Cronky

He's not had the greatest of seasons, and his faults are glaring, but Rooney is probably my favourite. After him, Modric - a little matador who can create something from nothing. I can't pick a Man City or Chelsea player, because of what their clubs stand for. It clouds the way I view their players.

He could do with practising crossing with his left foot. Defenders show him inside a lot, safe in the knowledge that he's very one-footed and won't attempt a cross or shot. If his only trick is getting to the by-line on the outside, he's too easy to stop. However, yesterday he looked a bit more positive than I'd previously seen him, at least in the first half.

He grew in confidence as the game went on. He looked nervy at times and needs to play with more aggression. Hopefully that'll come, because he's got the strength and the skill to do very well. And I don't know why he's ended up as a left back. He looks quite one-footed and it ain't his left.

It was a game that showed us where we've got to in our development. Whilst we were unlucky in the first half, we needed to step our game up a bit in the second half and try something different, but we were stuck in a pattern that yielded fewer and fewer chances. The big difference between us and the teams ahead of us is that when we're in possession but put under pressure, too often the ball goes backward. As a result, some of our build-up was too slow. The better teams can take advantage of being closed down by moving the ball forward into the spaces that the opposition have left. I'd hoped that Ben Arfa and Marveaux would add that to the side, but obviously for different reasons that's not happened. Something to work on, but no need to get despondent.

Unlucky not to be ahead. Obertan has seen a lot of the ball. One of those crosses is going to end up with the right man in the right position.

Only Dennis-style scouting, but I wasn't impressed by Maiga. Giroud on the other hand... scrummy. What a leap the bloke has got on him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/16/joey-barton-noam-chomsky That piece is one gigantic fail.

That's right because Ronaldo never dictated the game when he played for Man Utd. Still think that part of the reason why Messi does so well is because he plays in a team built around him. Until he proves that he can play at the same level either for Argentina or for another club team, there will alway be that nagging doubt of how good he really is and rightfully so. He hasn't dictated a game for nigh on 3 years, he's regressed completely in that sense. Difference between Messi and Ronaldo is footballing brain, pure and simple. There's also a big difference in the way they're able to run with the ball at speed. Messi has a low centre of gravity and quick feet and is always close to the ball, changing pace and direction in a split second. Ronaldo has a longer stride and is more upright, prodding the ball forward and then moving after it. Ronaldo is a great athlete and his style is often devastating against a moderate or poor side. Messi on the other hand can create havoc against any side, in all sorts of situations. The run he made to set up the first goal was incredible, unique to him.

Really enjoyed the game. Two contrasting sides and the result could have gone either way. I thought Iniesta, even by his own high standards, was brilliant.

Dodgy defence, as expected. We need young Tim to play a blinder.

Don't agree with this theory. We should be pushing on as much as possible in every game so we are in a even better position to push on even more next season. I feel it's more complex than that. In order to push on further down the line, you have to give younger, talented players a chance, and that involves a bit of risk in the short term. There's a balance to be struck. It just seems to me that we're not in danger of relegation and a top five place or Cup win is unrealistic. If you're battling on one of those fronts, there's pressure to maintain the status quo. If we're not under those pressures, we can afford a risk or two. The prime example is with Ryan Taylor, because up until now it's been difficult to drop him. He's struggling in the present and he's certainly not one for the future, but Pardew hasn't wanted to risk interrupting the momentum of our good run. However, at some stage that particular nettle has to be grasped and we should perhaps take the opportunity in what is likely to a largely pressure-free season.

We could look at the current injury crisis another way. We've got a nest egg of 26 points. 5 more wins from the next 24 games should see us safe. We can afford to take the risk of using this season to blood a few younger players with a view to pushing on next season.

If I was to make a criticism, I'd say he's been on the conservative side when it comes to making a change. Inevitably, if you're the one whose arse is on the line, you might not be quite as bold as many of the fans would like you to be. Most of the time, the conservative choice is probably the right one anyway. But just occasionally I'd have liked to see him take more of a chance - eg I felt he was a bit slow in promoting Krul over Harper, and Marveaux was held back from the first team a lot.

