114 Days Away From The World's Greatest Sporting Event
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| Stadium construction in Curitiba |
Welcome once again to our weekly World Cup article, Off The Post. Unfortunately, technical difficulties at the end of the week kept us from getting this to you on Thursday or Friday, for which we are deeply sorry. Sepp Blatter is definitely to blame for this, as anything that goes wrong with the game of soccer can generally be attributed to that man in one way or another. Just kidding, Sepp. We all know that nobody could have known that Qatar would not be able to host a World Cup in the summer...Now, before the head of FIFA sends Swiss henchmen to our respective dwellings, let's jump into this week's topics.
1. What does Carlos Vela's decision to not play this summer mean for Mexico's chances? Are they better off without him?
Garrett: I'm going to give you my take on this from two different viewpoints:
Purely Analytical: There is no doubt that Vela is a great Mexican talent. In just two and a half seasons with Real Sociedad, he has tallied 35 goals. On paper, this a player that you want on the squad, and would probably be in the starting eleven. But stats don't tell the whole story with Vela, who has shunned the Mexican team since 2011. In my opinion, a player who, in his prime, turns down the honor to wear his country's shirt, isn't worth having on your squad. Not only did he turn his back on Mexico, but he did so when the country needed him more than ever, when the possibility of missing out on Brazil was very real, as Mexico was struggling mightily in World Cup qualifying. It was the equivalent of turning your back on your family, except the family here consisted of 120 million people who eat, sleep, and breathe everything El Tri. Vela's absence this summer didn't even matter after the World Cup Draw in December. The furthest Mexico can advance after that draw is the Round of 16, as they would be heavy underdogs there against either Spain, Netherlands, or Chile should they be able to get out of the group. Given that he is only 24, there is a chance that he makes an appearance in Russia in 2018, but don't be surprised if Miguel Herrera (or future coaches, given Mexico's recent love of firing coaches) turn their back on Vela like he has done to them.
As a USMNT supporter: Vela's decision to not join up with El Tri this summer is just further evidence of how our neighbors to the south are still in shambles, even though they qualified for the World Cup. Seriously though, what kind of player turns their back on their country when they are in desperate need of his talents? A member of El Tri, that's who. All because Vela is still butt-hurt over a suspension he received a few years ago from the Mexican Football Federation. Grow up, puto. And from a coaching standpoint, how desperate do you have to be to continue to plead with a player to join up with the team, when he turns you down time and time again. Move on, tell the player to hit the bricks and comé mierda, Herrera. Thankfully, we don't have to deal with this nonsense in Sam's Army. If only our honor, and self respect hadn't forced us to win that game in Panama, Mexico would have ended up where they deserved to be this summer...at home.
Kyle: I believe Mexico will miss a very talented player who is not committed to playing with the national team. His absence may not hurt as much due to Oribe Peralta's good run of form and the disharmony Vela has brought to the Mexican National Team.
Carlos Vela last played for Mexico in 2011. He has turned down playing for El Tri on many occasions including the recent World Cup qualifying campaign. Without Vela, Mexico finished fourth out of six teams in CONCACAF and qualified for the World Cup via a play-in game against New Zealand.
Vela has been Mexico's most consistent player in Europe for the past few years. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez had a very bright spell with Manchester United, but he has struggled to find playing time this year. In 2011, Vela began playing with Real Sociedad and has become a key player for the team by scoring double digit goals in each of the past two seasons. Vela's goal scoring abilities could help El Tri as the Mexican National Team struggled to score goals (7 goals in 10 games) during qualifiers.
Vela's absence should be mitigated by Miguel Herrera's team formation and Oribe "El Cepillo" Peralta. Herrera prefers to play a 5-3-2 with the outside defenders pushing far up field. My guess is that Gio dos Santos will play as a withdrawn second forward, similar to where he plays with his club team, and he will support Oribe Peralta. This move will put dos Santos in a play-making role where he will receive more of the ball. It will also maximize Peralta's ability as a goal poaching forward.
Tito: This one goes out to Hugo Sanchez... you were a fabulous player, Mexico's greatest I would say. Then, as a coach, you were nothing spectacular; average at best. But as a commentator and analyst, you've by far shocked my expectations.... to say that "Carlos Vela is to Mexico what Messi is to Argentina or what Crisitano Ronaldo is to Portugal." SMH! I think that was the first time that Carlos Vela's name was in the same sentence as Messi's and Ronaldo's. My expectations were not that high Mr. Sanchez for your commentating skills, but these comments have just left me in disbelief... (side note and some words of advice: Hugo, drinking can impair judgement, so stay off the hooch and stick with juice [haha see what i did there; jugo = juice in Spanish but the name Hugo and the word jugo are phonetically the same for all you English only speakers, or readers in this case]).
Don't get me wrong, I do think Carlos Vela is a good player, but he is not one of those make-or-break situation kind of guys. The fact that Mexico can rely on the likes of Oribe Peralta for their goal scoring opportunities makes Carlos Vela seem very over inflated. Club teams aside, Carlos Vela has 35 caps with Mexico and 9 goals. But one can't forget that he has excluded himself since 2011 from the squad... there could be some bad blood in the locker room over actions like that. So his integration to the team might not be a seamless. On the other hand, Peralta seems to be on fire with 29 caps and 16 goals. Although Peralta is older, his integration and flow with the rest of the players of El Tri will make him their most lethal attacker.
2. Which U-25 player is most likely to shine brightest in Brazil this summer?
Garrett: As I touched on in last week's piece, I think Paul Pogba of France is going to have a big tournament this summer for Les Bleus. To keep things fresh though, I'm going to give you two U-25 players to look out for this summer. Choosing one player is simply impossible when you have the Deutschland Duo of Marco Reus and Mario Gotze. Yes, I just linked to another fantastic highlight reel with electronic music playing in the background. Deal with it. 2010 may have been the summer of Ozil and Muller, but all signs point to Marco and Mario becoming household names in the United States this year.
