Robin van Persie feels Arsenal are about to embark on a crucial phase of the season. The Gunners extended their unbeaten run to 12 matches with a resounding 4-1 demolition of AZ Alkmaar at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night to all but secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. With leaders Chelsea and Manchester United - on whom Arsenal have a match in hand - meeting at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening represents a real opportunity for Arsene Wenger's young side to lay down a marker ahead of the international break. "It is a very crucial time for us now," said the Holland striker. Against Wolves, it is a must-win game for us, given that Chelsea and Man United are playing each other. After the break we have Sunderland away and then Chelsea, so it will be a tough month, but I am looking forward to it. We are looking sharp at the moment. Everyone wants to play together and as long as we are enjoying ourselves together we can continue like this."   

 Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan has signed Aston Villa midfielder Isaiah Osbourne on a two-month loan deal. The Birmingham-born 21-year-old, who trained with the Teessiders for the first time on Thursday morning, has made 29 appearances for Villa since earning his senior debut three years ago. Strachan said: "I have known about Isaiah for about a year and he will bring us more strength in the midfield area where we are definitely short on numbers. He's not a flair player, he's what I would call a continuity player, but he will also give us strength, height and get about the pitch."   

 Alex McLeish can empathise with Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez after being in the managerial goldfish bowl at Glasgow Rangers. And McLeish knows Benitez will be aware history and his past achievements will count for nothing with his critics ahead of Monday's Barclays Premier League match between the two clubs at Anfield. The Reds are facing possible elimination from the Champions League after a 1-1 draw in Lyon last night with their destiny now out of their own hands. McLeish said: "I think Rafa Benitez is a smart guy who has been in the game a long time and knows the expectation levels at a club like Liverpool, the same as I did at Rangers. "We are not daft. When you have some results that are against expectations of the fans and what people expect of Liverpool, then you are always going to be under pressure. I was no different with the Rangers job but you have just got to keep your focus, your dignity and keep working as best as you know in the game."   

 Sam Allardyce has spoken of the lengths Rovers go through to ensure their foreigh stars are happy at the club. "We've got a liaison officer to cover all aspects of helping them settle in," said the manager. "You have to look at a complete life change and make sure they're happy. First and foremost I want to know how good their English is. Their partner's also need to speak English. A player at this club who leaves here and drives home and his wife or his partner is miserable then you have got no chance of any success. You have to make sure you look into the whole family scenario and make sure that they're living in the right area, they know where they can shop, the kids are at the right school and they know where the doctor is. I think that is hugely important in terms of foreign players settling into this country as quickly as possible."     

 Gary Megson believes it is time for his former Aston Villa players to deliver on their return to the midlands this weekend. Zat Knight and Gary Cahill will make up the centre-half pairing for Bolton Wanderers as they take on Villa in Saturday's Barclays Premier League match at Villa Park. Both players were recruited by Megson from Villa, with Cahill having already gone back to play with his new club there twice over the last two seasons. On both those occasions it proved a humiliating experience, with Villa winning the fixture 4-0 and 4-2, and Megson hopes that Cahill - and now Knight, who was also shown the door by Martin O'Neill - will feel they have a point to prove on Saturday. "I'm sure they will feel like that - being ex-Villa players they will want to go and put a show on," Megson said. "In the past we've had ex-Villa players like Gavin McCann, Jlloyd Samuel and Gary Cahill who to be perfectly honest, have never done themselves justice when they have gone back to Villa Park. It will be nice if we can go there and the two lads perform in a way that I know they can."   

 Mark Hughes earned his stripes before becoming Manchester City manager, according to Burnley manager Owen Coyle. The teams meet at Eastlands on Saturday, worlds apart in terms of finance and investment. While Hughes has drafted in international stars, thanks to the backing of the Abu Dhabi United Group, Coyle recruited young players. Coyle believes his managerial counterpart, who was previously in charge of Blackburn Rovers and Wales, deserves the chance to prove he can spend huge sums wisely. He said: "Mark is very talented as he has shown. He has got the finance and huge wealth at his disposal. But at times he hasn't. He has worked hard and made his name as he is very good at what he does. He has brought in world class-players and is now trying to get his team to gel."       

