beat Barcelona striker Lionel Messi into second place, while Liverpool forward Fernando Torres was third in the poll results announced overnight by France Football magazine.

Ronaldo dominated the voting, tallying 446 points. Messi had 281 points and Torres had 179.

That gave Ronaldo two points more than Kaka won last year's award with.

Ronaldo was second last year with 277, while Messi was third with 255. Kaka, Milan's Brazilian playmaker, was eighth this time with only 31 points.

Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions last season as United won the Premier League and Champions League trophies.

The 23-year-old Ronaldo adds the Ballon d'Or award to the FIFA Pro World Player of the Year trophy he won in October, and the Professional Footballers Association and the Football Writers awards.

He also becomes the first Premier League player to win since former Liverpool forward Michael Owen in 2001, and the first Portuguese player since winger Luis Figo won it with Real Madrid in 2000.

France Football's award was decided by an annual poll of football journalists with a short list of 30 players.

Following Portugal's disappointing showing at the European Championship in June, Ronaldo underwent an operation to his troublesome right ankle injury in July that then kept him sidelined until September 17.

Rooney’s 100th seals derby

Manchester United overcome a late surge from City to prevail 1-0; Cristiano Ronaldo is sent off for a hand ball

Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for the third time in his Manchester United career as Wayne Rooney’s 100th goal in club football sealed a 1-0 victory for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men against Manchester City at Eastlands on Sunday. Rooney’s goal — his first in seven games — settled the 150th meeting between the Manchester neighbours and cemented United in third spot in the Premier League.

But United were forced to play the final twenty-one minutes with ten men after Ronaldo was dismissed for handling the ball from Rooney’s corner — his second booking in the space of nine minutes.

With five other players booked, United now face an FA fine for failing to control their players, but Ferguson will not be concerned by that having sealed a crucial victory. City hadn’t landed back in Manchester until early on Friday morning following their UEFA Cup tie against Schalke in Germany, and United went into this game with the advantage of having had an extra two days to prepare.

The extra freshness within the United ranks showed in the first half as the European champions dominated possession and created the best chances. Not for the first time this season, though, Ferguson’s team failed to capitalise on their early dominance and, just as happened at Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal earlier this campaign, United struggled to kill off their bitter rivals.

The visitors could have gone ahead as early as the eighth minute when City keeper Joe Hart fumbled a Rooney shot, but Darren Fletcher failed to convert the loose ball from six yards.

Can Gunners conquer the fortress?

Arsenal face an uphill task against Chelsea tonight as their last win at Stamford Bridge was way back in February 2004

Arsenal’s fading English Premier League title ambitions face a make-or-break moment on Sunday when they visit leaders Chelsea for a London derby at their Stamford Bridge fortress.

A third straight league defeat could leave the Gunners in freefall and a huge 13 points behind the Blues just 15 games in. But equally, winning at Stamford Bridge — where Chelsea have been beaten just once in 89 league games — would send an impressive statement to the rest of the top flight that Arsenal are back in the race.

Despite the Gunners’ dismal league performances on the pitch and dressing-room dust-ups off it, manager Arsene Wenger is relishing the challenge. “This season we have played better against the top four,” he insisted.

“We have to go with extreme desire and express our strong points and not hide. We can play and win anywhere in the world. We know Chelsea are a great side with great players but we can beat them if we play at our best.”

And in his hour of crisis, Wenger has received support from the unlikeliest of sources going into the Chelsea clash — Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. “Arsene is a coach who has been there 12 years. He’s a man that builds teams. Sells this and that, then puts in other players,” said the Portuguese. “Arsenal are very good every year. And when you change two or three players in one season, you need time. The time, I think, for Arsenal and Arsene is now. They can play very well and win many games.”

In times of terror, seek joy in sports

Sport has often provided me the escape route. Squeaking shoes on the wooden floor of a badminton court, the sound of a shuttlecock whizzing past the ear, reassured me that in the hours spent in its confines, everything else was secondary.

The mundaneness of a summer afternoon was made tolerable by a repeat telecast of an India-Pakistan cricket match on TV.

Racing downhill, bare-feet, on dew-kissed grass, gave me the biggest high.