Reus and Gotze, 24 and 21 respectively, did not make Germany's 2010 World Cup squad, but they formed quite a partnership at Borussia Dortmund last year, scoring 34 goals in all competitions. Their connection on the field was undeniable, and all you have to do to see the level their bromance reached is search their names on Google Images. Seriously, major bromance. Given how beautifully Dortmund played with the two in their lineup, it was pretty heartbreaking to see Mario Gotze lured away by the Death Star known as "Bayern Munich" and their big money. The two, along with Robert Lewandoski, had really formed one of the best attacking trios Europe has seen in recent history, and did it in only one season together. God only knows the levels that would have been reached had they been able to play together for multiple years. On the international front, they've only acquired 45 caps, but have already totaled thirteen goals for their country, which should strike fear into their opponents hearts this summer given their impending reunion. They attack with flair and panache, and they have hair that Ron Burgundy would be jealous of. (Warning: Do not allow your girlfriend to watch a German game this summer, as you will only have to hear about, and then be compared to, Gotze and Reus and their great hair. You don't want that burden.) When it comes down to it, the only reason you should not like these two is because they both enjoy listening to the crap, I mean music, that Justin Bieber puts out. Although this is a serious character flaw that some may not be able to overlook, their displays on the pitch will more than make up for it this summer for those that can.
Kyle: Miralem Pjanic is a player I expect to perform well at the World Cup and parlay his play on the world's largest stage to a move to a larger club. In choosing Pjanic, I wanted to select someone who doesn't receive a great deal of international attention, is attack minded, and has a good chance of making it out of the group stages. After all, it is harder to impress casual fans with great defending and positional awareness.
Pjanic is a 23 year old attacking midfielder who plays for AS Roma in Serie A and internationally for Bosnia Herzegovina. He is a creative player who can control the game, make incisive passes, and score. Prior to playing with Roma, Pjanic played at Lyon and Metz in Ligue 1. I expect Bosnia Herzegovina to play attack minded soccer, advance out of their group, and gain new fans.
Bonus nugget: Remember that 23 year old Italian I talked about last week? Check out what he did this past weekend in Serie A....Balo Balo!
Tito: World Cups are always filled with stars, and some of the most inspiring names we get to see are those that are beginning to make names for themselves. This World Cup will be no different. There are two individuals that I think are set up for prime time. There are so many players that have already been phenomenal and are already still 25 like Kun Aguero and Angel Di Maria, and there are others that are about to explode like Chelsea's Schurrle, Liverpool's Sturridge, the Dutchman Strootman, Lamela, and even the American Diskerud has potential to become a "household" name, but, I think that this World Cup will be run by the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. The former is 23 years old and has cemented his position with both club (Chelsea) and country (Belgium). He is one of the reasons why Belgium has qualified to World Cup and has been a staple of the senior team since 2008 (he was only 17 years old when he debuted). He is incredibly nimble and has blistering pace. Those two attributes partnered with phenomenal touch has made his always controversial club manager, Jose Mourinho, claim that Hazard could be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi (if you refer above, Hugo Sanchez made the same claim but was ridiculed as he was trying to throw Carlos Vela into that mix). He is an attacking midfielder usually penetrating defenses through the flanks and many are stating that Hazard is "possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now" (ESPN). If you can catch a Chelsea game from now until the World Cup, do yourself a favor and watch it, taking particular interest in Hazard, as Chelsea's top standing can be highly attributed to his talent.
Diego Costa is an incredibly interesting case. He is 25 years old and has been making a name for himself since his time at the highly coveted Barcelona youth since 2004. At the age of 17, he was making a name for himself. This 6'2" striker is finding his form now at Atletico Madrid, which is in a three-way tie for first with Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga. This season, in the 23 games he has played, he has 20 goals (team total 56) and 3 assists. His ability to find the goal is impressive, and due to his large size, stopping him is incredibly difficult. Now, this is where it gets interesting... Diego Costa was born in Brazil. Since he has been part of Atletico since 2008, he applied for Spanish citizenship (like many foreign players do in their host countries to allow for foreign player slots to remain open) and received it in September of 2013. He had been called up by the Brazilian national team in May of 2013, before he had dual citizenship. After capping Brazil in two games (0 goals and entered as a substitute), in October of 2013, only a month after getting his Spanish citizenship, he declares that he wishes to play for the Spanish national team. He wrote a letter to the highly coveted 5 time World Cup winning Brazilian national team and requested to be released. After which Scolari basically called him a turncoat and commented that someone who doesn't wish to play for their national team, during the World Cup, in the country of his birth, is a persona non grata. However, this now gives a monster edge back to Spain. Fernando 'El Niño' Torres is a glimmer of his old self and David Villa is aging. Since both Villa and Costa play for Atletico, they find themselves ripping apart defenses in Brazil come this summer. keep an eye on Diego Costa, I am predicting a good tournament for him which will then follow a purchase to big club starting the 2014-15 season.
3. Which contender has the more serious goalkeeping issue, Spain or Brazil?
Garrett: This is such a close one to call. Spain and Brazil have relied heavily on Iker Casillas and Julio Cesar, respectively, over the years. Combined, they have amassed 229 caps for their countries, and have been instrumental in helping their squads lift trophies. Yet hard times have fallen on both keepers. Saint Iker is only getting playing time at Madrid in Champions League matches, as he is now Madrid's second choice keeper. Cesar, on the other hand, barely got any minutes at Queens Park Rangers after they were relegated to the Championship, and while he is likely to be the starting keeper for Toronto FC now that his loan deal has gone through, the MLS season doesn't start until early March.
Despite both not getting the minutes they need to be in top form, their national squad coaches have both indicated they will more than likely start this summer in Brazil. Considering that Cesar is likely to get more minutes than Casillas over the next few months, you'd think that Spain has the more serious issue. However, Spain has the far better set of backup keepers should their captain not be in form, as Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina both start for major European clubs, whereas Brazil's backups all hail from their native domestic league. Given that Spain has more options to tend the net, I have to say that Brazil has more worry about between the posts. If Cesar can't reach top form in Toronto over the coming months, Brazil is going to have a major goalkeeping conundrum on their hands when they start group play.
