Dunne urges Villa team-mates to prolong Gunners’ misery

RICHARD DUNNE has challenged his side to re-establish their credentials as a Premier League force today in the lunch-time kick off against Arsenal.

Villa have finished sixth for the past three seasons but a lengthy injury list has left them in mid-table — five points off the top five but also just three points off the relegation zone.

Dunne believes the next few weeks will be crucial in defining which way Villa’s season will go after collecting 10 points from nine games under new manager Gerard Houllier.

“Between now and the end of January, it is important to pick up points because the league will start to spread itself out.

“We want to make sure we are in the higher half of the table and we can then push on to hopefully make another top six or seven finish.

“But, once you get on a run of defeats, it’s really difficult to get out.

“Against Arsenal, we need to put in the same performance as against Manchester United.”

Dunne, deputising as skipper for the injured Stiliyan Petrov and his stand-in Nigel Reo-Coker, admitted: “It’s a game we need to win really, otherwise we could be level with the bottom three.”

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has revealed his surprise at old friend Gerard Houllier’s return to frontline management as the pair prepare to go head to head for the first time in more than six years today.

Houllier had been out of management for more than three years when Aston Villa came calling in September, with the 63-year-old having decided he needed a break following a spell at Lyon.

He also suffered a heart scare while Liverpool boss back in 2001, which needed emergency surgery, and spent five months recovering while assistant Phil Thompson led the side.

While he may have been taken aback by Houllier’s Villa move, Wenger was not surprised to see his friend bring Robert Pires to the midlands club last week.

Pires had been training with former side Arsenal after being released by Villarreal in the summer and despite not re-signing the 37-year-old himself, Wenger was in no doubt he could still do a job in the Premier League.

“I saw what he has been doing in training,” he said.

“He is the type of player who can help any team in the Premier League, just at that age it is important you use him well at the right moment.”

Arsenal know victory in what is the lunchtime kick-off will send them top for the first time this season — something they failed to do last week as they quite incredibly blew a 2-0 half-time lead to lose the north London derby. That was followed by a surprise defeat in Tuesday’s controversial Champions League game at Braga.

Wenger said: “We had two big disappointments but I am confident we will not always lose games where the opponent has no chances and we dominate 90% of the time.

“It’s important we keep in mind what we want to achieve, that we keep belief in what we do and we, as always show great togetherness even after a disappointment like Tuesday night. I am confident we will.”