He had a decent enough record, but I thought the situation would defeat him, or anyone else for that matter - taking over from a sacked manager who'd been popular with players and fans, and being the first choice of an unpopular owner. Lots of pressure, and I occasionally wonder how things might have turned out if we hadn't beaten Liverpool in his first game. But we did, and here we are.

AVB is beginning to sound like a wally.

Not sure it's as simple as that though. We want him to unlock defences, what if he's giving the average pass too often and misses the chance to develop the play and make the killer one? I guess I'm talking about striking the right balance between shifting the ball on quickly, which can have the advantage of keeping a defence off-balance, and keeping hold, with a view to beating the man or finding the killer ball. I felt on Saturday that, at times, he passed up the opportunity to play a quick ball that would still keep the defence on its toes, in order to look for something more threatening. It didn't seem to work, because his team-mates then seemed unsure when or if he was going to release the ball, and the defence had time to get set. I think it can be a problem for players like HBA, who can get past opponents in ways that other players can't. It's almost like they end up with too many options. I know that Wenger always monitors how long each of his players keep hold of the ball on average. He wants them to shift it on quickly and maintain the rhythm of an attack. HBA loves to keep hold of the ball and find the one killer ball, and it's something he needs to adjust in his game. Situations will arise where he can use his special skill at beating his man (eg against Man City, when he hit the post), and he needs to be a bit more patient.

There were one or two occasions yesterday when I felt that a decent pass was available to him, but he hung on to the ball that bit longer, looking for the absolute killer ball. It disrupted the rhythm of our attack. I'm not talking about knocking it backwards or sideways just to keep possession. It's great that he has his head up and looks to thread the ball forward. But he seemed reluctant to settle for the only moderately positive pass, if you get my drift. That's something in his head that he needs to sort out.

A key player in what I think was probably the greatest national team that I've seen. Very sad to hear about another premature death.

I noticed Big Al was missing from the Match of the Day studio, and from the line-up of football people who paid tribute to Gary in a montage before Sky's coverage of the Chelsea game. I wonder if he's taken it really badly, and has had to take himself away for a while.

There's been such genuine warmth shown towards the guy, and such shock and grief at what happened. Gary, why did you do it? It seems that you had lots to live for, and plenty to give.

Yeah, I can only think that the ref thought that Cech would get to the ball before Ba. It seems a clear mistake, but maybe from the angle that the ref was looking, it was difficult to judge. The benefit of his doubt went to the defender, but maybe if it had been later in the match he'd have been a bit braver. Trying to be Mr Reasonable here. Maybe the law needs clarifying, because regardless of whether Ba would have got there first, I'm quite sure that Luiz's mindset was that he was through on goal and had to be stopped.

Chelsea didn't have as good a record as Spurs or Arsenal, but it was often said pre-Abramovich that they had the potential to be really big. They are by far the biggest club in South and West London, and could establish a dominant position in those areas.

Krul 9 - We've come to expect excellence as standard. Simpson 5 - Occasional decent moments, but radiates fear whenever the ball goes near him. Taylor 7.5 - Has really matured as a defender over the last year. Colo 7 - Decent display. Raylor 4 - Not his fault, but continually gets found out for a lack of pace and strength. Obertan 3 - I'm really disappointed in him, because I thought he'd be a good buy. Seemed to bottle one or two challenges, as per. Cabaye 7 - Did well under pressure. Guthrie 7 - Occasionally got found out, but always played with spirit and no little skill. Lovenkrands 6 - Surprisingly, had a few threatening moments. Ba 7 - Decent all round performance. I just wish he was a bit quicker. Ben Arfa 4.5 - Seemed to be playing in his own world. A game to forget. Shola 7.5 - Had an excellent impact. Perch 7 - Did well, considering he was coming into a difficult situation. The most convincing performance I've seen from him. Sammy 6 - Not everything came off, but the talent and drive is there.

Our shape looked a lot better when HBA came off. It looked like his team-mates had no idea when or where he was going to release the ball.

On a positive note, our heads never went down and I'm glad the crowd recognised that at the end. Perch and Shola did well when they came on.