Arsenal captain William Gallas has questioned the ability of his team-mates to meet the demands required to challenge for the Premier League title, and has revealed the rifts in the dressing-room that are threatening to derail Arsenal's season.

"We have to understand that to be champions, you have to play big matches every weekend and fight," Gallas said. "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 are not brave enough in battle. I think we need to be soldiers. We have to be warriors. There are teams who can do it well against us, and we have to be able to face up to these attacks. That is how they will forge their character, and how they will get experience. Even though they've played a certain number of matches, they're still young and still learning."

Gallas, who was widely criticised for his actions last season when he threw a tantrum on the pitch after Arsenal conceded a last-minute penalty at Birmingham, said that incident, and the fact that he is captain, means he is now bearing the brunt of the criticism the side is receiving, even though he believes there are others in the squad who are more culpable.

"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.

"I am trying to defend myself a bit without giving names. Otherwise I'm taking it all [the blame]. It's very frustrating," he said. "I'm 31, the player is six years younger than me."

The Frenchman revealed that frictions in the dressing-room are spilling over on to the pitch, and that he was required to step in and solve a dispute at half-time during the recent 4-4 draw with Tottenham. "There was a problem at half-time," Gallas said. "The only thing that I could say was 'Guys, we resolve these problems after the match, not at half-time.'"

Gallas claims he is desperate to win silverware this season, and that despite the four defeats Arsenal have already suffered this season, they can challenge for the Premier League title.

"I have to win something this year. I have to win something, Arsenal has to win something," Gallas said. "Four defeats is a lot, but it's a long season. I think it will be very tight this year and we will have to hope that Chelsea draw a few games and have a few defeats."