The above image is a common one in recent Spain games, but ask any Liverpool fan and you’ll be told Fernando is the best forward on the planet.  Ask any Premier League fan, and even the Evertonians will grudgingly agree that Torres is sublime.  But ask a Spaniard about his performances for the national team, and the response will probably be, “I prefer David Villa.”

He will be, at least for statistical reasons, correct in that judgement.  Torres, having played for La Furia Roja since the age of 19, has not made the same impression as David Villa has.  The latter became the country’s top goalscorer in an amazing 5 years since his debut at the age of 23.

No Spanish football fan cognizant in 2008 will ever forget the final of the European Championship in which Torres dinked the ball over Jens Lehmann after a long ball from Xavi, but Villa has simply done more in less time.  Or has he?

While it is true that Villa’s goal record is more impressive, Torres probably has an unfairly bad reputation as an international flop.  While he doesn’t score as often as he does for Liverpool, defenses are still terrified of his finishing, pace and movement.  When fit, he often draws defenders and creates the space into which Villa darts to claim the goals — and the reputation to go with it.

Now, this article isn’t meant to claim Torres isn’t underwhelming for Spain, but merely to show some reasons why he might be doing so.  Playing as David Villa’s foil is one of them.

Another reason might be that Spain’s style doesn’t suit Torres nearly as well as it does Villa.  Spain play like Barcelona: they possess and pass around the 18 yard box and wait until there is an opening.  This method suits quicker players, ones like Villa and Iniesta who can quickly change directions to be in tight space. (As an aside, this makes me wonder why the rumors are swirling that Barcelona are interested in Torres.  I doubt anything will come of it, but I digress.)

Shorter players like the aforementioned Blaugrana duo, the “culo bajo” types as they are inelegantly called in Spanish, have the ability to turn on a dime, essentially beating defenders with lateral movement.  Torres is a blindingly fast player — just ask Nemanja Vidic or any of the other Premier League defenders he has skinned in the past 3 seasons — but his movement is more direct, less lateral.

I’m not saying he can’t find space in a tight penalty box, but he is less likely to than someone like Villa.  And given the Spanish set up, the penalty box is often crowded as la Roja pass the ball around the outside, waiting for the right movement.

Now consider how Liverpool play.  It’s not quite the same approach; it relies less on lots of quick movement and more on fewer decisive balls.  This suits Torres far more, as he is physically more adept to scoring from these types of situations.  The decisive balls tend to be played from farther out, either as crosses from wide positions or longer direct passes from midfield (and no, I’m not accusing Liverpool of playing route one football, calm down).  I’m not sure if this style has a catchy name, but it is not the tiki-taka of FC Barcelona/La Furia Roja.

Torres is a supremely skilled finisher, and scores from many crosses into the box, with his head and feet.  However, the full extent of his pace is best illustrated in those situations where a long ball is played behind the defense and in front of the keeper.  In these moments Torres shows just how fast he can run.  Not since the heyday of Thierry Henry  has the Premier League seen a striker so deadly when given space between the back four and the keeper.  At full speed no defender can match him, and then it is usually a matter of finishing from one on one.

But Spain don’t play this way.  I’m not blaming them for not doing so either.  Any coach restricting Xavi and Iniesta to playing exclusively medium and long range passing to their center forwards would be an idiot.  But put in simple terms,the Spanish team doesn’t play the sort of balls Torres is so skilled at finishing so often as they do at Liverpool, and Torres suffers as a result.  But when they do play a direct weighted pass behind the back line and Torres is lurking, defenses should still beware.  Just ask Jens Lehmann, a witness to such a ball from Xavi that ended up behind him in 2008.

A number of players can stake a claim for being part of the best team in the world at this early period of the European domestic leagues. However, very few players standout the way those listed below have in terms of their contribution to their team, their role as leaders, and certainly their crucial involvement in their respective clubs.