 Chelsea appear to have shelved any plans to move from Stamford Bridge after revealing the club would consider naming rights for the stadium. The name Stamford Bridge would be retained in any deal and it is understood Chelsea are looking for a blue-chip partner for a long-term contract between seven and 10 years. New Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: "Retaining the heritage of the stadium is paramount to considering such a move but we think that is achievable, and on that basis we would enter into discussions over naming rights with the right partner for Chelsea," said Gourlay. We understand that this is a sensitive issue for our fans and that is why we would keep the name Stamford Bridge in any deal."    

 Tim Howard has spoken of his special bond with Everton. The former Manchester United goalkeeper, and the USA's number one, says he is content with life at Goodison Park. He said: "I am exactly where I want to be in my career. I am at a stage where I envisaged I would be as a goalkeeper. That doesn't mean there won't be tough days but we all have problems to bear. That is all part of it. You have to take the bumps and the bruises. This is my fourth season and I really feel embedded in the fabric of the club."   

 Manager Roy Hodgson is sweating on the fitness of Damien Duff ahead of this weekend's match with Wigan Athletic.  "It's an injury he has been struggling with for a while," Hodgson said. "It stems from his achilles, but it's a little bit more complicated than that - it is not an out and out achilles injury. He has to work very hard to get it going."

 Nick Barmby says the Hull City players are working hard to ensure under-pressure manager Phil Brown keeps his job. The Tigers have had a poor start to the season and Barmby said: "When results go against you, the manager's job is called into question - and the manager knows that better than anyone. He's accountable for results, but it's up to the players to make sure he stays in a job. He's got broad shoulders and he can take a lot of the stick, but he's the first man to take this club into the top-flight in 104 years and nobody can take that away from him. We certainly want him to stay."   

 Rafael Benitez has admitted star duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard might need surgery to solve the injury problems which have plagued their season. Torres looked a long way from match fitness as Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw in Lyon on Wednesday night which takes their hopes of progress to the Champions League last 16 out of their hands, and Benitez admitted the player is still feeling pain from his groin-related injury. Gerrard missed the match entirely with a similar problem, but surgery will be a last resort for a side in need of a turnaround in fortunes both at home and in Europe, starting against Birmingham City on Monday night. He said: "Fernando played with pain, and after the game he still had the same problems that have troubled him for a few weeks. He wants to wait, rather than have an operation. He wants to work with the physios to try to solve his problems, but still he has pain. He told me he needed to keep stopping during the game because of the pain. Whether there is the need for him or Steven to have an operation is a decision we will probably not take straight away. We must see how they can improve, and by how much. Then we will decide about any possible operation."  

 Mark Hughes is poised to gain one striker but lose another this weekend. Emmanuel Adebayor is set to return to the side for Saturday's Barclays Premier League match at home to Burnley after missing the goalless draw at Birmingham City four days ago with an ankle injury. Club skipper Kolo Toure also seems set to face the Clarets after he joined Adebayor on the sidelines last weekend with a heel problem. However, Roque Santa Cruz is likely to miss the match at Eastlands after sustaining an ankle injury at St Andrew's which forced him off midway through the second half. Hughes said: "Roque hasn't trained since the weekend. He got a really bad bang on his ankle. He's got a lot of blood in and around the area that needs to come out. We need to shift that and we're hopeful he will be able to train tomorrow, but we'll have to wait and see. Ade and Kolo have trained for the last couple of days. They've had a couple of sessions and there was no reaction today from the work yesterday. The feeling is they will be okay for the weekend."   

 Gary Neville has claimed Manchester United's defensive frailties can be explained by their constant changes of personnel. After last season's record-breaking feats, when they kept 14 successive Barclays Premier League clean sheets, United have been strangely vulnerable this term. Tuesday's six-goal Champions League thriller with CSKA Moscow was the second time they have conceded three goals in a match, while their seven shut-outs in all competitions this term represents less than a 50 per cent success rate in keeping the opposition out. Neville accepts there is an issue to address. But he is convinced once Sir Alex Ferguson is able to select a settled back-four again, normal service will be resumed. "We are interchanging the defence too regularly at the moment because of injuries and it has caused us a problem," he said. "We had to change our keeper for the opening two months of the season, then Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have been injured. Before that it was Wes Brown. It means more changes than the manager would like."   

 Paul Hart insists climbing off the foot of the Barclays Premier League is a bigger concern than the threat of swine flu at Blackburn Rovers. Pompey can climb above Sam Allardyce's men with victory on Saturday at Ewood Park, which has been at the centre of a recent outbreak of the virus. Hart said: "When you are working in the close confines of a football club you have to be careful. When things can be carried around you have to be extra careful. We're always conscious of that, and are sending people home if there is anything we think is wrong with them. We take measures. You have to be ahead of the game. Swine flu is serious, of course. Can we catch it from them on Saturday? That's the least of my worries at the moment. Trying to get some points from the Blackburn game is my biggest concern."    

