Can WAGs and team rankings provide reliable statistics?

Let me set one thing straight: I deal in stats -- cold, objective data. Anything you can think to track about a sport, I find interesting. I'm not talking about just the basics, such as how many passes were completed or who scored and assisted. I'm talking about the nitty-gritty, the kind of information you can't believe found its way onto paper. For example, Ronaldo hasn't scored (a goal) since his girlfriend, Irina Shayk, pictured more modestly here, landed the SI Swimsuit cover. Has his mind been too preoccupied for his body to perform on the pitch? I'll let you decide, but it certainly adds a story to the mix. And it's something that can be tracked.

Nothing delights me more than to think I have an original idea. I started a blog, Yahoo Fantasy Football Stats, because I couldn't find a site that covered the info I wanted. And with my passion for stats, I found ways to extract data from data sets, to highlight some arcane matter in hopes of finding perfection, that ever elusive correlation coefficient of 1.00. A stat I find unique to my site that has shown some fascinating patterns is team performance against other teams ranked whatever: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20. The implications of this one stat could influence casual fans, fantasy football managers, and gamblers alike.

Take Barcelona and their performance across the season. Now that their home winning steak is over, where are you supposed to turn for certainty, insofar as stats may be able to provide it? Would it surprise you to learn that Barca have won every match, home or away, against opposition not ranked 11-15? It's true, the three times they have slipped up this season, they've done so to teams ranked 11-15, losing at home to no. 14 Hercules in week 2, drawing at home to no. 11 Mallorca in week 6, and drawing away at no. 13 Sporting Gijon in week 23.

Coincidence, perhaps? Could be. But take a look at some other coincidences, if so:

- Athletic Bilbao have earned just 1 win but 6 losses against opponents ranked 1-5; 2 wins, 2 losses against those 6-10; 5 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses against those 11-15; and 4 wins and 1 draw against those 16-20. The results form a clear-cut pattern of wins, draws, and losses.
- Atlético Madrid are 0-1-5 (W-D-L) against opponents 1-5.
- Espanyol have lost all five matches against opponents 1-5, but have won all six against those 6-10.
- Mallorca buck the trend against opponents 1-5, with a fairly even and respectable 3-2-3 record. But against those 6-10, they're 0-0-4.
- Real Madrid remain perfect against one set of opponents, those ranked 6-10: 9-0-0.
- Real Sociedad against opponents 1-5: 0-0-5.
- Sporting Gijon have not won a match against the lowest-ranked set of opponents, 16-20, earning 3 draws and 1 loss. Against the next highest group, 11-15, they're 1-4-1. So why might Gijon be flirting with relegation? Answer: They can't put away teams in the bottom half of the table!

The same trends occur in the English Premier League, the other league I track. Some notable results:

- Arsenal appear to struggle with opponents ranked 6-10, with a pedestrian 2-3-3 record, but they look stellar against bottom dwellers, winning 8 and drawing 1, with 0 losses.
- Chelsea have earned just 1 win in four matches against opponents 11-15.
- Fulham have lost only one match all season to a team ranked 6-10, 11-15, or 16-20. In other words, they're rubbish against the top quarter of the table, with an 0-4-5 record.
- Liverpool have the opposite problem and have lost merely once to opponents 1-5 or 6-10. They struggle with the bottom bracket of teams, apparent again recently versus West Ham, with a 2-2-4 record.
- Man City have earned 22 of 24 points against opponents 6-10.
- Man U's record against top-five oppositions, in order: WDWDW. I'd say they're in for a draw against Chelsea. Any takers?
- Tottenham, like Liverpool, struggle with bottom teams -- they're 1-1-3. But against opponents 6-10, they're the bullies of the schoolyard: 7-2-0.
- West Brom have 0 wins in eight matches against opponents 16-20, with an 0-4-4 record. Their companions in misery, Wolverhampton Wanderers, have fared about as well against the same set of opponents, with an 0-3-3 record. Are these abysmal records foreboding, in terms of the teams' prospects of avoiding relegation?

Why don't professional sports journalists track these data, if they're so useful? My guess is that it has to do with the fluctuating nature of the rankings, and to be fair, I should point out that I base rank on how things stand prior to the first match of a game week. To the skeptics out there, I will say that it's true, sometimes a team's performance against a certain set of opponents yields a hodgepodge of results. Case in point: Deportivo's record against opponents 16-20 is 2 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses. But this only serves to illustrate the shortcomings of blind devotion to any one statistic. If Deportivo were coming up against a bottom-quarter team, how would I make a call? This is where other stats -- goal differential, home/away record of each team, last five results, and more -- come into consideration, providing a composite correlation that casts a metaphoric stone into one pan or the other . As a season plays out, the stats grow more reliable. Or at least, that's what any responsible stats-tracker goes for, picking up threads along the way and dropping others as they become less promising. For now, I'll let the jury be out on WAGs' influence on scoring (or defending), the impact of shooting a work-placement student, and the many other bizarre elements of football. One way or the other, you can be sure it won't stop me from taking note.

Champions League: Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona

It was an evenly matched affair between two squads that hold firm to the ideal that football should be played with the ball at the feet, with joy in the heart, and not just with fire in the gut. It was an uncharacteristically gutsy performance by Arsenal, who usually fall short in big matches, but they were up against Pep Guardiola's blaugrana, so it looked to be an open, end-to-end match with little for Sports Betting between them. It was.

