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All eyes were on Argentina/Portugal, billed as the Messi v. Ronaldo clash by just about everyone, but I like to think of it as the inferior version of El Clasico.  Barcelona and Real Madrid are better than Argentina and Portugal in just about every way, mostly thanks to the Spanish internationals playing at the peak of their careers right now.

I don’t mean to snub great players like Ever Banega, Esteban Cambiasso, Joao Moutinho or Raul Meireles, and I am aware the match was a friendly and so the players, mindful of upcoming games, may not have given everything.  And I do not think that only the Spanish contribute to the superiority of the club teams, but Casillas, Valdes, Xavi, Pique, David Villa, Puyol, Xabi Alonso, Ramos, Iniesta, and Pedro would surely find their way into the international set-up of either Portugal or Argentina.  Similarly, I think other Barcelona/Madrid players would do the same, especially Dani Alves, Mesut Ozil, Kaka and Eric Abidal.

While many rightly focus on Messi and Ronaldo as the two centerpieces of their teams, I believe last night’s match was really a battle between the coaches, and I can say that both won, despite the 2-1 scoreline favoring Argentina.  The underwhelming World Cup performances of both Argentina and Portugal were probably due to bizarre selection, and even stranger tactics from Argentina’s and Portugal’s respective managers.

Last night, finally, after an excruciating World Cup where Messi would collect the ball at the halfway line and attempt to create chances/dribble the entire opposition, Lionel was advanced to positions where he could much more effective.  The first goal even looked like one of those vintage Messi moments that have become his trademark of genius: the Argentine, on the right, ran at the (terrified) defenders at pace, cut in left at the top of the eighteen yard box, ran parallel to the goal line while skipping around two challenges, and then, when everyone was expecting a glory-finish, La Pulga split two more defenders with a pass so perfectly weighted that Angel di Maria could tap it around the goalkeeper with his weaker right foot.

If the top left corner of the eighteen yard box is called “La Zona Del Piero” in Italian football, the top right must now be called “La Zona Messi” in Spanish football.

And, finally Cristiano Ronaldo he has stopped being the lone center forward of Portugal.  While he certainly has the attributes of no. 9 finishers (pace, two-footed shooting, heading, goal-hunger bordering on selfishness, quick reactions), I think the new Ronaldo is better behind a forward, even a not-so-thrilling one like Hugo Almeida.  And while CR7 still has the tendency to try huge shots from distance that rarely come off, Ronaldo is more likely to pass with someone in front of him, to involve players like Nani in the buildup, etc.  Portugal look much better for this tactical shift.  The painful long passes to Ronaldo that we all saw towards the end of Portugal/Spain in the World Cup are hopefully things of the past.

The new coaches of Argentina and Portugal, it seemed to me, may have swallowed their egos, their desires to find new ways to field the best players in the world and be hailed for it, and simply did the obvious: they played no. 10 and no. 7 in the positions from which they have profited the most at the club level.  There is no shame in taking lessons from great coaches, and if Paulo Bento and Sergio Batista were inspired by the style of Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola, Alex Ferguson, and Jose Mourinho, then two of the best national teams in the world can only benefit.

Don’t let the title of this article fool you: of course I think Cristiano Ronaldo is still Portugal’s best player.  It’s just that sometimes recently, he’s had to do it on his own.  And when he hasn’t shown up to work, the results have been downright embarrassing.

In the past decade, football fans have witnessed Portugal wax to almost Euro 2004 winners and routine vanquishers of Brazil (in friendlies mostly, but still), and then wane to something less than.

Currently they occupy an ambiguous position where they’re not real contenders for a major international trophy, but on their day, can trash anybody.  It’s difficult to see them negotiating a knockout stage the way Spain did — beating Holland, Germany, Paraguay and of course, Portugal, to win the World Cup.  But it’s also hard to see them treading the Dutch’s route (Slovakia, Brazil, Uruguay before losing to Spain) or Germany’s (England and Argentina before losing to Spain).  What’s happening here?

During the 2010 World Cup they escaped their challenging group by avoiding loss to Brazil and got dumped out of the tournament by Spain.  Through this game we can see Portugal’s problem.  They still have  the problem today, but maybe they have a way out of it, too.  Towards the end of the Spain game and down a goal, the Portuguese team would often just lob a ball to lonely Cristiano Ronaldo up top, who was quickly and comfortably closed down by the Spanish defense.  The Portuguese support players didn’t know how to get past their Iberian counterparts, and the attacks usually died before the commentators could begin to describe it.

When talking about Spain, people can’t refer to “the support” because over half the team has ability to change games.  Fabregas, ostensibly a support player for Spain though clearly one of the most complete midfielders in England, played the ball to Iniesta to win the tournament.  The support team on Portugal can be the ten players behind Ronaldo, which is never the recipe for success in football.  I don’t mean to slight the very solid players they have, but as of summer 2010, only Cristiano Ronlado was a game changer.