Kyle: Brazil. Julio Cesar, the goalkeeper who started in the Confederations Cup, has played one game for QPR this season. It is hard to imagine a second choice goalkeeper for a team in England's second division starting for Brazil. Julio Cesar is moving to Toronto FC in hopes of finding regular playing time.
If Big Phil Scolari doesn't select Julio Cesar, he will have to select a goalkeeper without much international experience. Cavalieri and Jefferson were the other keepers on the Brazilian Confederations Cup team. Cavalieri has 3 caps and Jefferson has 9 caps.
Spain has an abundance of riches in goal. The only problem for Del Bosque will be picking between three world-class keepers. Iker Casillas has been Spain's number one since 2002 and is the most capped player in Spanish history. At the beginning of last year, I thought Casillas would be a lock for Spain's starting keeper spot. However, Jose Mourinho, Casillas's former club coach, benched Casillas for Antonio Adan because he felt Adan was better than Iker "at that moment." Adan's contract was terminated after Mourinho left to Chelsea. This season, Adan has started two games for Real Betis who are currently last in La Liga. Good job, Jose. Mourinho also went into the winter transfer market and acquired Diego Lopez, a very good keeper, who he played ahead of Casillas. It seems Jose Mourinho and Iker Casillas had personal problems that spilled onto the field.
Mourinho left Real Madrid last year and Carlo Ancelloti was hired as his replacement. To my surprise, Ancelloti has stuck with Diego Reyes as the starting goalkeeper for La Liga games, and Casillas starts in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Del Bosque will be left to decide whether to play Casillas, who is still a great keeper, or pick from a talent pool that consists of Victor Valdes (Barca), Pepe Reina (Napoli), and David de Gea (Manchester United).
Tito: Simple, Brazil. As Garrett mentioned, Spain has not only Iker Casillas from Real Madrid where he trains with elite athletes. Shots being fired by Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Benzema, Jese, etc., but three other goalkeepers that are playing at reputable clubs: Victor Valdez is at none other than Barcelona, David de Gea is at Manchester United, and Pepe Reina is at Napoli.
Taken into perspective, Julio Cesar was once a wall in the back, but his form since his move to England with QPR has been far from stellar. It's not only his physical aspect at stake here, but his emotional and mental state couldn't be at it's peak with him being recently transferred to Toronto FC. Not to put down the MLS, but you have 4 keepers from Spain all playing in named clubs, while you have Brazil's best prospect between the post in the second division in England, with a transfer to the MLS. Let it be known, MLS is a league where players are nurtured and then sold to bigger clubs, or where greats come to retire and have a prolonged set of glory days. The next FOUR on the Brazilian list, which will be left nameless, have 18 caps between them.
4. Some players just don't play as well for their country as they do for their professional club. Which player fits this mold, and is there any chance he reverses the trend this summer?
Garrett: Some may not agree with this, but I think Franck Ribery fits the bill here. He has scored 16 goals in 80 caps for Les Bleus, and while that is a respectable tally, you have to expect more from a player who has been in contention for the Ballon d'Or in recent years. When you actually look at the goals he's scored for France, only one has come in a major tournament, and six of them came in friendlies. The ones that have come in qualification games have come against sub-par opponents, like Lithuania, Georgia, and Belarus. Contrast that with his form at Bayern Munich, where he has found the net 60 times in 170 games, and it's apparent that Scarface just hasn't been the same player for his country in the past. However, his current form this year (7 goals in 14 appearances) coupled with the fact this is his chance to leave his mark on French football leads me to believe that Ribery can reverse course in Brazil. Their group opponents aren't the most difficult, which should mean the Frenchman will have ample opportunities to find the back of the net. Expect Franck, the man with a face that only a mother could love, to carpe diem it here, because at the age of 30, this very well may be his last World Cup.
Kyle: Lionel Messi is one of the best players in the world for Barcelona and it would be hard for him to replicate his club performance with Argentina. The club versus country argument is difficult to analyze because a club practices frequently whereas an international team meets periodically around FIFA calendar dates. International teams are similar to allstar teams which do not have sufficient time to practice.
Messi has won four Ballons d'Or, six La Liga championships, and three Champions League trophies. He averages .86 goals per game with Barcelona, but has only managed to average .45 goals per game for Argentina. With Barcelona, Messi has played with a talented core group of players for years. Barcelona is known for playing a possession based 4-3-3 that is used at all levels of the club. It would be the equivalent of a middle school basketball team running the same offense and defense as the high school team. Early in his career, Messi played as the right forward in the formation and cut inside onto his favored left foot. Now, Messi plays as the center forward where he has more opportunity to influence the game.
Argentina traditionally plays a 4-3-1-2 formation where the midfielder behind the striker is a moody playmaker such as Juan Veron or Juan Riquelme. Argentina has tried to accommodate Messi by playing a 4-3-3 similar to Barcelona. Their coach has admitted that it is difficult to find a defensive and offensive balance with the formation and players at his disposal. Argentina's attacking players are among the best in the world, but their defense is mediocre at best.
I think the formation change and the amount of talented attacking players will allow Messi to shine for Argentina but not up to his Barcelona level.
Tito: I think that the safe answer is Wayne Rooney. But I don't want to be like the rest of the other writers and get on the "Rooney is worthless for club" bandwagon... I think his international form is a given. I think that the person who plays really well for club, currently at Zenit St. Petersburg with 9 games 7 goals so far, is none other than Givanildo Vieira de Souza... better known as Hulk (and with a name like his I would also prefer to be called Hulk ;P). Granted, Hulk is 27 years old, but in all of the games I've seen him play with the Canarinho and I do feel like Hulk under-represents.
Hulk is currently with Zenit St. Petersburg, but he made his name at Porto. While with the northern Portuguese monsters, he scored 54 goals in 100 games. He was highly scouted by many teams. Zenit St. Petersburg scooped him up in 2012 for 60 million euros. While in Russia, he's scored 16 goals in 32 matches... and in the 9 games for the 2013/2014 Russian Premier League season he has 7 to his tally.