The Gunners came out pressuring, playing a high-line, and it worked for a time, but you sensed that Barcelona were taking control of the match and measuring the linesmen for those elusive calls as Arsenal were playing a dangerous game with the offside trap. David Villa squirmed through after Lionel Messi drove two Arsenal defenders away from the attack, found el guaje and the Asturian efficiently found the net between the Arsenal keeper's legs. It could have 0-2, should have been actually, considering Djourou handled the ball, Villa shot and the ball was headed in by a diving Lionel Messi. Inexplicably, the linesman's flag was up and Arsenal escaped with the scoreline manageable. 

You can then talk about Arsenal beating Barcelona at their own game in the second half. Not true. They played pure, Arsenal football and they beat Barcelona with their main strength and one of Barcelona's few weaknesses: they attacked with pace in numbers. Both the Robin Van Persie goal and the Arshavin goal were started by Barcelona gaffes in their own area. The blaugrana looked slow and very ordinary on the ball. Could it have been, as reported, that Barcelona did not train in London the day before the game and might have been less than sharp. Looked it to me. Messi while instrumental to the Barcelona attack as a provider, looked rather human in front of goal missing two obvious chances.

Still, all it means is that Barcelona still have the edge coming home to the Camp Nou. The important away goal is key. If they get a 1-0 edge at home. They go through.

The Torres Saga: Who's the real winner ?

Having allowed the dust to settle or my emotions to be more appropriate, I thought now would be a better time to write my views on all things Fernando Torres. I could have spent the last 2 weeks commenting on various articles some good and some not so good. But I thought that a response this way would help people understand the situation much better. Unfortunately a lot that I have read could have been separated into people who follow and write about Liverpool daily and people who write about them every-now and then.

I was as surprised as anyone when Fernando Torres made it clear he wanted to talk to Chelsea. The fans were upset and rightly so, the Spaniard had been brought into the family at Anfield and his wish to join an arch rival was unforgivable to the Kop faithful. Outsiders have criticised Liverpool fans after all he was born in Madrid and has never made a secret of his love of his first club Atletico. You only ever support and love one club ! If he can leave them he can leave anyone. Whilst this is true he didn't have to spend his three and a half years on Merseyside talking as if he did love Liverpool just as much. Frequent comments and interviews talked about the similarities he found between the two teams, talk of only ever playing for one English club came up. If as fans we are stupid for believing a player that has been deemed a nice and genuine bloke by many that have interviewed him then I'm as guilty as the next man. Once bitten twice as shy.

Could you really blame him though, the evil that was George Gillett and Tom Hicks had lied to Fernando. This wasn't the club he had signed for, promises had been broken. But they had also been telling lies to the fans and they weren't receiving £100,000+ a week for their troubles they were still having to pay out there hard-earned money to watch the club. From the summer of 2008 just a year after he had signed till the end of the last summer transfer window the cowboys had a net spend of minus £10.35 million that's the proper spending not the fantasy talk that Andy Gray and Martin Keown would have you believe. Having also acquired regular large sums of money from qualifying for the Champions League in the previous 5 years and they went on to do so again that season finishing 2nd. Throughout 5 transfer windows over 2 years they had made a profit but were still expected to close the gap on more established rivals and others with more financial backing in order to compete for the league and Champions League positions. With the sales of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, El Niño felt that the club was going backwards. Of course it was, selling players of a high-class calibre and having to bring in replacements for a fraction of the price. The number one aim was to cover the debt repayments and not win trophies. Rafa Benitez has received a lot of criticism in the press, injuries in his last 12 months at the club the worst in his 6 years, left Liverpool 7th. The players that were brought in weren't bad players and were very good value as many are showing now but the English media had there scapegoat and they were sticking with him. Top 4 finishes were expected on bottom 4 budgets.

Having spoken to a journalist as this was unfolding he said to me that Torres had asked Man City in the summer of 2009 to come back in for him the following summer. That summer Liverpool had finished 2nd but it was obvious to him inside the club that things were on the slide. Many have said that his body language and lack of form in the last 6 months indicated he has wanted out for a while. Since when the likes of Jamie Redknapp found time to study body language remains unknown, I thought body language was a very difficult subject to master but all of a sudden everyone's an expert. Players body language changes regularly through out a game depending on whether the play falls for them or not, that's just human emotion. Some only break into a wry smile when they score. The only times you would see a happy Torres was when he was scoring goals, the fact that Fernando is a quiet lad would emphasise this all the more. How often did Eric Cantona or now Dimitar Berbatov operate on the pitch with a Cheshire grin. That is not to say he didn't look disheartened at times but so would you forced to chase endless long balls like a headless chicken. Having been injured at the end of last season and played through the World Cup not fully fit it was always going to take time for Liverpool's number 9 to get up and running, the lack of a proper pre-season for the third season was bound to take its toll.