But the last four days have been different. Filippo Inzaghi’s record-breaking goal in European competitions mattered little. I didn’t care that Chelsea still hadn’t made the last sixteen of the Champions League. In fact, blasphemous as it may sound, I even thought Bill Shankly a passionate fool for believing that football is more important than life and death.

My city was burning, people grieving for the loved ones they lost. How could I, then, seek solace in sport?

It’s in moments like these that you realise, sport may not be that big a deal after all. It may be important for the soul of a man but not as important as life itself.

By late Friday night, as some normalcy returned, and my mother stopped questioning every loud noise she heard while talking on the phone with me, I turned to sport again. Not to escape, but maybe to revive the faith.

I watched the DVD of that NatWest final at Lord’s, where Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif helped India rise from the dead. Then, I played the DVD of the World Cup final between France and Italy, rewinding the Zinedine Zidane head-butt some 10 times and each time gasping, “How could he?”

I saw Ronaldinho at his magical best, then immediately felt a sense of guilt at the happiness his genius brought me.

On Saturday, Mumbaikars woke up to feel safer than they felt in the last four days. I am glad that the ordeal is over. But, I guess, now we will all need reassurance.

I think I will find mine in sport. This weekend there is some football — matches that can turn out to be classics. Arsenal play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, hoping to stay in the race for the title. But I think more enthralling could be the game at the City of Manchester Stadium. It’s Manchester City against their old foes Manchester United.
Brazilian Robinho is at the centre of it all. In his first in-depth interview since moving to England, Robinho has revealed that over the last week he has been stopped by hundreds of people in the streets, who tell him, ‘You must beat United. This is our game. This is our day. You have to score the winning goal’.

For the City fans, this is the time for revenge against their more famed rivals. For the first time in years, they feel they can match the Devils kick-for-kick. A win on Sunday, could wipe out the hurt that taunts of ‘wrong Manchester’ have caused.

When Robinho joined City after a £32.5m signing from Real Madrid in September on a salary of £160,000 a week, we called him a mercenary.

Rob’s taken the criticism, played his best football, scored eight goals in 11 league games and brought immense happiness to thousands of City supporters. If he wins them the game on Sunday, they’ll have no greater hero.

In our tough times, let’s all seek our Robinhos.

Arsenal can win league - Luiz Felipe Scolari

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari is refusing to rule Arsenal out of the title race - even if his side beat them at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger's Gunners are 10 points behind Scolari's Premier League leaders, and are down in fifth place.

But Scolari said: "Even if you're 15 points clear with five games to go, you're not champions. You're only champions at the end of the last game.

"This is a big game. Wenger's team play football, so it's difficult to win."

Scolari is looking forward to pitting his wits against his old friend Wenger in the team's first Premier League encounter of the season.

"This is the first time I'll have played against Wenger," said the Brazilian, who was appointed as Chelsea boss in June but who used to coach in Japan alongside the Frenchman in the 1990s.

"I met him for the first time in Japan - he's been my friend for 10 or 12 years now.

"I like him as a coach. If I chose five coaches in the world as the best, he'd be one of the five.

"I watched their game against Manchester United and it was one of the best games in the Premier League. This game against Chelsea will be like that as well."

Scolari goes into the game without Didier Drogba, who is serving a three-match ban for throwing a coin at Burnley fans during Chelsea's shock Carling Cup defeat.

The 30-year-old striker was back in the headlines on Monday after he reportedly met Inter Milan's sporting director Marco Branca in a Fulham restaurant to discuss a potential January transfer window move to the San Siro.

But Scolari, who left Drogba on the bench for Wednesday's Champions League draw with Bordeaux, says he believes the Ivorian is committed to Chelsea.

"Every minute in the day, I think he's happy," he added.

"He has my support every day - injured or not injured. I'm sure he's 100% committed to the club.

"All I know is that he can't play against Arsenal. I have to be thinking about the Arsenal game, not what might happen in 2010 or 2011."

Arsenal beat Kiev to reach last 16

Arsenal edged into the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday with a game to spare after an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev at the Emirates.

Substitute Nicklas Bendtner struck three minutes from time to keep Arsenal top of Group G and eliminate Kiev who ended with 10 men after midfielder Olexandr Aliyev lost his cool in the final minutes and pushed referee Alain Hamer.

Kiev, needing a win, should have taken advantage of an injury-hit Arsenal whose season has been coming off the rails in recent weeks with consecutive league defeats and the sacking of William Gallas as club captain.

