It was only two years ago that Alan Pardew felt it appropriate to draw close comparisons between Lionel Messi and his own creator-in-chief, Hatem Ben Arfa. It came after a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at St James' Park, on an afternoon when the Frenchman delivered a virtuoso performance, curating both goals for the penalty box predator formerly known as Papiss Cisse. "With the ball at his feet, he's magic," Pardew enthused to the BBC in his post-match address. "As magic as Suarez or Messi at times. We had to work with him to understand exactly what he's about. He has got a special talent, we know he's special." Eight days later Ben Arfa would reinforce the potentially risky sentiments of his manager with a mesmeric solo effort against Bolton, spinning on a pin in the centre circle and gliding 70 yards towards the Gallowgate, evading a flurry of vain, outstretched legs before poking the ball underneath the goalkeeper. A goal bearing all the Messi hallmarks, lauded as "truly special" by Pardew, that underlined the Clairefontaine graduate's raw, natural genius on the football pitch. That now seems a very distant memory given the rapid disintegration of Ben Arfa's relationship with his manager over the course of this season. Despite being the only player left with genuine flair at Pardew's disposal, the 27-year-old has been alienated by the Magpies chief, starting just one of the last 10 Premier League games during a barren 2014 for the club's strike force that has yielded just 10 goals in the calendar year. Ben Arfa has even fallen foul of his teammates, who've come to regard him as a liability on the field this term rather than the match-winner he showed brief glimpses of becoming during his most consistent spell in a Newcastle shirt at the tail end of the 2011/12 season, a period when it looked as though Pardew was preparing to build his side to pivot around his individual talents. Inconsistency and an inability to maintain peak fitness, Newcastle currently feel he is carrying too much weight, have plagued Ben Arfa for the last 18-months and he's gradually lost the trust of Pardew and his colleagues along the way. Consecutive dressing room quarrels between the pair following the defeats to Stoke and Manchester United have left Ben Arfa cutting an isolated figure, with the players said to have made their feelings about his lack of work ethic and reluctance to fulfill his defensive duties clear to the management. We know that Ben Arfa isn't perfect and the task of handling such a complex and nuanced personality is one that few will relish. Pardew has succeed, to a degree, where most managers have fell short during the Frenchman's career and Newcastle have been more than accommodating to his needs, granting permission for him to recuperate from injury in Tunisia or France on several occasions, believing it beneficial to his morale. But it's Pardew's deficiencies when it comes to squeezing the best out of flair players that has contributed most to Ben Arfa's decline, becoming a victim of the ex-Reading, Charlton and West Ham boss' preference for players conditioned to graft for 90 minutes and contribute little in the way of skill. ESPN blogger Marc Duffy's analysis of the situation said it best: "Pardew can barely mention Ben Arfa's name without referring to "work rate" and while it is true that all players must play their part, work rate should not be the be all and end all of every players selection -- if it is, you find yourself scoring only once in nine hours of football." What is clear is that frustration has overcome Ben Arfa, especially after he was singled out for criticism by Pardew in the aftermath of the 4-0 walloping by Tottenham despite his introduction from the bench coming when Newcastle were trailing by two goals. His misery continues to be compounded by being stationed on the right of midfield whenever Pardew calls upon him to be Newcastle's saviour when the chips are stacked against us, a position he excelled in two years ago but one where he has now become painfully predictable and garners constant criticism for neglecting to track back. It's telling that supporters continue to argue his case and chant for his introduction when we're crying out for a dash of inspiration. It is ignorance on Pardew's behalf that he refuses to allow Ben Arfa an extended run in his favoured role - as a no 10 in the hole just behind a striker - and instead overloads him with responsibilities far beyond his jurisdiction on the flanks. It's a counter intuitive strategy that Pardew can't quite grasp. A manager unwilling to change his ideology. Pardew knows Ben Arfa is a player that can turn a match on the spin of a coin. He's had a better vantage point than most during his three years at St James'. Strip back his objectives, send him out with sole focus that will utilise his extraordinary gifts and we might begin witness him influence games to the same devastating effect as he did two years ago. You never know, we might, and whisper this quietly, even hear a few of the Messi comparisons once again if an olive branch is extended in Ben Arfa's direction.