Then came Roy Hodgson, a lack of effort was blamed by many on the striker, but tactics so poorly suited to him and the team more than showed. Long ball after long ball was pumped either into the air for the lone front man to try to win or regular punts down the line to run after. When two were played upfront the lack of one to drop off and link up the play happened all to often. With Liverpool sitting back and not keeping possession the lack of support for Torres was very apparent. It was all very Sunday League. In 21 games Torres scored 6 goals that's 0.28 goals per game (gpg). Enter King Kenny and a return to the high pressing and passing game of the Rafa years. Balls played on the floor past the defence to run on to and passes to feet. The forward scored 3 goals in 5 games (0.6 gpg) and hit the woodwork twice.

The timing of his move to Chelsea has been the one that has upset the Liverpool fans the most. He was not allowed to leave last summer whilst the sale process of the club was taking place. But many felt with new owners and a new manager that understands the club, things were on the up. But clearly Torres feels he hasn't got the time to wait. The timing has a lot to do with Chelsea after all it was them that made the late bid ensuring that Man City had already made their striker move in the transfer window bringing in Edin Dzeko. But could things have not waited till the summer ? Not in Abramovich's eyes or Torres's who see this as a chance to win the Champions League this season. The leaving of Fernando Torres was more about the player as a symbol of the club than the actual player himself, everyone has a price. For a player that turns 27 next month with a history of muscle problems, £50 million is a massive gamble. History shows players that rely on their pace but played heavily when younger rarely have much impact entering there 30's. Michael Owen was 25 in 2005 when Newcastle paid £16 million for him 4 years later he left for nothing having only played 71 times. Ronaldo was 30 when he left Real Madrid in 2007 he played just 20 times for AC Milan in 18 months.


Was Chelsea a good move ? Well only time will tell but joining a club that will need heavy investment in the near future due to an ageing squad is perhaps not the wisest. Financial Fair Play rules will ensure that this isn't the start of another mass spending spree for the London side. Tactically it doesn't make much sense either Torres has always performed better as a lone striker, trying to fit him and Didier Drogba into the same side won't be an easy task. To get the best out of Torres the team needs to be built round him as it was at Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. Are Torres best years behind him anyway ? Will he ever hit the heights that he did under Rafa Benitez ? 72 goals in 116 games (0.62 gpg) under Rafa was due to a number of reasons, a player at his peak, tactics suited to his style of play and a manager that provided in-depth analysis on opposing defenders. One of Rafa's strongest points is his ability to get the best out of pacy striker just ask Samuel Eto. Rafa's time at Inter might not have been his finest moment but the Cameroon striker returned to the goalscoring form that we had previously seen at Barcelona. Could Rafa be the next Chelsea manager as some have suggested. Well if he is that won't be because of Fernando Torres who was reported to have been one of the senior players happy to see the back of him at Liverpool.

Some have said that spending £50 million on a world-class striker is no more short-term than spending £35 million on an unproven striker on the last day of the transfer window. But this is ignoring obvious factors. I had heard from a journalist that Newcastle had agreed a fee on the Friday for £25 million in principle. Mike Ashley difficult to deal with ? Who would have thought. However as this can't be proved here are the other factors. Andy Carroll is a 22-year-old English striker with potential that has not been seen in an English forward for a while, well since Manchester United paid £27 million for an unproven Wayne Rooney in 2004. Taking into consideration inflation I don't remember to many criticising that deal. With rules changing for more homegrown players to be included into squads, English players will continue to be more expensive than there foreign counterparts. The sell on factor is a big influence for John Henry and his gang. In 3 years time both Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez will still be able to command fees for in the region of which they were brought. Will Torres at 30 years old ?


Why couldn't Liverpool not just save the money until the summer where better value could have been found ? Well from this summer Financial Fair Play rules will start to be taken into consideration. Teams will only be able to spend what they have earned in revenue or what they have earned from player sales. Having been in communication with the excellent Swiss Ramble, I am now aware that both Chelsea and Liverpool like all clubs will have there transfer fees amortised meaning that the transfer fee and wages will be added up and divided by the length of there contracts. This will show up on there accounts for the length of Torres, Carroll and Suarez's stay at there respective clubs which if contracts are seen out is the next 5 and a half years. It would have perhaps been better from a financial aspect for Liverpool to have waited, however the criticism the new owners would have taken from the media and the fans meant that immediate action was required. Both in selling a player that could potentially disrupt the dressing room and in buying a replacement. Had they not brought Andy Carroll they would have been labelled the same as the previous owners, selling one of the best players without adequate replacements.

The deal was best for all parties in the end but would he have been better at Man City ?

Well as a side that is still tactically evolving with younger players, then it might have suited him better. The 4-3-3 system that Roberto Mancini operates would have suited him as the lone striker, perhaps with Tevez and Silva playing off him. In 18 months time it's debatable what the difference between Liverpool and Chelsea will be. The gap is a lot more likely to be bigger between them and Man City than it is between the two of them, as City have invested heavily in the last 3 years to put there future on a stronger plane. Both on and off the pitch David Silva would have made things easier for Fernando. But Chelsea are in the Champions League now !
The short-term thinking suggests that Torres himself knows he may not be at his highest level in 3 years time it was now or never. A certain other fast striker left Liverpool in 2004 at the end of a transfer window. Stating he wanted to win the Champions League and Premiership. That season Liverpool won the European Cup for a 5th time. Since then he has had continued injury problems and only has a Carling cup to his name. He will probably secure a Premiership trophy this season but at 31 years old and only a bit part player will he really feel he has a) deserved it or b) even have played enough games to qualify for a medal. One thing that did stand out as the world-class Spanish striker arrived at Chelsea 15 or so fans were their to greet him. Meanwhile at Melwood in the region of a hundred supporters, mobbed and chanted songs at their new unproven number 9.