Until Bendtner's 87th-minute goal, the visitors had enjoyed the best chances of a disappointing game with Ismael Bangoura denied by the woodwork in the first half and Artem Milevskiy shooting straight at Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia late on.

Victory lifted Arsenal to 11 points with one game to play at second-placed Porto on December 10 when a draw will guarantee them top spot of the group.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger recalled Gallas, who was dropped at the weekend following comments he made about the team, and the Frenchman was at the centre of the night's key moments.

After receiving a good reception from the home fans he almost became the villain after 38 minutes when he gifted the ball to Kiev dangerman Bangoura who curled a shot against the near post when a pass to a team mate would have been the better option.

Holders United lead rush into knockout phase

Holders Manchester United advanced to the knockout phase as all eight qualifiers from the first four Champions League groups were decided with a round to spare on Tuesday.

United progressed with a goalless draw at Villarreal, the fourth in a row between the two clubs, which was also enough to send the Spaniards through from Group E.

Group F was also decided as Bayern Munich beat Steaua Bucharest 3-0 with two goals from Miroslav Klose and Olympique Lyon edged to a 2-1 win at Fiorentina to go through.

A seventh-minute goal by Raul was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Bate Borisov to send the nine-time champions through from Group H alongside Juventus, who had already qualified and who drew 0-0 at Zenit St Petersburg.

Arsenal left it late at the Emirates as an 87th-minute goal by Nicklas Bendtner secured the 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev that sent the Londoners through from Group G along with Porto after they won 2-1 at Fenerbahce with two goals from Lisandro.

Barcelona and Sporting had already qualified, leaving six slots up for grabs from the remaining groups.

Arsenal name Spaniard Cesc Fabregas as captain

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has chosen 21-year-old Spaniard Cesc Fabregas to replace William Gallas as captain.

Gallas, 31, was stripped of the captaincy for Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City following controversial comments about his team-mates.

But Wenger revealed the Frenchman will play in the Champions League group game against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

Wenger said: "Fabregas will be the captain, permanently. I do not have to explain to you why."

He added: "I believe the captain is the voice of the club towards the outside, and is one of the leaders of the team.

"However, I do not believe in just one man in the dressing-room who sorts out all of the problems.

"A successful team is a shared leadership inside the dressing room. Fabregas will be one of the leaders, but not the only one."

Gallas was widely criticised last week for publicly accusing some team-mates of in-fighting, insulting behaviour and lacking bravery.

His captaincy has been under scrutiny since a game against Birmingham last season when he kicked an advertising hoarding and remained sat down on the pitch for several minutes following the final whistle after Arsenal conceded a late leveller.

He was left out of the squad for Saturday's humbling defeat and forced to train on his own in London, but was back in the fold for Sunday's training session and is set to win back his place in the side.

"Gallas will play on Tuesday, but Cesc will be the captain, I have made that decision," said Wenger.

Asked if he thought he had made a mistake over the appointment of Gallas, he said: "No, I do not regret making him captain in the first place."

Wenger believes Gallas, who signed for the club from Chelsea in August 2006, still has a big future at the Emirates Stadium.

"William is a player that I rate and a man I rate. I have a big respect for him. He was working as captain in a very difficult media environment," said Wenger.

"He was under big pressure from the press and at some stage you do not want that high pressure to affect him or the team. But for the man and player I have a big respect.

"I cannot stop suggestions. For me he is a player who is committed to the club and can be even stronger as a player.

"He took all the problems of the team to his heart. It can be a new start for him and make him stronger."

Fellow French defender Gael Clichy, who was tipped by some to take over as skipper, says he believes Gallas has been harshly treated by the English press since the Birmingham game.

"For seven months we were top of the league and William did not have any critics, but one moment, one game, that is all it took and everything turned then," said Clichy.

"The media have tried to get into peoples' heads, saying he is not good enough, but he has been sensational for us.

"He is a great player and we all want to tell the fans that we respect William a lot, he adds experience to our team and we want to achieve great things together."

Arsenal are already rank outsiders to win the Premier League, lying in fifth place, 10 points behind Chelsea and Liverpool having lost five league games.

The Gunners have picked up only 11 points from a possible 27 and, coupled with the captaincy situation, Wenger has come under increasing scrutiny as their season threatens to fall apart.