 Defender Danny Collins is hoping to prove his worth with Stoke City after earning recognition with his former club Sunderland. The centre-half was named as the North-East Football Writers Association Player of the Year for 2009 this week for his performances with the Black Cats last term, but Collins insists all his attention is on making a name for himself with his new club. "What's gone on at Sunderland is in the past. This is a new chapter for me and I am a new player for the fans to see," he said. "Hopefully, I can prove myself down here. I feel as though I am starting afresh, but I have settled in pretty well," said Collins. "I have just moved into my house which helps, after spending seven weeks in a hotel."   

 Striker Kenwyne Jones has been fined by the club for his sending-off against West Ham United.  The 25-year-old Trinidad and Tobago international was shown a straight red card for raising his hands to West Ham defender Herita Ilunga during last Saturday's 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw at the Stadium of Light. Manager Steve Bruce said: "That's the disappointing thing of the sending-off, not just dealing with West Ham last week, we have got to go into the next three games without Kenwyne. That's why he has been punished. The club has punished him. We have got a standard disciplinary procedure which comes into effect. It's quite simple, it's there in black and white for them. Kieran Richardson was exactly the same two weeks ago. If you get sent off for two yellow cards or mistimed tackles, that happens, or you are the last man and you may get handballed or something, that happens."        

 Peter Crouch has warned Sunderland they could face a backlash after Harry Redknapp's side lost to rivals Arsenal last weekend. Spurs were humbled at the Emirates Stadium and are desperate to get back on track against Sunderland, who visit White Hart Lane on Saturday for the Barclays Premier League match. "We're looking forward to the next game," Crouch said. "We'll pick ourselves up, we've had a good season so far and can't let that kick us back down because we have enough ability in the dressing room to kick on, starting against Sunderland. We have done fantastically well this season. We've had blips against the big teams but we have enough about us to win the matches that are getting thrown at us - and then we're in with a chance. Other teams are dropping points and if we take advantage of that we'll be right up there where we want to be at the end of the season."

 Goal hero Zavon Hines insists he is ready to take his chance in the first-team after a hamstring injury to Carlton Cole. The 20-year-old grabbed his first goal in the top flight when he pounced in injury time to earn West Ham all three points against Aston Villa. The 2-1 victory, their first home league win of the season, lifted the Hammers out of the bottom three. However, manager Gianfranco Zola is now sweating on the fitness of England striker Cole. He was forced out of the action in the first half but Hines is ready to seize his chance should Cole be sidelined for any length of time. "I am delighted," said Hines. "It's my first Premier League goal so it's a good feeling to get started. Everyone is buzzing to get that first home win. I'm not a superstar, it's all about the team. I'm just really glad we got the win. The manager told me to go and do what I can do and that's what I did. It's just such a good feeling to get the win." 

 Striker Jason Scotland admits he is desperate to score his first Wigan Athletic goal. He said: "I'm hungry for my first goal. Each week goes by without a goal and it makes me hungrier and hungrier. But I have to be patient, keep working hard and believing that it will come. It's important to play for the team and not become obsessed with scoring for my own benefit. That way, when the goal does come it will be to the benefit of the team. The guys have been telling me to be patient and that it will come eventually and, although it gets frustrating at times, as a striker I've got to stay focused and be patient. If you try to rush things and force a goal by shooting on sight, it can be detrimental to the team and ruin your pattern of play."  

 Winger Michael Kightly believes Wolves are beginning to come to terms with the demands of the Barclays Premier League after a trio of positive results. Mick McCarthy's side have shown glimpses of their potential by deservedly sharing the spoils with Everton, Aston Villa and Stoke City. Now they will face another test of their resolve against on-song Arsenal who demolished AZ Alkmaar in the Champions League this week. Kightly said: "Villa and Everton, for instance, are big sides who finished in the top six last season and we drew with them. You need to win games, we need to start getting three points, but we can build on the confidence from those games and being unbeaten in three matches. Everyone knows the Premier League is full of quality players but we have got a good set of lads here and a good staff and a good manager and we feel we can compete. Also, when we're the underdogs, it suits us and I think we can surprise a few people."