Would a trophy for Fernando Torres at Chelsea or even Liverpool mean as much as one for Atletico Madrid who last season won the Europa League ?

The Most Expensive Spanish Player Transfers of All Time

In honor of the 2011 Winter Transfer Market, I thought that I would do some anoraking and find out who are the most expensive Spanish Player transfers ever. Some of them are the well know Spanish Internationals, others hit the highest heights, but fell tragically short over the span of their careers.


So who are they?


1) El Niño Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea - 58M - 2011

The new obssession of Roman Abramovich was purchased this January for a cool 58 million. The star of Euro 2008 left in search of trophies, Champions League football, and a new life. Let's hope Torres can find his health and form in London. This sale broke the bank and the record for Spanish player transfers. A brilliant bit of business for Liverpool, who purchased the striker from Atlético Madrid in 2007 for 36 million. That's a profit of 22 million!


2) Gaizka Mendieta from Valencia to Lazio - 48M - 2001

Back in the day, when Italy was the king of football and Lazio was a big spender, Valencia did a good bit of business by selling their star player, Gaizka Mendieta to Lazio. Real Madrid was also interested in the Basque player, but their 24 million offer was no comparison to the Roman team's. Unfortunately, Mendieta never quite hit his stride in Serie A and returned back to Spain on loan in the 2002-3 season and never quite settled thereafter.


3) El Guaje David Villa to from Valencia to Barcelona - 40M - 2010

The tug of war between Real Madrid and Barçelona over Villa lasted way too long and even affected the striker's Confederation Cup performance back in 2009. He did not end up moving that year, due to low ball offers from both clubs. Real Madrid ended up with Benzema and Barçelona with Zlatan. Well, Los Culés learned their lesson and offloaded the big Swede and bought Spain's number one. He has fit into the team like a glove.


4) El Niño Torres from Atlético Madrid to Liverpool - 36M - 2007
See no 1) above. Double Ca-Ching!


5) Xabi Alonso from Liverpool to Real Madrid - 34M - 2009

The apple of Florentino Perez' eye, ever since the first Galactico era, Real Madrid's jefe finally got his man. Alonso is the engine of the Real Madrid midfield and team. He is probably the most important and intelligent player on the pitch.


6) David Silva from Valencia to Manchester City - 30M - 2010

Valencia is a selling team and desperately needed the money from the sale of the midfield magician. Mourinho passed on the Gran Canarian, so City swooped in. He is combining brilliantly with Carlitos Tevez.


7) Sergio Ramos from Sevilla to Real Madrid - 27M - 2005

A shock to the system back then, as Florentino Perez dared to open the coffers for a Spanish defender! The versatile player now looks like money well spent as he can play at right back, central defense and even as an attacking winger.


8) Joaquin from Real Betis to Valencia - 25M - 2006

A record sale for Real Betis and the beginning of the end of free spending Valencia. A bit overrated and overpriced, the speedy winger is now captain for Los Che.


9) Gerard Lopez from Valencia to Barçelona - 21.6M - 2000

Part of the Valencia team that reached the Champions League final, he was one of the best at his position in midfield. Barça won the auction over the player the summer after. Though a regular during his five years at Barçelona, he was never in the starting 11 consistently. The player never really reached those same early heights and was plagued with injuries and personal tragedy. Lopez is still only 31 and is currently playing for Girona FC in the second division.


10) Jose Marí from Atlético Madrid to AC Milan - 19.2M - 2000

Prolific with Los Colchoneros, he was part of the team in 1999 that beat Real Madrid twice (in two separate seasons), AC Milan came a calling for the Andaluz striker. Marí failed to settle in Italy. He soon found himself loaned back to Atlético, then Villarreal, then Real Betis and so on. The 32 year old is currently playing for Xerez in the second division.


11) Francisco Javier Farinós from Valencia to Inter Milan - 18M - 2000

A contemporary of Gerard Lopez and part of the same Valencia team who were sub champions in the 2000 Champions League final, the midfielder caught the eye of Inter Milan and signed a contract for 5 years. He too was injury plagued and did not have much success in Serie A. He became a journeyman, moving from team to team. The 32 year old currently plays for Hercules in La Primera.


12) Dani Guiza from Mallorca to Fenerbache - 17.4M - 2008

Desparate for money, the Islanders sold the Andaluz pichichi to Fenerbache, where he has been inconsistent and plagued by injuries. I expect him to return to Spain soon.

13) The 15M club: Jose Antonio Reyes (Sevilla to Arsenal - 2004), Albert Luque (Deportivo La Coruña to Newcastle - 2005), Raul Albiol (Valencia to Real Madrid - 2010), Alvaro Negredo (Real Madrid to Sevilla - 2010), and Alfonso Perez (Real Betis to Barça -2000)

Fernando Torres leaves Liverpool

Was anyone at all surprised by the fact that Fernando Torres left Liverpool? 50 million pounds for the 26 year old World Cup winner on a five and a half year contract to Stamford Bridge? He provides instant cover for the aging Didier Drogba and he makes them younger and pacier up front. He had been intimating for years now that he had wanted to leave Anfield for Chelsea, so why are we at all astonished?