But the Frenchman said: "When you do not win, nobody jumps off the roof, but the frustration does kick in.

"It is a good opportunity now for us to show we have strength and ability - you know how it works, you go from fantastic to a catastrophe, but real life is somewhere in between.

"Even if we are frustrated right now, it is not all doom and gloom. We have a strong belief in our ability and we have a good opportunity to show we care about the club tomorrow."

Top four Premiership teams fire blanks

The top four failed to muster a goal Saturday as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United drew 0-0 while Arsenal went down 3-0 at Manchester City.

Premier League leaders Chelsea could find no way through Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool had the same problem at home to Fulham and third-placed Manchester United were held 0-0 in a lively game at Aston Villa.

Troubled Arsenal's season went from bad to worse as they slid to fifth.

With captain William Gallas dropped for questioning the fighting spirit of his team mates, injury-hit Arsenal capitulated with Stephen Ireland, Robinho and Daniel Sturridge on target for City.

Arsenal are 10 points behind Chelsea and Liverpool who are locked together on 33 points from 14 matches although Chelsea have a superior goal difference. United are eight points behind with a game in hand while Villa rose to fourth.

Hull City twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers won 3-1 at Middlesbrough while bottom club West Bromwich Albion lost 1-0 at Stoke City.

Chelsea were frustrated by a gritty Newcastle performance. The leaders have now drawn three times at Stamford Bridge this season and also lost at home to Liverpool.

"Who won today? Newcastle because they came here to draw. The players tried but it is not the day for us," Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari told the BBC.

Liverpool to miss Gerrard

Liverpool will go into Saturday’s Premier League match against Fulham without captain Steven Gerrard who has failed to recover from a torn groin muscle that kept him out of England’s 2-1 victory at Germany on Wednesday.

Chelsea will also be without striker Didier Drogba who starts a three-match ban. Frank Lampard, who also did not play against Germany because of a rib injury, is set to play Saturday’s match against Newcastle.

Arsene Wenger has problems as Arsenal try to revive their title challenge at Manchester City.

Defender Kolo Toure is ruled out with a calf injury while Theo Walcott is sidelined for three months because of surgery on his dislocated shoulder.

Formula 1 boss faces divorce case

The wife of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has filed for divorce, it has been confirmed.

A spokeswoman for Slavica Ecclestone said the announcement had been prompted by media speculation.

This year's Sunday Times Rich List estimated her husband's personal fortune to be in excess of £2bn.

Mrs Ecclestone will be represented by divorce lawyer Liz Vernon, who represented the wife of Arsenal and England footballer Ray Parlour in 2004.

She secured a deal which gave her client a third of her ex-husband's future earnings for four years.

Simon Bethel, a family law specialist with law firm Mills & Reeve, said: "Given Mr and Mrs Ecclestone were reputed to be worth £2.4bn in the 2008 Rich List, this case may see the highest award to a wife in legal history."

He added that if Mrs Ecclestone filed for divorce in the UK, she could be awarded as much as half of her husband's fortune.

He said: "If Mrs Ecclestone is keen to push for a substantial award, and on the face of it there is no reason why she should not, she could maybe end up with a third or a half of his fortune."

The couple, who married in 1985, have two daughters, Petra, 19, and Tamara, 24.

Mr Ecclestone, 77, has a stake in Alpha Prema, which owns Formula One.

Last year he diversified when he took over Championship football club Queens Park Rangers with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott ruled out after surgery

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has undergone surgery on his dislocated right shoulder and will be sidelined for at least three months.

Walcott, who has a hereditary shoulder problem, suffered the injury in training with the England squad ahead of Wednesday's friendly with Germany.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said: "After three months he can play but it takes longer to be completely competitive.

"After this injury it takes a while for a player to use his shoulder again."

Walcott, 19, has suffered from a series of shoulder injuries in his career.

He had his left shoulder pinned in 2007 and had to be stretchered off during Arsenal's recent game with Stoke after he fell on it and suffered spasms as a result.

The operation was carried out by the same surgeon who operated on Walcott in 2007.

The winger had been due to play in England's friendly against Germany in Berlin, a match that Fabio Capello's team won 2-1.

Walcott has been a regular for the Gunners this season and, having seen his team collect just four points from their last four league games, Wenger must do without one of his most potent attacking players.

