LONDON: Luiz Felipe Scolari read the riot act to his Chelsea under-performers in a stormy club meeting on Tuesday.

Liverpool's Rafael Benitez had to reassure captain Steven Gerrard his squad place was safe after the midfielder was charged with assault.

And Alex Ferguson wants to send Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo back home to Portugal for a break as the winger threatens to lose the plot.

Not the ideal way for three of the Big Four clubs to usher in the New Year.

Arsene Wenger can afford a wry smile. His biggest worry is how to reinforce an injury-ravaged Arsenal team during this month's transfer window.

He has made an £8 million (S$17.5 million) bid for Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given, and will test Everton by offering £12 million for playmaker Mikel Arteta.

Scolari is also desperate for new players, especially a striker - preferably the £25-million Luis Fabiano from Sevilla.

And he wants showdown talks with owner Roman Abramovich, who has lost a significant part of his fortune to the financial crisis. One report even said that the Russian billionaire is deciding between selling the club or his £200 million mega-yacht, Pelorus.

Scolari has already been told he will have to sell to buy, and that could mean exits for defender Alex, French winger Florent Malouda and striker Didier Drogba, who is unwanted by teammates.

In the inquest following Sunday's poor 2-2 draw with Fulham, key players singled the Ivorian out after he criticised Scolari's decision to bench him following his return from a coin-throwing ban.

Drogba also claimed Chelsea did nothing for him when his grandmother died in June, but one squad member told him he was 'talking b******t' as the Blues hired a private jet to fly him to the Ivory Coast, the Daily Mail reported. Many in the team believe he is the main cause of disharmony and want him out.

'Before we went to training, we had a good team meeting,' was how Scolari described the heated team talk.

Furious at Chelsea's recent lapses, he also demanded that stars like Petr Cech, Michael Ballack and Deco get no rest when they face League One minnows Southend in the FA Cup on Saturday.

But Liverpool's Gerrard can expect to be kept out of the public eye for his side's clash at Preston, after he and a few friends allegedly sent a DJ to hospital for not playing a song he requested.

A dejected Gerrard, who faces up to five years in jail, was grateful for Benitez's call, in which he promised the club's full support. He also received text messages from England players David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, telling him to 'keep your chin up'.

While Gerrard's problems are off the pitch, Ferguson is getting increasingly worried about Ronaldo's on-pitch indiscipline, reported The Times.

He has been involved in a series of spats with opponents - the latest coming on Monday, when he squared up to Emanuel Pogatetz at half-time during United's 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.

Ronaldo's form has also dipped.

Last season, he scored a goal every 89 minutes in the League. This season, he has scored just eight times - one every 154 minutes. His crossing is less accurate and his dribbles less effective.

Which is why Ferguson is considering letting him recharge his batteries in Portugal and return in time for the League showdown with Chelsea on Jan 11.