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon- the Juventus and Azzurri custodian is back to his best and his outstanding saves have ensured the Bianconeri remain on course to qualify from their group in the Champions League as well as continue to challenge Internazionale for the Serie A title. Buffon has conceded only one dubious goal in Europe against Bordeaux. He saved the Old Lady on numerous occasions both in the domestic league and Europe. A poll in a previous segment of the website revealed that 65% of our readers voted for Buffon as the goalkeeper expected to be the best in South Africa (Please refer to The Best Goalkeepers in South Africa article written on November 5, 2009). Buffon has also been instrumental in Italy’s qualification to South Africa 2010.

Defense: John Terry, Carles Puyol, Maicon Douglas and Giorgio Chiellini- (Please refer to The Best Defenders Headed To South Africa piece written on November 11, 2009)

- Terry is quite influential and anchors the Chelsea defense which has conceded a mere eight goals in 12 Premiership matches. He is one of the players Fabio Capello will be relying on to help England safely navigate through the group stage. Terry is one of the most respected and acclaimed defenders in the world. His name and that of Chelsea have been linked together since the Premier League titles began to arrive at Stamford Bridge during the Jose Mourinho era.

- Puyol is the captain of a Barcelona side which won the treble last season and has conceded only seven goals in 10 la Liga matches up to this point.

- Maicon is the flying right-back who not only retrieves the ball for Internazionale but often starts attacking moves from his flank. He is one of the Nerazzurri’s most prized assets. The Brazilian has more votes than Terry, Puyol and Manchester United’s Vidic put together in our poll in the article mentioned above.

- Chiellini is the player who adds steel to both Italy’s and Juve’s defensive line. He can score the occasional goal but is renowned for his solid tackling and tough approach to the game. He is expected to lead the line once Fabio Cannavaro retires. Almost half of our readers who voted in a poll chose Chiellini as the best defender heading to South Africa.

Midfield: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marek Hamsik and Xabi Alonso

- Lionel Messi is one of the main catalysts behind Barcelona’s treble last season and has continued his devastating form for his club having notched seven goals in la Liga this season. His performances with Argentina are not as impressive but then perhaps that is down to Diego Maradona’s ill management of the players at his disposal as well as his debatable choice of players and tactics. When firing on all cylinders, Lio is a nightmare for defenders.

- Cristiano Ronaldo could perhaps be the only player from the current best 11 to miss out on South Africa 2010. Despite injury, Ronaldo has already found the back of the net on five occasions in la Liga not to mention his four goals in the Champions League. He will be hoping that his country will overcome his absence to beat Bosnia to qualify to the World Cup. The Portuguese hold a 1-0 edge after the weekend home win against the Bosnians.

- Marek Hamsik is perhaps a surprise inclusion to many but he has been one of the rising stars in Serie A the past couple of years and has helped Slovakia qualify to next summer’s World Cup. Hamsik is a wanted man and elite clubs in Italy and Europe have shown interest in his capture. It will only be time before he is snapped up by a bigger club than Napoli. He has already scored seven goals in Serie A this season including his brace in the stunning come-from-behind victory against Juventus in Turin.

- Xabi Alonso has been severely missed by Liverpool which lost much of its midfield structure when it sold the player to Real Madrid. The negative results suffered by Liverpool cannot be attributed to the loss of Alonso alone but it is still a testament to his importance and value to any team he plays for. Alonso recently stamped his authority in the friendly match against Argentina and led his country to a win by scoring both of Spain’s goals.

Attack: Didier Drogba and David Villa

-Didier Drogba has already scored nine goals in 12 Premiership matches not to mention the assists for a Chelsea team on top of the Premier League. Drogba has the speed and physical strength to out-muscle most defenders in England and Europe. He is a scoring threat in any match and can pop up to score a goal at any moment. He also led his country Ivory Coast to next summer’s World Cup.

- David Villa has been in demand for the past couple of years yet he remained with Valencia and his goals have helped his club to fourth place in la Liga’s standings. Villa has already scored eight times in nine games played in the Spanish league. He is one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe and the world. He will partner Fernando Torres in a lethal attack as they attempt to add World Cup 2010 to Spain’s trophy cabinet after securing Euro 2008 for their country.

There are clearly other qualified players who can make the list yet all those mentioned above have played a key role for their club and/or country. All the players, except for Cristiano Ronaldo at this stage, will be participating in South Africa 2010.

