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WENGER CALLS FOR BELIEF

Wenger - believes in his players.

Arsene Wenger maintains his Arsenal squad must continue to have belief in their own ability - even if critics have already written them off as also-rans.

The Gunners gave the perfect response to talk of a crisis when they thrashed Steve McClaren's FC Twente side at Emirates Stadium in midweek to book their place in the Champions League group stages once again.

After defeat at Fulham in their previous Barclays Premier League outing, Wenger will now aim to get the domestic challenge back up and running when Newcastle visit for the early-evening kick-off.

"We have to be strong enough to keep our belief, even if all of our environment does not believe in us," he said.

"On what we achieved last year and with what happened to us, we can have a very strong belief."

Wenger insists he is not worried about any questions over the direction in which he continues to drive the club following the first barren spell since he arrived at Highbury a decade ago and transformed the Gunners' fortunes.

"I know what I want to achieve and how strong my belief is in my players - after everyone can have an opinion," he said.

"For me success is consistency. The most important thing to achieve in the game is to be consistent at the top level and you move forward in the way you play, in your results.

"At the moment, we have to swim a bit against the stream as we get only negative vibes."

Arsenal have no fresh injury worries ahead of this afternoon's match, when Wenger is likely to rotate his squad - which could mean a return to the starting line-up for Emmanuel Adebayor, who was relegated to the bench against Twente.

The Togo striker could have left the Emirates Stadium in the summer and secured himself a lucrative move to AC Milan.

Instead, Adebayor - who smashed 30 goals last season - eventually signed a new, improved deal to stay with Arsenal.

Although the 24-year-old remains the target for some of the boo-boys among Arsenal fans, Wenger maintains it is all now water under the bridge.

He said: "His transfer saga - and the fact he was wanted by all the clubs in Europe - was not down to him. It was down to his performances. In the end he chose to stay here so why should it turn against him?

"We have to be realistic. When a player like that is wanted, it is as well an honour for Arsenal. The fact that he has decided to stay is an honour as well. And the fact that he made financial sacrifices is an honour again.

"If he made some mistakes, they were PR mistakes maybe. But I like it when a football player is not 'PR' because, when they are, they always have the right behaviour outside and the wrong inside. I prefer the reverse situation.

"In Adebayor's case, he made maybe a little PR mistake. But, for what is really important - the way he practised, the way he worked, the way he behaved on a daily basis - it is credit to him. And I think we have to be intelligent enough, the fans as well, to support him."

There was more positive news on the rehabilitation of Croatia forward Eduardo, who has been out since suffering a broken fibula and dislocated ankle at Birmingham on February 23.

Wenger said: "Eduardo is progressing amazingly quickly, and should be ahead of schedule."