However, his statistics with Brazil tell a different story. He is mainly used on the right side of the field in hopes that he will thunder into the box going directly to goal. He goes from a monster in club, where Hulk is fitting, to the humble Bruce Banner when he puts on his national uniform. He's usually the first sub to occur for Brazil, which occurs around the 70th minute mark.
I have big expectations for Hulk as he really is a great player, and I'm hoping that he will show up for his country in front of his people, in his home country, representing the 5-time-World Cup-winning Brazilians. But history tends to be a great predictor, I fear that I'll be seeing a tamed beast as part of the attack.
5. We excluded Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from last week's conversation, but let's finish this week's edition with them. Which of the top two players in the world will have the bigger burden of carrying their country's hopes and dreams this coming summer?
Garrett: To me, this is more of a psychological question as opposed to one driven by statistics. I'll leave the statistics to Tito, who has a great bit on that angle further down the page. When it comes down to it, Cristiano has propelled his country to success at the international level, while Leonel Messi has not. Just look at what CR7 has done for his country:
2004 Euro Cup: Part of group that made it to the final, where they narrowly lost to the Greeks in a major upset. Found the back of the net twice as a 19 year old.
2006 World Cup: Took Portugal to the semifinals, where they lost to France only because of a Zidane penalty kick. Scored one goal against Iran.
2008 Euro Cup: Lost by the narrowest of margins, 1-0, to world power Germany in the quarterfinals. Found the net once.
2010 World Cup: Survived "Group of Death" with Brazil and Ivory Coast, lost to eventual champion Spain by the narrowest of margins again, 1-0, in the Round of 16. Scored one goal in four games, though it was in a rout against lowly North Korea.
2012 Euro Cup: Led Portugal to semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Spain in penalty kicks. Scored three goals, including both game-winners against Netherlands and Czech Republic.
In the two most prominent tournaments in international football, Ronaldo has led an often understaffed squad to the brink of glory multiple times. Contrast that with Messi's international history, who has often had a better supporting cast than the Real Madrid man:
2006 World Cup: Made squad, but used sparingly in Germany.
2007 Copa America: Helped get Argentina to final, where they were completely outclassed by Brazil 3-0.
2010 World Cup: Navigated Argentina through arguably the easiest group in the tournament, and defeated an average Mexican team in Round of 16 before being thoroughly dominated and outclassed by Germany 4-0 in the quarters. Messi failed to find the back of the net.
2011 Copa America: With Argentina hosting the tournament, and being considered favorites to lift the trophy, only managed to win one game, as they were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarters. Once again, he did not score a goal in the run of play.
It is crystal clear that Ronaldo has outperformed Messi at the international level. His four goals against Sweden in the UEFA playoff show that he not only carries the weight of his country on his back, but also thrives in that role. Because of Ronaldo's successes, Leo Messi has to have the bigger burden this summer. He'll be playing in front of home fans in South America, amplifying the already humongous pressure, and you know that Argentina has not forgotten about the 2011 Copa America. Additionally, they have arguably the clearest path to the final in Brazil, and given that they will be favorites in every match before the semis, anything short of a trip to the final four will probably be deemed an epic failure. Considering those lofty expectations, the weight of the world will be on the 5'7" Argentinean shoulders of Messi this summer, while a weaker-than-usual Portugal will be happy to just escape the Group of Death. All eyes are on you, Leo "La Pulga."
Kyle: I think Messi has a better supporting cast, so I'm going with CR7. He single-handedly led Portugal to the World Cup. He scored all of Portugal's four goals in the World Cup play-in game against Sweden. I'm a Barca homer so I'm not a Ronaldo fan, but his performance against Sweden was amazing.
Below is Portugal's starting lineup, with each players club team in parentheses, in their crucial play-in game against Sweden:
Rui Costa (Sporting, Portugal) - 29 caps and did not make the World Cup squad in 2010.
Bruno Alves (Fenerbache, Turkey) - A big, physical defender who is 32 years old and towards the end of his career.
Pepe (Real Madrid, Spain) - A big, athletic, and physical center back who is known for losing his temper.
Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid, Spain) - He doesn't see regular playing time for Madrid, which is understandable since Marcelo is the starter.
Joao Pereira (Valencia, Spain) - 29 caps and plays on a solid La Liga team.
Miguel Veloso (Dinamo Kiev, Ukraine) - 43 caps and was not on the 2010 World Cup squad.
Joao Moutinho (AS Monaco, France/Monaco) - A technically skilled midfielder who has 64 caps. Moutinho and former club teammate James Rodriguez moved to AS Monaco for an estimated 70 million euros which is a high valuation for two players.
Raul Meireles (Fenerbache, Turkey) - He had a decent career with Chelsea and is now playing for a good Turkish side. His name makes me think of tattoos and interesting hair styles...and shots from 30 yards out that go into the stands.
Nani (Manchester United, England) - He had a very promising start to his career at Manchester United. Lately, he has been unable to find playing time.
Hugo Almeida (Besiktas, Turkey) - He has started 18 games this season and scored 11 goals, which is quite a good return.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Spain) - Won two Ballons d'Or, dates supermodels, and was part of this hilarious meme.
Portugal has some good players, but except for the Real Madrid contingent, none of them are playing for world class teams. Why? Because they aren't great. Sometimes it takes a while for players from less visible leagues like Portugal to get the recognition they deserve. However, Portugal's team is old enough where the big spending teams would have paid a hefty transfer fee for a high quality player.
Tito: I am not writing this piece to say who is the better footballer or in any way saying that one player is better than the other. This is strictly to put perspective on who matters more to their respective national teams. This will certainly be a debate for many writers, commentators, analyzers, and teams as a whole. Who is more important to their national team... Messi para los albicelestes or Cristiano pra selecao das quinas?