This is a guy that left the Vicente Calderon after years of negotiation, striking out not only for himself but for his hometown club Atletico Madrid. He left with the expressed opinion that he had "gotten the best deal for Atleti" and he would be back someday to wear the captain's armband for the mattress-makers. Are we then supposed to believe then that the club he "had always supported in England" has been so easily replaced in his heart or was it that the Russian mega-bucks of Roman Abramovic were more tempting? It wasn't personal. It was business. You can have only one club you support. Fernando Torres will always be a colchonero at heart.

Now, don't get me wrong. Liverpool fans have a right to be angry. They could have sold him in the Summer when the market was flooded and they could have gotten more for him when there were more options to buy and a longer window to sell, but he decided to wait for John Henry's group to fulfill some of their promises. He didn't wait long enough (it seems), so I can see why Liverpudlians are so resentful. It's an affront, no doubt, but this is not an apocalyptic scenario.

They get Andy Carroll (talented but extremely over-priced at 35 million pounds) and World-Cup goat Luis Suarez of Ajax. A real English style center-forward up front and despite some people comparing him to other shining Eredivisie "starlets" like Alfonso Alves or Dirk Kuyt, Suarez is most-certainly that pacy winger that a guy like Ryan Babel only wishes he were. Despite that obvious handball that marred South Africa for the Uruguayan, Suarez was one of the most valuable players on their World Cup side second only to Diego Forlan. Kenny Dalglish gets a talent upgrade and they still have Steven Gerrard as their talisman. There is no reason to start burning Spaniards (or their shirts) in effigy.

What then does this mean for Fernando Torres? Another 5 years in the rough-and-tumble Premier League for a guy who has never been the model of health during the key years of a player's career. Can he turn it around with Ancelotti's ex-Milanello training staff providing their services? Probably, but it is clear that the if Spain are going to use his services in Euro 2012 he was going to have to get himself a change of scenery. Another 5 or so years in England however, may not have been the best choice for the man of glass.

World's Best Playmaker 2010

Continuing our look back at the year that was 2010, IFFHS (International Football Federation of History and Statistics), based out of Germany, has come out with various other accolades. This one is near and dear to my heart, Best Playmaker in the World, the creator, the maestro in the midfield. Based on points Xavi Hernandez is a cut above the rest. Followed by his partner in crime Andres Iniesta, and then double Balon d'Or winner Messi.



.1. Xavi Hernández (ESP/Barcelona) 223
.2. Andrés Iniesta (ESP/Barcelona) 148
.3. Wesley Sneijder (HOL/Inter Milán) 128
.4. Lionel Messi (ARG/Barcelona) 111
.5. Mesut Özil (GER/Real Madrid) 47
.6. Diego Forlán (URU/Atlético de Madrid) 30
.7. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid) 27
.8. Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER/Bayern Múnich) 22
.9. Francesc Fábregas (ESP/Arsenal) 13
10. Arjen Robben (HOL/Bayern Múnich) 12
11. Frank Lampard (ENG/Chelsea) 11
.+. Xabi Alonso (ESP/Real Madrid) 11
13. Steven Gerrard (ENG/Liverpool) 10


Interesting facts: 4 on the list are Spanish players. 7 currently play in La Liga. If you include former La Liga players 10 out of 13 have made their mark at one time in the Spanish game. Mesut Ozil is the youngest on the list at 22. Frank Lampard is the oldest on the list at 32. Only two South Americans made the list. Xavi top "enganche" for the third year in a row!!

What do you think? Is this list pretty accurate? Are their any surprises, glaring omissions, or poor choices? Does this list validate the passing, possession, attacking, pressure game played in Spain?

The Top 50 Most Influential people in World Football for 2010

Don Balon has come out with their 50 Most Influential People in World Football of 2010. Please note that this is a Spanish paper/magazine/media source and is very Spanish and Latin centric. Well here are the powers that be, the movers and shakers in the beautiful game. They were selected for their ability to influence the present and future of the sport, as well as their global, regional, and local reach.



