sport

GALLAS PUTS MISTAKE BEHIND HIM

Gallas - made error against Fulham.

Arsenal captain William Gallas has no intention of making the same costly defensive mistake again when Newcastle visit Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The veteran Frenchman came in for criticism last weekend in the wake of the defeat at Fulham, where he allowed Norwegian centre-back Brede Hangeland to steal in and strike what proved to be the winning goal from a first-half corner.

However, Gallas, 31, has been honest enough to hold his hands up to the lapse in concentration - but has vowed it is not going to become a regular habit.

"I did not defend very well for the Fulham goal, I am not afraid to admit that," said the Arsenal captain, who was on target himself in the 4-0 Champions League qualifying win over FC Twente on Wednesday night.

"It was my player and I did not do well enough - I made a mistake and I know I have to be close to my player next time.

"It is sometimes good to play every three days because you get the chance to put the last game behind you."

Arsenal returned to winning ways in midweek to secure a place in the group stages of the Champions League when they brushed aside Steve McClaren's FC Twente 4-0 at Emirates Stadium.

Their reward was to be drawn alongside Porto, Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev in Group G - a draw that will see the Gunners undertake a lot of travelling during their pool campaign.

Now Gallas has warned against complacency as the Gunners seek to get this domestic campaign back on track.

"We all know how difficult a Premier League game is - any Premier League game - so we have to fight for it," he said.

"If we think we can just turn up to games and things will be the same as last season, then we are very wrong.

"To have the same results as we had last season, we have to fight in every game."

Gallas added: "We know we can do better and we will have to get better if we want to do the same or more than we did last season.

"We have to work hard until we get there."

Both Gallas and Theo Walcott are minor doubts for the clash with Newcastle with knee problems after the Twente game.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, will continue his quest to bring in another midfielder - which could yet be Feyenoord's £12million-rated Jonathan De Guzman - ahead of the transfer deadline at midnight on Monday,

However, the Arsenal manager admits he may well have to make do with what he has got.

"If we can do it by the end of the deadline we will, if not we will focus on the players we already have here," he said.

"But there is no certainty that we will get someone."