1. What does Carlos Vela's decision to not play this summer mean for Mexico's chances? Are they better off without him?
Garrett: I'm going to give you my take on this from two different viewpoints:
Purely Analytical: There is no doubt that Vela is a great Mexican talent. In just two and a half seasons with Real Sociedad, he has tallied 35 goals. On paper, this a player that you want on the squad, and would probably be in the starting eleven. But stats don't tell the whole story with Vela, who has shunned the Mexican team since 2011. In my opinion, a player who, in his prime, turns down the honor to wear his country's shirt, isn't worth having on your squad. Not only did he turn his back on Mexico, but he did so when the country needed him more than ever, when the possibility of missing out on Brazil was very real, as Mexico was struggling mightily in World Cup qualifying. It was the equivalent of turning your back on your family, except the family here consisted of 120 million people who eat, sleep, and breathe everything El Tri. Vela's absence this summer didn't even matter after the World Cup Draw in December. The furthest Mexico can advance after that draw is the Round of 16, as they would be heavy underdogs there against either Spain, Netherlands, or Chile should they be able to get out of the group. Given that he is only 24, there is a chance that he makes an appearance in Russia in 2018, but don't be surprised if Miguel Herrera (or future coaches, given Mexico's recent love of firing coaches) turn their back on Vela like he has done to them.
As a USMNT supporter: Vela's decision to not join up with El Tri this summer is just further evidence of how our neighbors to the south are still in shambles, even though they qualified for the World Cup. Seriously though, what kind of player turns their back on their country when they are in desperate need of his talents? A member of El Tri, that's who. All because Vela is still butt-hurt over a suspension he received a few years ago from the Mexican Football Federation. Grow up, puto. And from a coaching standpoint, how desperate do you have to be to continue to plead with a player to join up with the team, when he turns you down time and time again. Move on, tell the player to hit the bricks and comé mierda, Herrera. Thankfully, we don't have to deal with this nonsense in Sam's Army. If only our honor, and self respect hadn't forced us to win that game in Panama, Mexico would have ended up where they deserved to be this summer...at home.
Kyle: I believe Mexico will miss a very talented player who is not committed to playing with the national team. His absence may not hurt as much due to Oribe Peralta's good run of form and the disharmony Vela has brought to the Mexican National Team.
Carlos Vela last played for Mexico in 2011. He has turned down playing for El Tri on many occasions including the recent World Cup qualifying campaign. Without Vela, Mexico finished fourth out of six teams in CONCACAF and qualified for the World Cup via a play-in game against New Zealand.
Vela has been Mexico's most consistent player in Europe for the past few years. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez had a very bright spell with Manchester United, but he has struggled to find playing time this year. In 2011, Vela began playing with Real Sociedad and has become a key player for the team by scoring double digit goals in each of the past two seasons. Vela's goal scoring abilities could help El Tri as the Mexican National Team struggled to score goals (7 goals in 10 games) during qualifiers.
Vela's absence should be mitigated by Miguel Herrera's team formation and Oribe "El Cepillo" Peralta. Herrera prefers to play a 5-3-2 with the outside defenders pushing far up field. My guess is that Gio dos Santos will play as a withdrawn second forward, similar to where he plays with his club team, and he will support Oribe Peralta. This move will put dos Santos in a play-making role where he will receive more of the ball. It will also maximize Peralta's ability as a goal poaching forward.
Tito: This one goes out to Hugo Sanchez... you were a fabulous player, Mexico's greatest I would say. Then, as a coach, you were nothing spectacular; average at best. But as a commentator and analyst, you've by far shocked my expectations.... to say that "Carlos Vela is to Mexico what Messi is to Argentina or what Crisitano Ronaldo is to Portugal." SMH! I think that was the first time that Carlos Vela's name was in the same sentence as Messi's and Ronaldo's. My expectations were not that high Mr. Sanchez for your commentating skills, but these comments have just left me in disbelief... (side note and some words of advice: Hugo, drinking can impair judgement, so stay off the hooch and stick with juice [haha see what i did there; jugo = juice in Spanish but the name Hugo and the word jugo are phonetically the same for all you English only speakers, or readers in this case]).
Don't get me wrong, I do think Carlos Vela is a good player, but he is not one of those make-or-break situation kind of guys. The fact that Mexico can rely on the likes of Oribe Peralta for their goal scoring opportunities makes Carlos Vela seem very over inflated. Club teams aside, Carlos Vela has 35 caps with Mexico and 9 goals. But one can't forget that he has excluded himself since 2011 from the squad... there could be some bad blood in the locker room over actions like that. So his integration to the team might not be a seamless. On the other hand, Peralta seems to be on fire with 29 caps and 16 goals. Although Peralta is older, his integration and flow with the rest of the players of El Tri will make him their most lethal attacker.
2. Which U-25 player is most likely to shine brightest in Brazil this summer?
Garrett: As I touched on in last week's piece, I think Paul Pogba of France is going to have a big tournament this summer for Les Bleus. To keep things fresh though, I'm going to give you two U-25 players to look out for this summer. Choosing one player is simply impossible when you have the Deutschland Duo of Marco Reus and Mario Gotze. Yes, I just linked to another fantastic highlight reel with electronic music playing in the background. Deal with it. 2010 may have been the summer of Ozil and Muller, but all signs point to Marco and Mario becoming household names in the United States this year.
Reus and Gotze, 24 and 21 respectively, did not make Germany's 2010 World Cup squad, but they formed quite a partnership at Borussia Dortmund last year, scoring 34 goals in all competitions. Their connection on the field was undeniable, and all you have to do to see the level their bromance reached is search their names on Google Images. Seriously, major bromance. Given how beautifully Dortmund played with the two in their lineup, it was pretty heartbreaking to see Mario Gotze lured away by the Death Star known as "Bayern Munich" and their big money. The two, along with Robert Lewandoski, had really formed one of the best attacking trios Europe has seen in recent history, and did it in only one season together. God only knows the levels that would have been reached had they been able to play together for multiple years. On the international front, they've only acquired 45 caps, but have already totaled thirteen goals for their country, which should strike fear into their opponents hearts this summer given their impending reunion. They attack with flair and panache, and they have hair that Ron Burgundy would be jealous of. (Warning: Do not allow your girlfriend to watch a German game this summer, as you will only have to hear about, and then be compared to, Gotze and Reus and their great hair. You don't want that burden.) When it comes down to it, the only reason you should not like these two is because they both enjoy listening to the crap, I mean music, that Justin Bieber puts out. Although this is a serious character flaw that some may not be able to overlook, their displays on the pitch will more than make up for it this summer for those that can.