1 Joseph Blatter (president FIFA)
2 Michel Platini (president UEFA)
3 Ángel María Villar (president RFEF Spanish Football Federation)
4 Ricardo Teixeira (president CBF Brasil Football Federation)
5 Julio Grondona (president AFA Argentina Football Federation)
6 Nicolás Leoz (president CONMEBOL)
7 Issa Hayatou (president CAF)
8 Jack Austin Warner (president CONCACAF)
9 Chung Mong-Joon (vicepresident FIFA executive committee)
10 Geoff Thompson (vicepresident FIFA executive committee)
11 Jaques Rogge (president IOC Olympic committee)
12 Mohamed Bin Hamman (president AFC)
13 Vitaly Mutko (president Russia 2018)
14 Mohammed Bin Hamad (president Qatar 2022)
15 Giancarlo Abete (president Italian Football Federation)
16 Theo Zwanziger (president DFB, German Football Federation)
17 Herbert Hainer (president Adidas Group)
18 Mark Parker (executive president Nike)
19 Richard Scudamore (CEO Premier League)
20 Jaume Roures (president Mediapro)
21 Marcus Agius (president & chairman Barclays)
22 Sandro Rosell (president Barcelona)
23 Florentino Pérez (president Real Madrid)
24 Joel & Avram Glazer (presidents Manchester United)
25 Franz Beckenbauer (member of FIFA executive committee)
26 Peter Hill-Wood (president Arsenal)
27 Roman Abramovich (Chelsea majority shareholder)
28 J. Henry & T. Werner (Liverpool majority shareholder)
29 Andrea Agnelli (president & chairman Juventus)
30 Massimo Moratti (president Inter)
31 Silvio Berlusconi (Milan majority shareholder)
32 Nicolas Ericson (TV division director FIFA)
33 Joseph V. Tripodi (executive vicepresident Coca-Cola)
34 Steve Easterbrook (president McDonald's Europe)
35 Vicente del Bosque (España national team manager)
36 José Mourinho (Real Madrid manager)
37 Pep Guardiola (Barcelona manager)
38 Alex Ferguson (Manchester United manager)
39 Mano Menezes (Brasil national team manager)
40 Sergio Batista (Argentina national team manager)
41 Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager)
42 Leo Messi (Barcelona player)
43 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid player)
44 Xavi Hernández (Barcelona player)
45 Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona player)
46 Jorge Mendes (Agent)
47 Giovanni Branchini (Agent)
48 Rainer Holzschuh (president ESM European Sports Magazine Germany)
49 Andrea Monti (director La Gazzetta dello Sport)
50 Françoise Morinière (chief executive L'Equipe group)


What do you think of the list? My personal opinion, is that the list is pretty much spot on. It is really interesting to see the power and influence of the big national teams, clubs, leagues, and confederations on the footballing world. One might call this group the iluminati of the footballing world or just the business footballing elite. Big responsibility as we entrust them with the keys to the beautiful game.

Visca Barça: Building your own Barcelona

I just love how, with the success of FC Barcelona and the Spanish National team playing essentially the same model of football, it seems everyone now wants to copy that sort of expansive style. Buy a Xavi, partner him with an Iniesta and cover them with a Busquets type. Buy some interchangeably pacy, waterbug-style strikers and teach them that tiki-taka, one-touch style that everyone´s raving about. Florentino Perez wants it. Roman Abramovich fired José Mourinho because he wouldn´t adapt to it, and practically every sound tactician in today´s game has to suffer the indignity of a quick comparison to the brand of football played at the Camp Nou. Even Arsene Wenger, who has modeled his Arsenal squad along similar principles, suffers from the comparisons. The Gunners control possession in a similar manner, they press you in a similar manner, and they attack into space along similarly designed principles. They even have a youth-team set-up that models their play, from the youngest trainee to the captain of the first-team, on one standard approach.

Then why is it that this group at FC Barcelona are so successful and how do other clubs replicate that? It seems like they have discovered some developmental process that creates similar players with interchangeable parts, capturing essentially lightning and bottling it. They haven´t.

While most clubs are developing stronger, taller, and more athletic players, and competing with each other for that distinct talent base I might add, Barcelona have stocked up on players that in any other system might have languished on the bench. They compete with far fewer clubs for the services of players like Messi who was deemed too small, Iniesta too slight, and Xavi too slow, but whose footballing intelligences are extremely high. They play well together and they cover for each other. Clubs may say they want to build their own Messi but how many really follow through on it? They might look at a Bojan but they still prefer a Droga.

FC Barcelona is also one of the last places to find the Dutch system of Total Football in the modern age. Now, you won´t see David Villa playing center-back, like Cruyff did at times, or Gerard Pique bombing it down the left wing for that matter, but Barcelona do owe alot to the Clockwork Oranje of the 1970´s. They pressure you and they create mismatches, but most importantly they attack in areas of space that you have vacated. They also expose themselves, some say unnecessarily or naively, but it is just a different approach, one from a different era. How many clubs would allow themselves the luxury of developing a system that might take years to perfect and tinker with? Arsenal are a perfect example. Arsene Wenger is now on year seven of what seems like a Soviet-era five year plan to rebuild the club after his Untouchables and the club´s supporters have about had it with him.

Now don´t take this as a slight on any one club, Real Madrid or any other, the modern game is a very different animal from the one that Johan Cruyff played in or even coached in. His system works in Barcelona because of very specific historical precedence. It fits the culture of the club and it works for Spain, right now, because the backbone of the Spanish set-up from the World Champions to the U-17´s and below is riddled with youngsters being trained at La Masia. That can just as easily change in one generation if the pipeline stops at Barcelona and another cantera starts providing players using another model. 

Rather than hiring Txiki Begiristain to recreate the Nou Camp at Stamford Bridge and then pluck Pep Guardiola to run the show for him, Roman Abramovich should look to the template that already brought him success. 

Ultra Surs serenade the Special One!

They sang it at Chelsea. They sang it at Inter and now the Madridista devouts are singing their love to the Special One. Check it out! Real Moudrid.

