People go on about how much players earn in the Premier League but once you've bought a nice house and car, what else is there to spend it on?

In the past, you would have been classed as a sweeper if you were put in the middle of a three-man defence.

Managers can make themselves look strong by selling or dropping players, but if the move doesn't work, the choice looks flawed.

Nobody in football wants to receive sympathy.

Arsene Wenger is a legend in the English game.

The two managers I worked under longest are Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez. I have so much respect for the two of them.

If you'd asked me at the start of my career I would have said I was going to be a manager. I may still be in future, but there seemed to be an expectation it was a natural progression for me.

I always thought just because I love football, it doesn't necessarily mean I'm desperate to manage.

When Robben joined Chelsea in 2004 nobody realised how good he was. He was seen as an excellent player rather than a world-class one, and he suffered a lot with injuries. In the years since, he has elevated his game.

Without Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, we would discuss Robben more often and with more appreciation.

Robben is truly world class, proving himself at the highest level in England, Spain, Germany and on the international stage.

If I'm reading a book by a footballer I don't want to read about games, how he scored or played well. People want to read what you thought, not what happened.

It's all about winning trophies really.

There's one thing I've never seen in a paper. Jamie Carragher linked with this or that club.

We have all come to agree the modern players cannot be one-trick ponies, and we are especially critical of those who do not consistently produce in the biggest games.

The reason Ozil has as many detractors as supporters is he is a bit of an anomaly - an elegant, skilful footballer who at his best evokes memories of the great number 10s from the past, but sometimes looks unsuited to the extra demands of a changing game at the very top.

The top coaches want wide strikers who cut inside. They want playmaking midfielders who can play between the lines as well as perform their defensive duties.

Has there ever been a Premier League star splitting opinion more than Mesut Ozil?

I've seen plenty of young lads elevated into the senior squad acting like they have made it.

For the life of me, I'll never understand why the teams that have the best defences get criticised. Shouldn't clean sheets be a badge of honour for defenders and goalkeepers?

I was an Evertonian as a kid, but I've never hated Man United. I've always had respect for them.

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was always bemused by our enthusiasm for tackling, because he saw it as the last resort.

In knockout football, it's one bad game and you're out.

I want to be a manager, it wouldn't scare me, but I also think you could be sacked in six months and you'd have to take the kids back to school with your tail between your legs.