Kyle: Miralem Pjanic is a player I expect to perform well at the World Cup and parlay his play on the world's largest stage to a move to a larger club. In choosing Pjanic, I wanted to select someone who doesn't receive a great deal of international attention, is attack minded, and has a good chance of making it out of the group stages. After all, it is harder to impress casual fans with great defending and positional awareness.
Pjanic is a 23 year old attacking midfielder who plays for AS Roma in Serie A and internationally for Bosnia Herzegovina. He is a creative player who can control the game, make incisive passes, and score. Prior to playing with Roma, Pjanic played at Lyon and Metz in Ligue 1. I expect Bosnia Herzegovina to play attack minded soccer, advance out of their group, and gain new fans.
Bonus nugget: Remember that 23 year old Italian I talked about last week? Check out what he did this past weekend in Serie A....Balo Balo!
Tito: World Cups are always filled with stars, and some of the most inspiring names we get to see are those that are beginning to make names for themselves. This World Cup will be no different. There are two individuals that I think are set up for prime time. There are so many players that have already been phenomenal and are already still 25 like Kun Aguero and Angel Di Maria, and there are others that are about to explode like Chelsea's Schurrle, Liverpool's Sturridge, the Dutchman Strootman, Lamela, and even the American Diskerud has potential to become a "household" name, but, I think that this World Cup will be run by the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. The former is 23 years old and has cemented his position with both club (Chelsea) and country (Belgium). He is one of the reasons why Belgium has qualified to World Cup and has been a staple of the senior team since 2008 (he was only 17 years old when he debuted). He is incredibly nimble and has blistering pace. Those two attributes partnered with phenomenal touch has made his always controversial club manager, Jose Mourinho, claim that Hazard could be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi (if you refer above, Hugo Sanchez made the same claim but was ridiculed as he was trying to throw Carlos Vela into that mix). He is an attacking midfielder usually penetrating defenses through the flanks and many are stating that Hazard is "possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now" (ESPN). If you can catch a Chelsea game from now until the World Cup, do yourself a favor and watch it, taking particular interest in Hazard, as Chelsea's top standing can be highly attributed to his talent.
3. Which contender has the more serious goalkeeping issue, Spain or Brazil?
Garrett: This is such a close one to call. Spain and Brazil have relied heavily on Iker Casillas and Julio Cesar, respectively, over the years. Combined, they have amassed 229 caps for their countries, and have been instrumental in helping their squads lift trophies. Yet hard times have fallen on both keepers. Saint Iker is only getting playing time at Madrid in Champions League matches, as he is now Madrid's second choice keeper. Cesar, on the other hand, barely got any minutes at Queens Park Rangers after they were relegated to the Championship, and while he is likely to be the starting keeper for Toronto FC now that his loan deal has gone through, the MLS season doesn't start until early March.
Despite both not getting the minutes they need to be in top form, their national squad coaches have both indicated they will more than likely start this summer in Brazil. Considering that Cesar is likely to get more minutes than Casillas over the next few months, you'd think that Spain has the more serious issue. However, Spain has the far better set of backup keepers should their captain not be in form, as Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina both start for major European clubs, whereas Brazil's backups all hail from their native domestic league. Given that Spain has more options to tend the net, I have to say that Brazil has more worry about between the posts. If Cesar can't reach top form in Toronto over the coming months, Brazil is going to have a major goalkeeping conundrum on their hands when they start group play.
Kyle: Brazil. Julio Cesar, the goalkeeper who started in the Confederations Cup, has played one game for QPR this season. It is hard to imagine a second choice goalkeeper for a team in England's second division starting for Brazil. Julio Cesar is moving to Toronto FC in hopes of finding regular playing time.
If Big Phil Scolari doesn't select Julio Cesar, he will have to select a goalkeeper without much international experience. Cavalieri and Jefferson were the other keepers on the Brazilian Confederations Cup team. Cavalieri has 3 caps and Jefferson has 9 caps.
Spain has an abundance of riches in goal. The only problem for Del Bosque will be picking between three world-class keepers. Iker Casillas has been Spain's number one since 2002 and is the most capped player in Spanish history. At the beginning of last year, I thought Casillas would be a lock for Spain's starting keeper spot. However, Jose Mourinho, Casillas's former club coach, benched Casillas for Antonio Adan because he felt Adan was better than Iker "at that moment." Adan's contract was terminated after Mourinho left to Chelsea. This season, Adan has started two games for Real Betis who are currently last in La Liga. Good job, Jose. Mourinho also went into the winter transfer market and acquired Diego Lopez, a very good keeper, who he played ahead of Casillas. It seems Jose Mourinho and Iker Casillas had personal problems that spilled onto the field.
Mourinho left Real Madrid last year and Carlo Ancelloti was hired as his replacement. To my surprise, Ancelloti has stuck with Diego Reyes as the starting goalkeeper for La Liga games, and Casillas starts in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Del Bosque will be left to decide whether to play Casillas, who is still a great keeper, or pick from a talent pool that consists of Victor Valdes (Barca), Pepe Reina (Napoli), and David de Gea (Manchester United).
Tito: Simple, Brazil. As Garrett mentioned, Spain has not only Iker Casillas from Real Madrid where he trains with elite athletes. Shots being fired by Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Benzema, Jese, etc., but three other goalkeepers that are playing at reputable clubs: Victor Valdez is at none other than Barcelona, David de Gea is at Manchester United, and Pepe Reina is at Napoli.
Taken into perspective, Julio Cesar was once a wall in the back, but his form since his move to England with QPR has been far from stellar. It's not only his physical aspect at stake here, but his emotional and mental state couldn't be at it's peak with him being recently transferred to Toronto FC. Not to put down the MLS, but you have 4 keepers from Spain all playing in named clubs, while you have Brazil's best prospect between the post in the second division in England, with a transfer to the MLS. Let it be known, MLS is a league where players are nurtured and then sold to bigger clubs, or where greats come to retire and have a prolonged set of glory days. The next FOUR on the Brazilian list, which will be left nameless, have 18 caps between them.