Last season the Derby midfielder Stephen Pearson was ruled out for a month after suffering the same injury.

But Walcott is not expected to return until 2009 - ruling him out of the remainder of Arsenal's Champions League group campaign as well as at least seven Premier League games.

"During Tuesday's training session Theo Walcott dislocated his right shoulder after falling on the pitch," said an FA statement.

"Arsenal's medical staff were advised of the injury soon after the incident."

Gallas launches Arsenal outburst

Arsenal captain William Gallas has attacked his team-mates and called into question their courage to challenge for the Premier League title.

"We are not brave enough in battle. I think we need to be soldiers. To be champions, you have to play big matches every weekend and fight," said Gallas.

Gallas, 31, also accused an unnamed player of disrupting team morale.

Arsenal have yet to comment on Gallas's extraordinary outburst but his position as skipper will again be scrutinised.

"We would think that by now Arsene Wenger would know the kind of person he wants as captain," former England boss Graham Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"And if it isn't working for him, make those changes. He knows his players better than any of us. He knows what he is looking for as a leader as a captain.

"If he feels that Gallas isn't doing that then I think he is wrong if he continues with him."

Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa made it four losses in total this term for Arsenal, leaving them nine points adrift of Chelsea and Liverpool.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Gallas added: "We are coming up against teams who are not scared to play football against us, who are not scared to take us on at our place, and this is becoming dangerous for Arsenal.

"We have to be warriors. That is how the team will forge their character and experience."

Frenchman Gallas has come under severe personal scrutiny as Arsenal skipper, most recently receiving criticism after being photographed leaving a nightclub with a cigarette in his mouth.

And he was also barracked following a show of petulance at the end of his side's 2-2 draw with Birmingham City last season - and he has admitted friction is creeping into the Arsenal camp.

"There was a problem at half-time of the 4-4 draw with Tottenham," he said. "The only thing that I could say at half-time was 'guys, we resolve these problems after the match, not at halftime'."

Gallas revealed that on another occasion some Arsenal players had been insulted by their own team-mate.

"When as captain some players come up to you and talk to you about a player... complaining about him... and then during the match you speak to this player and the player in question insults us, there comes a time where we can no longer comprehend how this can happen," he said.

Gallas would not reveal the player's name, although he said the incident occurred during an attacking phase of play, saying: "I am trying to defend myself a bit without giving names. Otherwise I'm taking it all (the blame). I'm 31, the player is six years younger than me."

Still, the centre-half believes his side can still challenge for honours this season, though he added another season without silverware "would be a kind of failure".

"I have to win something this year. I have to win something, Arsenal has to win something. It's four or five years since Arsenal won anything - 2004 (the league title). That's nearly five years, and that's not good.

"(Big contracts) make the difference, perhaps. You can rest on your laurels, that's for sure."

Arsenal travel to Manchester City in the league on Saturday hoping to avoid their first back-to-back defeats in 58 Premier League encounters.

Republic of Ireland 2-3 Poland

Giovanni Trapattoni's six-match unbeaten run as Republic of Ireland manager was ended as Poland held on to win in a frantic finish at Croke Park.

Mariusz Lewandowski headed the Poles ahead on three minutes and after Damien Duff missed chances, Roger Guerreiro hit the Polish second goal on 47.

Stephen Hunt replied from a penalty on 87 minutes only for Robert Lewandowski to gloriously reply within two minutes.

Debutant Keith Andrews struck a second Irish goal in injury-time.

It almost appeared as if the home fans were outnumbered at the start and the volume of the Polish noise only increased when Lewandowski outjumped John O'Shea to head the opening goal.

Duff was inches away from levelling within two minutes as he fired over after some neat passing from Darron Gibson and Andy Keogh.

The Irish continued to probe with Caleb Folan showing good pace early on and stretching the Polish defence on a number of occasions.

Duff picked out Folan from a 16th-minute free-kick but the Hull striker's header was straight at Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Winger Duff squandered a glorious chance to level on 28 minutes when he fired into the sidenetting with his weaker right foot after being played in by a slide-rule Doyle pass.

Good defensive work by Paul McShane then sent Duff charging at the Polish defence in the 38th minute but goalscorer Lewandowski produced a superb tackle to avert the danger.

