WENGER PRAISES HIS THREE MUSKETEERS

The French striker is largely responsible for Arsenal remaining on course for qualification from the competition's initial group stage, after weighing in with two-goal blasts against both Schalke and Panathinaikos.

Now, if Henry is able to repeat his feat against Mallorca, The Gunners could find themselves in a stroong position to make it through to the next round.

"Thierry's confidence is growing," said Wenger. "He believes in his ability to finish, but he is having to get used to the responsibility of being the central striker.

"When you've got that role, people always look at your performance and ask what's happened if you haven't scored.

"I feel, with Thierry, that he wants to convince everybody. That is a positive, because it shows he wants to be the best. It's very demanding, but I feel Thierry looks more mature and less nervous."

Wenger has also been lauding fellow Frenchman Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira, following Zinedine Zidane's overtures that he would love to play alongside the latter in the Real Madrid midfield.

"Patrick has the responsibility now to be the leader of this team. I didn't want to put too much pressure on the leadership aspect," Wenger continued.

"His example is good enough for the team, because the rest will evolve naturally."

And the French coach also believes that Pires has made giant strides in recent months, as he concluded: "Robert took a big step forward at the end of last season and in the Confederations Cup."