4. Some players just don't play as well for their country as they do for their professional club. Which player fits this mold, and is there any chance he reverses the trend this summer?
Garrett: Some may not agree with this, but I think Franck Ribery fits the bill here. He has scored 16 goals in 80 caps for Les Bleus, and while that is a respectable tally, you have to expect more from a player who has been in contention for the Ballon d'Or in recent years. When you actually look at the goals he's scored for France, only one has come in a major tournament, and six of them came in friendlies. The ones that have come in qualification games have come against sub-par opponents, like Lithuania, Georgia, and Belarus. Contrast that with his form at Bayern Munich, where he has found the net 60 times in 170 games, and it's apparent that Scarface just hasn't been the same player for his country in the past. However, his current form this year (7 goals in 14 appearances) coupled with the fact this is his chance to leave his mark on French football leads me to believe that Ribery can reverse course in Brazil. Their group opponents aren't the most difficult, which should mean the Frenchman will have ample opportunities to find the back of the net. Expect Franck, the man with a face that only a mother could love, to carpe diem it here, because at the age of 30, this very well may be his last World Cup.
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| Good Ol' Scarface |
Messi has won four Ballons d'Or, six La Liga championships, and three Champions League trophies. He averages .86 goals per game with Barcelona, but has only managed to average .45 goals per game for Argentina. With Barcelona, Messi has played with a talented core group of players for years. Barcelona is known for playing a possession based 4-3-3 that is used at all levels of the club. It would be the equivalent of a middle school basketball team running the same offense and defense as the high school team. Early in his career, Messi played as the right forward in the formation and cut inside onto his favored left foot. Now, Messi plays as the center forward where he has more opportunity to influence the game.
Argentina traditionally plays a 4-3-1-2 formation where the midfielder behind the striker is a moody playmaker such as Juan Veron or Juan Riquelme. Argentina has tried to accommodate Messi by playing a 4-3-3 similar to Barcelona. Their coach has admitted that it is difficult to find a defensive and offensive balance with the formation and players at his disposal. Argentina's attacking players are among the best in the world, but their defense is mediocre at best.
I think the formation change and the amount of talented attacking players will allow Messi to shine for Argentina but not up to his Barcelona level.
Tito: I think that the safe answer is Wayne Rooney. But I don't want to be like the rest of the other writers and get on the "Rooney is worthless for club" bandwagon... I think his international form is a given. I think that the person who plays really well for club, currently at Zenit St. Petersburg with 9 games 7 goals so far, is none other than Givanildo Vieira de Souza... better known as Hulk (and with a name like his I would also prefer to be called Hulk ;P). Granted, Hulk is 27 years old, but in all of the games I've seen him play with the Canarinho and I do feel like Hulk under-represents.
Hulk is currently with Zenit St. Petersburg, but he made his name at Porto. While with the northern Portuguese monsters, he scored 54 goals in 100 games. He was highly scouted by many teams. Zenit St. Petersburg scooped him up in 2012 for 60 million euros. While in Russia, he's scored 16 goals in 32 matches... and in the 9 games for the 2013/2014 Russian Premier League season he has 7 to his tally.
However, his statistics with Brazil tell a different story. He is mainly used on the right side of the field in hopes that he will thunder into the box going directly to goal. He goes from a monster in club, where Hulk is fitting, to the humble Bruce Banner when he puts on his national uniform. He's usually the first sub to occur for Brazil, which occurs around the 70th minute mark.
I have big expectations for Hulk as he really is a great player, and I'm hoping that he will show up for his country in front of his people, in his home country, representing the 5-time-World Cup-winning Brazilians. But history tends to be a great predictor, I fear that I'll be seeing a tamed beast as part of the attack.
5. We excluded Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from last week's conversation, but let's finish this week's edition with them. Which of the top two players in the world will have the bigger burden of carrying their country's hopes and dreams this coming summer?
Garrett: To me, this is more of a psychological question as opposed to one driven by statistics. I'll leave the statistics to Tito, who has a great bit on that angle further down the page. When it comes down to it, Cristiano has propelled his country to success at the international level, while Leonel Messi has not. Just look at what CR7 has done for his country:
2004 Euro Cup: Part of group that made it to the final, where they narrowly lost to the Greeks in a major upset. Found the back of the net twice as a 19 year old.
2006 World Cup: Took Portugal to the semifinals, where they lost to France only because of a Zidane penalty kick. Scored one goal against Iran.
2008 Euro Cup: Lost by the narrowest of margins, 1-0, to world power Germany in the quarterfinals. Found the net once.
2010 World Cup: Survived "Group of Death" with Brazil and Ivory Coast, lost to eventual champion Spain by the narrowest of margins again, 1-0, in the Round of 16. Scored one goal in four games, though it was in a rout against lowly North Korea.
2012 Euro Cup: Led Portugal to semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Spain in penalty kicks. Scored three goals, including both game-winners against Netherlands and Czech Republic.
In the two most prominent tournaments in international football, Ronaldo has led an often understaffed squad to the brink of glory multiple times. Contrast that with Messi's international history, who has often had a better supporting cast than the Real Madrid man:
2006 World Cup: Made squad, but used sparingly in Germany.
2007 Copa America: Helped get Argentina to final, where they were completely outclassed by Brazil 3-0.
2010 World Cup: Navigated Argentina through arguably the easiest group in the tournament, and defeated an average Mexican team in Round of 16 before being thoroughly dominated and outclassed by Germany 4-0 in the quarters. Messi failed to find the back of the net.
2011 Copa America: With Argentina hosting the tournament, and being considered favorites to lift the trophy, only managed to win one game, as they were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarters. Once again, he did not score a goal in the run of play.