IN THE TRADITION OF SANTIAGO BERNABEU

It's time for a rant on Real Madrid's youth policy and treatment of Spanish players. Particularly under the recent Florentino Perez and Ramon Calderon regimes, the policy has been piss poor. What sparks this rant, is the latest rumors in the Spanish press that Florentino Perez wants Fernando Llorente at Real Madrid! "Floris" is the hottest property in Spain right now, prolific in both La Furia Roja (aka the Spanish National team) as well as at his club Athletic Club de Bilbao.

But is Real Madrid really a good place for Llorente to excel? Floris is accustomed to a club that develops, and mentors it's players at the core. At Athletic Club, the team is more important than the individual. This is the antithesis of Real Madrid's Galactico philosophy.

At Athletic Club, the principles of a strong unit, collective, is the focus. The squad is more like a brotherhood of players which symbolizes more than just a football club. It represents the identity of the region. The little shepherd boy from La Rioja, who does not speak Euskara, was welcomed into the clan, also known as Athletic Club. The cantera is of utmost importance. It is the life and blood of the club due to it's strict Basque only policy. The culture shock and transition to Real Madrid could be a career killer for Llorente.

Just look at Real Madrid's track record of late. The number of cantera players who make it to the first team is few and far between. The number of Spanish Internationals or players who ply their trade with the club, keeps dwindling. Fernando Llorente just hit his zenith as a player. He is very close, but still not the finished product. Real Madrid will need to foster and hone his talent, which is a scary thought. Why? Let's take a closer look at the recent youth development at Chamartín.

The cantera philosophy lacks purpose and has lost it's way. The mandate of Santiago Bernabéu, who advocated youth development from the cantera all the way to the first team, is now an illusion. Players such as Casillas, Raul, Guti are now a novelty. I remember the days when Vicente Del Bosque and Rafa Benitez ran the youth squad. Those were the days that cantera players knew they had a chance at playing for the first team. This policy goes further back to the days of the Quinta del Butre, the amount of homegrown players in the first team was as high as 50%, sound familiar?

Real Madrid's youth system still produces plenty of players at the present time, but for other teams in La Liga. Here's a brief list of active players: Filipe Luis (At. Madrid), Luis Garcia (Espanyol), Miguel Torres (Getafe), Negredo (Sevilla), Rivera (Sporting), Mata (Valencia), Dani Parejo (Getafe), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), and Borja Valero (Villarreal), just to name a few. Can you tell me honestly that Borja Valero or Filipe Luis couldn't play at Real Madrid, let alone Mata? I sometimes wonder, is the purpose of the cantera to produce players for neighboring Getafe?

People say that this is the golden generation of Spanish football, Spanish youth development, Spanish coaches, and Spanish football players. A Euro Cup and World Cup is the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, due to Real Madrid's Galactico policy, they have failed to capitalize on any of it. Too focused on branding and stars of the moment, Real Madrid doesn't produce Spanish Internationals, they buy them. (Exhibit A: Sergio Ramos, Exhibit B: Xabi Alonso) Iker Casillas, truly is the "last of the mohicans". His canterano story has gone the way of the dodo.

Sadly, I don't see any change in the current policy on the horizon. What will come of young Sergio Canales? Will his career flourish in the White House? Will he ever reach his potential in the cauldron of Madrid? Will the powers that be loan him out again, to get the proper nuturing and development elsewhere?

Back to Llorente, I doubt that he will be sold prior to the Athletic elections in July 2011, unless a scandalous offer is received for his buyout clause - 36M Euros. This is a huge sum in the current economic climate. I really do not see anyone coming up with the cash in the winter transfer market. Real Madrid normally doesn't like to pay that kind of money, especially for a Spanish International, which is not as "marketable" as foreign stars abroad. The "Casa Blanca" might need to offload Kaka or Benzema to find the money and space for Llorente. Both actions would leave some egg on the White President's face, because they were handpicked as part of the Florentino revolution.

Madrid politics aside, Llorente seems to be a perfect fit for the Premiership style of play. Big imposing, excellent header capability, good with his back to goal, and good with his feet. He could easily fit into Manchester United (especially with Rooney's unhappiness), Chelsea (with an aging frontline) or Tottenham Hotspur. He would be more prolific than Berbatov, Crouch or Anelka, in my opinion. I believe a move to the Premiership would improve his game, invigorate his career, and bring even more versatility to the Spanish National team. Just as Silva has started to reinvent his game, with the change of pace and style in the EPL, Floris could do the same. But Llorente at Real Madrid...I just have no faith that Real Madrid can properly manage Spanish talent at the present time.

Could La Liga dominate the EPL?

Could we see La Liga domination of the EPL again in the Champions League?
Author: Rapheal Harry ---
Gone are the days when La Liga teams easily destroyed EPL teams in Europe, back then the nemesis of La Liga was the Serie A and to an extent Bundesliga. One could predict the winner of ties between La Liga teams and EPL except for games involving Barcelona (who had a poor record against British teams).