Now, as Nani said of himself recently, there could be another one in the works.  While it’s easy to mock his arrogance, Nani is right in that he is winning games for Manchester United.  He is decisive, or at least he has been for the opening part of the season.  Whether he can continue this form will be vital for United, but more so for Portugal.

If someone can help the Real Madrid man create chances, take on opponents, score goals — and do this all well enough to win matches — then Portugal will have a much better chance than they’ve had in the past 2 major tournaments, where “Ronaldependencia” might have cost them.  Look at the demolition that Portugal inflicted on Spain most recently.  It’s not as if Ronaldo was the only player on the pitch.  To be sure he was excellent, and his excellence raised the game of his compatriots.  But Nani showed up in fine form too, making Portugal that much harder to contain.

It’s currently unclear if midfield players like Raul Meireles, Miguel Veloso and Coutinho can hold the center of the pitch adequately against top opponents, or if the center back pairing of Pepe and Bruno Alves will be stingy enough (after Carvalho hangs up his boots).  But perhaps a newly excellent Nani in attack, coupled with the exciting Fabio Coentrao and the always-determined Ronaldo can lead Portugal towards something great again.

This isn’t to say Nani is the only other good player on the team.  There is plenty of talent in Portugal, as evidenced by the savage defeat of Spain.  It’s just that of all the players, Nani is the most likely to help bring the team to new heights.

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.

As a continent with such a wealth of excellent footballing nations there will, inevitably, be a few so-called ‘big boys’ from Europe who don’t make the final tournament in South Africa in 2010.  One nation that is in very real danger of being such a casualty is Portugal.  They may not be the most decorated or respected side in Europe but they made it through to the semi-final stage of the last tournament in 2006 and have some talented players amongst their ranks, not least Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal currently lie third in the FIFA World Cup European Qualifying : Group One Table and trail leaders Denmark and Hungary by seven points with just five games to play.  In the European qualifying tables, the top team from each of the nine groups automatically qualifies, with the eight highest runners-up going into four play-off matches, the winner of each play-off will earn a place in South Africa.

Portugal currently have just six points from five games and have won only once, drawing three and losing one.  Even if they do finish second in the group there is also a reasonable chance they could have acquired the lowest number of points and would therefore miss the play-offs, but this is a bit too hypothetical to get into at the moment so I’ll just stick to what is going on right now.

Basically Carlos Queiroz, the head coach of Portugal, has got a tough job on his hands and he will need close to maximum points from his next five fixtures.  The five games which will determine whether we see Cristiano Ronaldo and co line up in South Africa are as follows – Albania, Denmark and Hungary away followed by two final home games against Hungary and Malta.

The games against Albania and Malta look like easy wins and I doubt many would consider backing the Albanians or the Maltese to get anything out of Portugal with their international football betting.  However, their problem has been drawing too many games and if they slip up against either of these two sides the task in front of them will be very difficult, indeed the Malta game could prove fatal as it is their last qulaifier!  The game against Denmark and the two against Hungary are the very definition of ‘must wins’ for Queiroz as he has a fairly daunting seven point gap to close and only five games to do it in.

With five games to go it isn’t all over for the Portuguese but they’re going to have to win at least four of their last five to make the final tournament in South Africa.  Inevitably there will be some heavyweight casualties from Europe, with the Czech Republic and Turkey also looking in danger of missing the main event.  At the moment it looks a very real possibility that South Africa 2010 will be missing the skills of the likes of Ricardo Quaresm, Jose Bosingwa, Simao Sabrosa, Miguel Veloso and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.

Part II of WCB’s World XI will reveal the attacking portion of the team as well as the coach that puts it all together or keeps it together. Let us begin with the right side of the formation.

FORWARDS:
On the right side, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Everyone knows about the year he had with Manchester United and the trophies he won. As much as I don’t like his attitude, his numbers are undeniable. He singlehandedly carried the goal scoring load while Rooney and whomever else Sir Alex put in the lineup struggled. 42 goals in 49 games all from a right wing position. Can’t have a 2008 World XI without Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the middle, Mohamed Aboutrika

The Egyptian playmaker had a great year. He was instrumental in Al-Ahly winning its record 6th African club championship and led Egypt to the 2008 African Cup of Nations trophy as well. Aboutrika scored the trophy winning goal in the final against Cameroon. He is consistently tagged as the best African player playing in Africa despite a poor showing in the FIFA Club World Cup. Aboutrika will have to continue to play well for The Pharoahs in their march toward South Africa 2010.

On the left, Joffre Guerron.

Guerron made his name on the right side but since Cristiano Ronaldo is there and we couldn’t leave the face of Ecuador’s 1st ever Libertadores champion on the bench, I put him on the left. He’s a professional he should be effective either way. Guerron was named the player of the Copa Libertadores as Liga De Quito made history. He was shockingly left off the ballot when El Pais named Juan Sebastian Veron as South American Player of the Year. Guerron was WCB choice for the title of “Rey del Fútbol de América” and an easy selection for WCB World XI.