It is crystal clear that Ronaldo has outperformed Messi at the international level. His four goals against Sweden in the UEFA playoff show that he not only carries the weight of his country on his back, but also thrives in that role. Because of Ronaldo's successes, Leo Messi has to have the bigger burden this summer. He'll be playing in front of home fans in South America, amplifying the already humongous pressure, and you know that Argentina has not forgotten about the 2011 Copa America. Additionally, they have arguably the clearest path to the final in Brazil, and given that they will be favorites in every match before the semis, anything short of a trip to the final four will probably be deemed an epic failure. Considering those lofty expectations, the weight of the world will be on the 5'7" Argentinean shoulders of Messi this summer, while a weaker-than-usual Portugal will be happy to just escape the Group of Death. All eyes are on you, Leo "La Pulga."
Kyle: I think Messi has a better supporting cast, so I'm going with CR7. He single-handedly led Portugal to the World Cup. He scored all of Portugal's four goals in the World Cup play-in game against Sweden. I'm a Barca homer so I'm not a Ronaldo fan, but his performance against Sweden was amazing.
Below is Portugal's starting lineup, with each players club team in parentheses, in their crucial play-in game against Sweden:
Rui Costa (Sporting, Portugal) - 29 caps and did not make the World Cup squad in 2010.
Bruno Alves (Fenerbache, Turkey) - A big, physical defender who is 32 years old and towards the end of his career.
Pepe (Real Madrid, Spain) - A big, athletic, and physical center back who is known for losing his temper.
Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid, Spain) - He doesn't see regular playing time for Madrid, which is understandable since Marcelo is the starter.
Joao Pereira (Valencia, Spain) - 29 caps and plays on a solid La Liga team.
Miguel Veloso (Dinamo Kiev, Ukraine) - 43 caps and was not on the 2010 World Cup squad.
Joao Moutinho (AS Monaco, France/Monaco) - A technically skilled midfielder who has 64 caps. Moutinho and former club teammate James Rodriguez moved to AS Monaco for an estimated 70 million euros which is a high valuation for two players.
Raul Meireles (Fenerbache, Turkey) - He had a decent career with Chelsea and is now playing for a good Turkish side. His name makes me think of tattoos and interesting hair styles...and shots from 30 yards out that go into the stands.
Nani (Manchester United, England) - He had a very promising start to his career at Manchester United. Lately, he has been unable to find playing time.
Hugo Almeida (Besiktas, Turkey) - He has started 18 games this season and scored 11 goals, which is quite a good return.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Spain) - Won two Ballons d'Or, dates supermodels, and was part of this hilarious meme.
Portugal has some good players, but except for the Real Madrid contingent, none of them are playing for world class teams. Why? Because they aren't great. Sometimes it takes a while for players from less visible leagues like Portugal to get the recognition they deserve. However, Portugal's team is old enough where the big spending teams would have paid a hefty transfer fee for a high quality player.
Tito: I am not writing this piece to say who is the better footballer or in any way saying that one player is better than the other. This is strictly to put perspective on who matters more to their respective national teams. This will certainly be a debate for many writers, commentators, analyzers, and teams as a whole. Who is more important to their national team... Messi para los albicelestes or Cristiano pra selecao das quinas?
Topic 1: Qualifying
In the highly competitive CONMEBOL, without Brazil, Argentina qualified as 1st. As they captured 1st, Messi scored 10 goals (second only to Suarez), while Higuain scored 9 times, 5 notches for Aguero, and 3 for Di Maria, Lavezzi, and Maxi Rodriguez. Portugal however, came in second in their group which consisted of Russia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Northern Ireland, and Luxembourg. This leads to the point of this topic. Portugal then faced the self proclaimed god of soccer, Ibrahimovic and the rest of the Scandonavian Swedes. In that playoff game, the first leg was in Lisbon and Ronaldo scored a critical 82' goal giving the first leg to the Portuguese. The second leg was a thriller. A goal by Portugal in the 50', which was followed by Ibra's equalizer in the 68'. Ibra then scored again 4 minutes later to give Sweden the 2-1 lead in Sweden. Interestingly enough, Portugal still had fire power of their own and scored a goal in the 78' and then sealed the deal in the 82', sending Portugal to the World Cup. The scorer of those three Portuguese goals was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal scores 4 goals in 2 games, all attributed to C Ron. Beastly.
Messi 0 Cristiano Ronaldo 3
Messi 0 Cristiano Ronaldo 1
(Remember, I'm just proving the more important player to their national team)
Topic 2: Attacking Make-up of their Respective National Teams
Name Caps Goals
Argentina
Messi 83 37 (45% of goals)
Higuain 35 21
Aguero 49 21
Lavezzi 28 4
Total 195 83
Portugal
C Ronaldo 107 47 (52% of goals)
H. Postiga 66 27
Eder 6 0
H. Almeida 53 17
Total 232 91
Cristiano naturally has more caps as he is older, but he has also scored more goals on a percentage scale. Furthermore, Cristiano is usually on the score sheet as 1st or 2nd, making him the catalyst that makes Portugal score.
Messi 0 Cristiano Ronaldo 2
Topic 3: World Cup Group
Group F:
Argentina
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Iran
Nigeria
Argentina are playing against minnows of the football world. Argentina has more than enough strength to pass through the group stages if Messi were to sit out.
Group G:
Germany
Portugal
Ghana
United States
Many consider this the "group of death." This means that any of the teams can make it out of the group. Considering I'm highly wanting the United States to make it out of the group stage, that means that another team will have to leave the tournament early. As Germany are always bringing a great team, they have the higher chances of making out of the group (as per most bookies), but the next spot will definitely be a dog fight. If Cristiano Ronaldo were to have an off day, or a bad lunch, Portugal may very well see the exit door.
Messi 0 Cristiano Ronaldo 3
We have here another hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo. I know that there are many many many more topics that could have been tested, but I do think that these topics are representative as to who will need to show up more for their national team. Let's face it, Argentina's route to the final is much easier than that of Portugal's, but for Argentina to lift the cup, Messi will need to show up. I still believe that Cristiano has the tougher task and the more weight for Portugal.
We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Off The Post, and be on the lookout for more articles in the coming days and weeks! Hopefully Sepp gets back to us about those technical difficulties...
We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Off The Post, and be on the lookout for more articles in the coming days and weeks! Hopefully Sepp gets back to us about those technical difficulties...
The real question I would like answered, does the US have any shot of getting out of group stage???
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