When European games come up, I still remember games like Arsenal vs. Deportivo in 2001/2002 thereabout, I believe that was the day Arsene Wenger became crazy with the idea of Beautiful Football. I watched the game with my uncle who supports Arsenal, the look on his face was priceless, He said “This Spanish teams should be banned, Look at how they embarrassed us (Gunners)” . The clash between Barcelona and Liverpool at Anfield was another of those games where La Liga was educating the EPL teams, all Liverpool fans watching the games with me and my friends walked out after the first half. But my Favorite was Real Madrid’s conquering of Man.utd. Funny enough it was the second leg which Man.utd won that made some of my EPL fans admit that La Liga was on its own. A red devil fan was amazed that Real attacked 4 times and scored 3 goals and struck the bar once. To him what would have happened if Real needed a result like in 2000? I remember Arsenal fans praying against meeting Valencia in the knockout stages cause to them Carew may not score all season but soon as he sees the Arsenal colors he starts to score.

Since then Billionaires have gone into the EPL, the average team there spends so much money and all of a sudden their teams began to get results against La Liga. Mourinho started with the Chelsea vs.Barsa drama, Arsenal embarrassed Real Madrid (still one of my worst games in Europe), Manchester united has been earning results in Spain and Liverpool have beaten Barcelona and Real Madrid on Spanish soil (the 2nd leg made me puke). Now they do not fear us, they see La Liga teams as what they can conquer; even present Barcelona needed the referee’s help to overcome Chelsea two seasons back. Is it still possible for La Liga teams to change the tide against EPL? I say YES it is.

Despite the influx of Cash into the EPL the quality of the game there is still very much the same, ‘Kick and Run’ football is still played by most of the teams. The Giants of the EPL are coached by foreigners and you can tell by the style of play. But even the Giants all struggle against teams that can keep the ball on the ground and not load crosses upon crosses into the box. If La Liga teams keep to that style that has made our teams a classic to watch and add more physicality, I believe we can overcome EPL again.

Take Valencia’s game against Manchester United. A Man.utd fan said to me, Valencia was too
respectful. This is one of the worst Manchester sides ever based on form, Valencia should have gone for the kill, and believed they could get a result. I’m sure they would have gotten at least a draw. This season should Barsa meet Chelsea and Madrid meet Arsenal what do you think would happen? I believe Madrid would be able to survive Arsenal's inability to match beautiful football with scoring and Madrid has more Physical men to do the job in the midfield. But Chelsea is a different thing entirely, they are the strongest and most physical side in the Champions League. I do not see Barsa been able to match them on the physical side especially since losing Yaya Toure who was a beast with brains, unlike Mascherano he is simply a Beast the brain part is more with Busquets.

I want to see 3 La Liga teams in the Semi finals again, we did it before without spending like the EPL teams do today. I believe Valencia are on the right part to what they did in the early 2000s, something tells me Barcelona have pressed the self destruct button on themselves while if Mourinho stays more than two seasons with Real, Europe would fear Madrid just like she did during the Del Bosque era. Should Manzano be able to lift Sevilla like he did with Mallorca they might just have found the real replacement to Juande Ramos. Atletico Madrid has shown that when they want to, they can take on anyone. Question is can they be more consistent? They will have to find adequate cover /replacements for Aguero and Forlan. Villareal is on a quite revival, never under estimate them. It would also help a lot for the revenue sharing in La Liga to be resolved quickly and the big two no longer getting a huge chunk of all the revenues. It should be shared accordingly and evenly, it will go a long way in saving La Liga teams and giving them a more competitive edge over their Rivals from other Leagues.

VIVA LA LIGA!

Updated: Pre-Season US & Canada Tour Dates

FC Barcelona
August 1: Barcelona vs. LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
August 5: Barcelona vs. Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington

Real Madrid
August 7: Real Madrid vs. Toronto FC at BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
August 9: Real Madrid vs. DC United at FedEx Field, Washington DC

AC Milan
July 19: AC Milan vs. LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center, Carson, California
July 22: AC Milan vs. Club America at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
July 24: AC Milan vs. Chelsea FC at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
July 26: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Inter Milan
July 19: Club America vs. Inter Milan at Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, California
July 21: Chelsea FC vs. Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
July 26: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Chelsea FC
July 19: Seattle Sounders vs. Chelsea FC at Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington
July 21: Chelsea FC vs. Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
July 24: AC Milan vs. Chelsea FC at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
July 26: Chelsea FC vs. Club America at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Everton FC
July 25: Everton vs. River Plate at Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta
July 29: Everton FC vs. MLS All-Stars at Rio Tinto Stadium - Sandy, Utah

Club America
July 11: Club America vs. Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium - Sandy, Utah
July 19: Club America vs. Inter Milan at Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, California
July 22: AC Milan vs. Club America at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
July 26: Chelsea FC vs. Club America at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

River Plate
July 22: River Plate vs. Toronto FC at BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
July 25: Everton vs. River Plate at Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta

Zidane and Friends Tour vs Canadian All Stars
June 25: Zidane and Friends Tour vs Canadian All Stars, BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
July 4: Zidane and Friends Tour vs Canadian All Stars, BC Place, Vancouver, BC


There has been some talk about Napoli having a couple of friendlies in Canada and the US. As soon as more information is available I will put it up. If you know of any confirmed matches please let us know.

Ancellotti Wants Pato At Chelsea

Carlo Ancellotti, new manager at Chelsea has asked for Pato. English Media reports that Chelsea have offered Milan 35 million Euro. Ancellotti has also asked about the availability of Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Sedorf