STRIKERS:
Lucas Barrios

Who? Those who know South America & more specifically Chile know who he his. This year for Chilean super club Colo Colo, the Argentinean striker scored 37 goals in 38 appearances and was the leading goal scorer in both Clausura & Apertura tournaments leading Colo Colo to the Clausura title. He was named by the IFFHS as the Best Goalscorer in the World for 2008 quite easily making him one striker on the WCB World XI.

David Villa

The Valencia striker was the leading scorer of Euro 2008 and for the 07-08 season finished 5th in the Pichichi standings with 18 goals in 27 La Liga appearances. Villa currently sits 2nd on the Pichichi list for 08-09 with 12 goals in 16 games for Los Che. He is the best Spanish striker right now, one of the Top 5 in Spain, and one of the Top 10 in the world. Villa has been rumored with a move to Manchester City to join fellow Spanish striker, Fernando Torres in the English Premiership. Wherever he plays he’s gonna be a consistent goal scoring monster.

DT/Coach:
This position was a decision between former Liga De Quito coach Edgardo Bauza, Spain’s Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones, and Manchester United’s legend Sir Alex Ferguson. Finally, the coach of the WCB World XI is:

Edgardo Bauza

The man known as El Patón was the mastermind behind Liga De Quito’s historic Copa Libertadores win. As a player he was best known as a defender for Rosario Central in the late 70s & early 80s and was part of the Argentina 1990 World Cup squad that lost to West Germany in the final. Ironically, he guided Liga past two Argentine squads on his path to the Libertadores title beating Estudiantes in the Round of 16 and San Lorenzo in the quarters. Bauza famously couldn’t watch the PK shootout at the Maracana where his keeper Jose Cevallos saved 3 of 4 PKs to seal history as they defeated Rio’s Fluminense in the final. Bauza resigned his post after the FIFA Club World Cup where Liga finished 2nd but his icon status with Los Albos is secure.

So the World Cup Buzz World XI formation is:
Casillas
Dani Alves – Vidic – Puyol
Xavi – Battaglia
C.Ronaldo – Aboutrika – Guerron
L. Barrios – D. Villa

So there it is. The Best XI from all over the world for 2008. Its going to be interesting to see who is going to make the Best XI for 2009. Whomever makes the lineup you better believe they are going to be amazing. Enjoy 2009! Peace!

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.

We are coming up on that time of the year when the next three months we will dress up as someone or something, eat some turkey or some bird till we get fat, and open some presents from our families that we will probably return 2 weeks later. It is also the time when the major awards in football will be awarded.

The Ballon D’Or given to the European Player Of The Year and FIFA World Player Of The Year have been “kissing cousins” since the FIFA award’s inception in 1991.  In fact, 10 of the last 17 Ballon D’Or winners have won the FIFA award including the last 3 winners.  Only 3 times since 1991 has the Ballon D’Or winner not finished in the Top 3 of the FIFA award voting. It is likely this year once again, the winner of the Ballon D’Or will also win the FIFA P.O.Y., so let’s look at the 3 best candidates. 

Cristiano Ronaldo
 
The Portuguese superstar was a virtual lock for both awards at the end of the club season. His play carried Manchester United to the Premiership and a 3rd European Cup. He scored in the Champions League final but got cute with a PK, lucky for him John Terry messed up too. 42 goals in 49 total matches is a great feat but his steam ran out at the 2008 European Championship where he was ineffective to say the least. Maybe he was tired from the club season, whatever the case his lock on both awards were broken.

Iker Casillas

The Real Madrid goalkeeper is the best at his position in the world right now. He also has a double winning La Liga with Los Merengues and then capturing the European Championship with Spain. He was brilliant in Euro 2008 keeping a clean sheet throughout the knockout stage and his PK saves versus Italy in the quarters propelled Spain to the title. In addition, who knows how many points he saved Real Madrid throughout the course of the La Liga season.

Xavi
 
Xavier Hernández Creus does not have as much hardware as the Ronaldo or Casillas this year but he is just as valuable. The man known as Xavi won the European Championship with Spain and was named the player of the tournament.  He didn’t win anything with Barca but they might be in the UEFA Cup if it weren’t for him.  He scores timely goals and is the prototypical midfielder connecting the defense to the offense.  That is why the Blaugrana will lock up the Catalan star contractually for the rest of his career.

Since we’re lumping both the FIFA P.O.Y. & Ballon D’Or together, the winner should be:
Iker Casillas

Cristiano Ronaldo is a VERY close 2nd, Iker gets the nod because he did it at both the club and national team levels. If there were no international competitions this year than Ronaldo is a runaway winner but that’s not the case. Show the netminders some love, its hard being a good keeper at Real Madrid besides no keeper has won either award.

Award Winners – Part II.  Next up the candidates for South American Player Of The Year.