The Irish had an escape when Pawel Brozek was presented with a chance on 41 minutes but Richard Dunne got back to produce a perfectly timed tackle after his own mistake.

Despite his earlier miss, Duff continued to look dangerous and he charged into the Poland box again on 42 minutes but his curling shot went inches wide.

The Republic were hit with a sucker punch two minutes after the break as half-time substitute Guerreiro fired in Poland's second goal as the home defenders stood off.

The inevitable raft of Republic substitutions started before the hour with Noel Hunt introduced for his first cap with his brother Stephen and Alex Bruce also coming on.

Robert Lewandowski should have made it 3-0 with 59 minutes gone after taking Boguski's pass in his stride but he dinked wide of the post.

Duff had missed the first-half chances but he was the Republic's main attacking threat and his departure after the hour appeared to end any realistic hopes of a Republic comeback.

However, the rejigged home side kept battling and substitute Bruce headed inches wide on 84 while Dariusz Dudka had to produce an acrobatic clearance after a looping Shane Long header.

Long gave the Republic hope when he won a penalty on 87 minutes after being fouled by Tomasz Jodlowiec and Stephen Hunt blasted the spot kick to the net.

Within a minute, Poland had restored the two-goal margin after Robert Lewandowski hammered a 25-yard shot high past Shay Given.

Amazingly, there was another goal in the first minute of injury-time as first cap Andrews thumped a great shot past Fabianski.

The Republic could even have nicked a draw but Folan miskicked after more good work by Stephen Hunt.

Aaron Ramsey set to win first Wales cap

Wales manager John Toshack will turn to youth to solve his midfield injury problems for Wednesday's friendly with Denmark in Brondby.

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey, 17, is set to win his first cap, while West Ham's Jack Collison, 20, will also start.

Senior midfielders Simon Davies and Jason Koumas lead a casualty list of five midfield withdrawals.

Midfielders Joe Ledley (dislocated finger), David Vaughan (calf) and Carl Fletcher (back) have also pulled out.

Koumas missed Wigan's 2-2 draw at Newcastle with a groin strain while Davies has an Achilles problem.

Collison will win his third senior cap after starting in the friendly win in Iceland and then coming on as a substitute in the defeat to the Netherlands.

Ramsey was also on the bench for that 2-0 friendly loss in Rotterdam but was not called into action.

The former Cardiff player - who Arsenal paid £5m for last June - has made his Champions League debut for the Gunners this season, with Ramsey also claiming a first European goal in that 5-2 win at Fenerbahce.

Collison is currently a regular for Arsenal's Premier League rivals West Ham after winning the confidence of Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola.

Swansea City midfield pair Owain Tudur Jones and Shaun MacDonald and Cardiff City's teenage full-back Darcy Blake have been called-up as late replacements to the squad.

Toshack now has only five fit midfielders in Collison, Ramsey, MacDonald, Tudur Jones and Wolves' David Edwards in his new 19-man squad that includes nine players aged 20 or under.

Key playmaker Koumas, the 32-times midfielder, is Wales' creative force but pulled a groin muscle in training for Wigan Athletic.

Fulham star Davies' withdrawal means Wales will be without two of their three most experienced players, with only captain Craig Bellamy remaining in an otherwise hugely inexperienced squad.

Ledley, 21, dislocated a finger moments before hitting Cardiff City's winner against Crystal Palace Palace at Ninian Park on Saturday.

"I was told Joe had broken his finger, but he actually dislocated it," confirmed Cardiff boss Dave Jones.

"So our medical team pulled it back into place and he was thrown back on."

Arsenal sensation Ramsey and West Ham starlet Collison are the two rising stars of Welsh football and will be part of the next generation who are following Ledley into Toshack's regular first-team team.

Talismanic striker Bellamy and 30-cap Hull City full-back Sam Ricketts are the two most experienced members of Toshack's squad.

Wales were already without injured West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon and Nottingham Forest striker Rob Earnshaw.

Boaz Myhill is expected to start in goal in an agreed rotation with regular stopper Wayne Hennessey, who is out of the first team at Wolves.

Denmark have made five changes from the side that beat Malta 3-0 in their World Cup qualifier last month.

It will also include Premier League stars Thomas Sorensen, of Stoke, Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner and Liverpool's Daniel Agger.