Last week was the end of the European club season and history was made. I think you know where I’m going with this week’s World Cup Buzz Team Of The Week. Remember that the winner made headlines and/or played matches during the calendar week of May 25 – May 31. The winner is:

FUTBOL CLUB BARCELONA (ESP)

Was there any doubt about this week’s winner? No. Barcelona became the 1st Spanish team to win the Treble. They finished their magical season with a powerful 2-0 win in the UEFA Champions League Final against English champs Manchester United. Goals by Samuel Eto’o & Lionel Messi sealed the win for the Blaugrana. Barcelona becomes the 5th team to win a European continental treble joining Celtic in 1967, Ajax in 1972, PSV Eindhoven in 1988, Manchester United in 1999. Congratulations to the best club side in the world and the winner of the World Cup Buzz Team Of The Week.

This is probably the best time of the football calendar.  There is the 1st leg of both Champions League & UEFA Cup semifinals as well as the finalization of the Round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores and domestic league matches all over the world.  So much to keep track of, we here at World Cup Buzz were able to sift through all the matches and get a World Football Team Of The Week.  Remember the TOW made headlines and/or played matches during the calendar week of April 27-May 3.  The winner is: 

FUTBOL CLUB BARCELONA

Barcelona is the World Cup Buzz Team Of The Week for their 6-2 crushing of Real Madrid on Saturday. Granted their 0-0 draw on Tuesday in their 1st leg Champions League semifinal against Chelsea wasn’t impressive but in the biggest game of the season Barca came out and blasted their arch-rival in their arch-rival’s house. Blaugrana responded immediately to Real’s goals in a game that ended any talk of who is Spain’s best team. 2 goals each from Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi in the Spanish SuperClasico massacre. The annihilation was the perfect bounce back from the disappointing CL result. For their 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu, Futbol Club Barcelona is the World Cup Buzz Team Of The Week.

1st of all, Happy New Year to you and may 2009 be as exciting and intriguing as 2008. This past year was witness to some great moments and some truly historic performances from Liga De Quito’s monumental Libertadores victory to Spain shaking off their underachievers label with their impressive Euro 2008 title to Argentina repeating as Olympic champions. Many great players kept us suspended to our chairs or sofas or bar stools and made us realize that soccer players are the true sports magicians. As a fan of offense the 2008 WCB World XI will have a 3-5-2 look to it. That said, here are the magicians the 2008 WCB World XI:

Goalkeeper:
Iker Casillas

This is a no brainer, Real Madrid’s portero is the best in the world and my choice for Ballon D’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, refer here. He was brilliant in the Euros as he anchored a Spanish defense that was not given enough credit for La Furia Roja‘s championship.

Defense:
On the right Barcelona’s Dani Alves.
 
The Brazilian defender has been the best & most used of Barcelona’s ’08 summer signings. He is obviously an attack minded right back (what Brazilian defender isn’t) but he is an underrated defender and for all his attacking, he is not a defensive liability.

In the middle is Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic. 
 
Sir Alex’s Serbian Minister of Defense, Vidic might be Fergie’s best signing since he acquired Ruud Van Nistelrooy from PSV in 2001. It is quite possible that Vidic is Manchester United’s most valuable player even more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only is he a rock in the back, he’s shown a knack for scoring timely goals ask Hull City, Sunderland, and Gamba Osaka.

On the left is another Blaugrana defender, Catalan icon Carles Puyol.
 
The Barcelona captain is a natural center back but he’s so good that he can play any position on the backline and has. His partnership with Valencia’s Carlos Marchena in the middle of the Spanish defense was critical in Spain’s Euro success. Puyol managed to keep Barca’s backline serviceable when Lillian Thuram & Gabi Milito were consistently getting burned during the 07-08 season. You can’t have a a Best XI defense without Carles Puyol.

Midfielders:
Let’s begin with the central midfield and the men that back up the attacking players.  They don’t get as much attention as the attacking players but their teams would suck without them. 

