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Cristiano Ronaldo: Needs protection.

Hitting out at the rise of rash challenges in the Premier League of late, Wenger singled out the Manchester United star as a player who receives rough treatment, sometimes due to his "provocative" behaviour.

But the Arsenal boss wants to see an end to rough house tactics and has called for players who make bad tackles to get bans of more than 10 matches.

"Every bad tackle that is not punished I feel is not right," Wenger said when asked about Alan Smith's two-footed challenge on Ronaldo during Wednesday night's Premier League match against Newcastle United at St James's Park.

But Wenger added: "With Manchester United I am a bit cautious because sometimes I feel they get too much protection and sometimes they don't get enough. Ronaldo is a specific example of that. Sometimes his arrogance is provocative - and his class as well."

"But when a player is not protected it's not right. When there is a bad tackle you have to be punished and get sent off the pitch."

Wigan Athletic's Lee Cattermole saw red on Wednesday night for a lunge at Scott Parker, while Everton confirmed on Thursday that Victor Anichebe will miss the rest of the season as a result of a Kevin Nolan tackle on January 22.

Wenger wants to see longer bans of up to 10 matches introduced for guilty players, claiming three matches is not enough when the victims can be sidelined for so long.

"They could create a special committee to analyse if three [games' suspension] is enough or not," he said. "I feel in some tackles 10 games is not enough."

"An accident can happen when two people go for the ball but it is very rare. What I see is that guys go into the tackle to hurt the player. There is not sufficient punishment."

Premier League managers David Moyes and Harry Redknapp have backed Wenger's call for greater scrutiny on dangerous tackles.

Everton boss Moyes, who has lost Anichebe for the rest of the season, said: "Certain things need to be looked closer at. I have not been happy for a while with some of the FA decisions and the people making those decisions.

"Maybe a panel is needed, or a group of people, who can look at certain things.

"Certainly we want to wipe out bad challenges like the one that has ended Victor Anichebe's season. We should be looking into such serious challenges, it did a lot of damage.''

Anichebe has had an operation to repair ligament and cartilage damage this week.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Redknapp believes the panel could also put right any injustices that occur.

He added: "Maybe we should have a panel looking at each sending-off. The Carlton Cole sending off was diabolical, the kid has put his foot up to pull a ball down and a player got across him. How can that be a second yellow card and a sending-off? There is nothing malicious about that, he didn't even know the player was coming.

"People have to look at that and say it's a crazy sending-off and should be rescinded. Other tackles when people are going over the top of the ball and are violent, maybe we could do with more than three matches for that type of tackle.''