Big men need to ref big games

Even though we lost 1-0 at Chelsea last Sunday, I think for an away performance it was as good as it gets. We defended well, we passed the ball well, our possession was good - we just failed to score.

I said after the Liverpool game that the first goal is absolutely crucial in games against the big four, and although we had the better of the game we failed to get the breakthrough. Chelsea are always a danger at set-pieces because they have some big lads, and John Terry punished us from a free-kick for not taking our chances.

There was some controversy over Terry's goal and I don't think it was a foul by Darren Fletcher which led to the free-kick. Referees are having a tough time at the moment but I must say that their decision-making doesn't seem to be great in the big moments. No one can deny it is very difficult to be a referee, but they are supposed to be professionals.

The big matches should be refereed by the best referees. Italian referee Pierluigi Collina always used to get the big Champions League matches because he rarely made mistakes. They should make it like that in England and use a few elite officials in the big games instead of trying to give all referees experience.

These big games shouldn't be about giving refs experience; they should have to earn it. The best players play for the big clubs and the best commentators commentate on the big games; that's how it should be with refs.

I don't want to say we've been hard done by this season because every team has their complaints, and I don't want to jump on referees' backs because they are under a lot of pressure. Not only that, but the game is so fast that you can't eliminate all mistakes. Nevertheless, I expect the big decisions in the big matches to be correct, which is not happening at the moment.

I don't think there is any doubt that we were the better football team on the day against Chelsea and we deserved at least a draw. But you don't always win when you deserve to; Greece won the European Championship in 2004 without playing well.

Our 4-3-3 formation definitely had an effect on the game. We tightened up in midfield and looked very good in defence - Wes Brown handled Didier Drogba as well as any centre-half I have seen. Michael Carrick, Anderson and Fletcher really stifled Chelsea in midfield and made it very difficult for Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Deco, which was our intention.

I was watching from the sidelines and I thought it was a really good performance, but in terms of the most important part - scoring the goal - we didn't quite manage.

In some ways it can be harder to lose a game like the one at Chelsea, when we played well, than it is to lose a game like the one at Liverpool, when we played badly. It can be very difficult when we lose big games because despite the good performance, obviously something wasn't quite right. But we realise it's a long season; we're five points behind and we have to claw that back quickly.

Premier League Scot free

So it looks like Rangers and Celtic will be staying in Scotland after all, with the Premier League last week voting against proposals to introduce them into a new two-tier competition.

If one day the Old Firm clubs do move into the English league then there is no doubt they would be competitive. They have incredible support with fan bases around the world, and teams with their level of support would definitely be able to compete.

Playing in our league would increase their fan bases, they could increase their ticket prices, attract better players and revenue from merchandising would certainly go up. They could probably even compete with their current squads - they have shown that in Europe over recent seasons.

It would provide an extra dimension if they were to come in. But the Scots are very proud of their own identity, so some of them might see it as selling out if their clubs played in our league.

As an Englishman I don't have any problem with it, we have Welsh teams in our league and we're relaxed about it. But the Scots can be quite tribal and some of them might think it devalues them as people or as a nation.

It would definitely benefit the Premier League as a spectacle if we had some Scottish teams joining us. In Rugby League they have a team from France playing now and it adds a lot of excitement. I think it is inevitable that something will happen with the Scottish teams one day; it's just a case of when.

Over to you

Are you predicting any upsets in the World Cup play-offs? - Ian Debono

I always feel that the big sides will perform when it matters and get through. Even when teams like Portugal and France were struggling in their groups I thought they would qualify, although anything can happen at this stage and if they are not on form they will struggle. But I expect Portugal and France to make it.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com