Xavi
 
The player of the tournament for Euro 2008 and many people’s choice for the Ballon D’Or.  He is not spectacular but he does everything well. He has been Barcelona’s savior on many occasions and is mainly responsible for Barcelona being able to play in the Champions League despite the drama surrounding the team during the 07-08 season. 

Sebastián Battaglia

Boca Juniors were recently crowned Apertura champions after a dramatic 3-team playoff.  The fact they made it to that point is a credit to coach Carlos Ischia and Battaglia.  Without goal scoring icon Martin Palermo and public bickering amongst teammates, Battaglia helped to keep the team together on & off the pitch.  With a young group of talent forced into action, Boca’s #5 was the veteran presence in the midfield that helped Los Xeneizes become champions. El Pibe De Oro needs to include him for Los Albicelestes in World Cup qualifying.

In Part II, we’ll reveal the guys who get the goals, glory, and the women.  The attacking players will be revealed in Part II as well as the DT.  

Its the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season is the only time of the year when you are nice to people you don’t like and the whole thing about being naughty or nice doesn’t matter cause you will still receive gifts. I’ve been more naughty than nice this year, especially that one night at Club Madonna’s. Anyway, I’m thankful that i’ll be receiving gifts but I’m still a bit greedy hoping that these Christmas wishes will come true.

Wish #1:

Stop the negative press about South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup. There is a sense of prejudice and anti-African sentiment when a negative report or story about South Africa’s preparations is written. If you love The Great Tournament, then you want to see South Africa host this historic World Cup.

Wish #2:

For Barcelona to win the treble this year. Its painful as a Barca fan to suffer through 2 straight trophy less seasons. Not to mention the cloud of Real Madrid, its 9 European Cups and fafillion La Liga titles lingering overhead. I want their lead in La Liga to extend to 24 points by the end of the season and for Real Madrid to qualify for the UEFA Cup or Europa League or whatever its gonna be called.

Wish #3:

For Cristiano Ronaldo to admit that he does not want to play for Manchester United anymore. The world’s most arrogant player wants to play for Real Madrid. He has yet to come out and pledge his undying devotion to Old Trafford. I already transferred him to Real Madrid in FIFA 09. Its getting annoying to hear all this speculation, Man U is the faithful wife, Real Madrid is the freaky mistress and Cristiano is the husband who is afraid to admit that he wants to leave his wife for the freak.

Wish #4:

That Sylvie Van der Vaart, model wife of Real Madrid midfielder Rafael, be loaned to Club America of Mexico or some 1st division Mexican team so that we can see her in a tight and skimpy Porrista outfit before every Mexican League match. “Hot” is not the word to describe this woman’s sex appeal. WOO! If I was Rafael, Sylvie would have had 5 or 6 kids by now. It would be impossible to focus on playing ball.

Wish #5:
VS.
Please put the Italian Serie A back on GOL TV. Fox is screwing up coverage of one of the great leagues in all of sports. This past Sunday, Fox Soccer Channel had Milan-Udinese live and then Fox Sports Espanol at halftime showed the 1st half of the same game on delay. On both Fox channels the same game was on simultaneously, with about 30 minutes game time difference. That’s ridiculous and the weekly wrap up show, Serie A Weekly is nothing but a music video of soccer highlights, its a 30 minute YouTube clip. “Ciao, Italia”, the 1 hour weekly wrap up show that was on GOL TV had commentary and game highlights of every match of the week with standings and the leading goal scorers chart at the end. Much like “Ole, La Liga” for Spain. Per Favore, ritorna calcio italiano alla GOL TV.

Wish #6:

That Ronaldo changes his mind and plays for SC Internacional of Porto Alegre. We know all know that the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer recently signed with Corinthians and rumors are swirling that Juan Sebastian “La Brujita” Veron may join Timão as well. Instead, Ronaldo & Veron should sign for O Colorado. It would be intriguing to see Ronaldo up top with Nilmar and Veron acting as Andres D’Alessandro’s midfield enforcer for the newly crowned Copa Sudamericana champs. Its not going to happen but a squad with those players would form the #1 challenger to São Paulo for the 2009 Brasileirão title.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Happy Holidays to you and yours. Celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa safely and I hope your Christmas wishes come true.