The FIFA Rankings: Why they don't work and how to fix them

If you go around asking people who the best footballing nations in the world are, you will usually get the same answers, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Italy, Holland, Uruguay, France, etc. The FIFA Rankings though tell a completely different story. As we saw with the seeds for next year's World Cup, the top eight sides in the world include the likes of Belgium, Colombia and Switzerland. Whether people agree with that is up for discussion, the question is how did this happen? The answer lies in how the FIFA Rankings are structured. I'm going to analyse how they work, why they don't reflect the true nature of football and look at what alternatives there are to rank national sides.

Football Superstitions, Routines and Rituals

Footballers are a superstitious bunch. Whether they’re an amateur playing for their local club in division ten or a professional playing in front of tens of thousands every week, its hard to find a player without a superstition, a simple routine or what could be seen as a ritual. Discussing this with Ale we both had our own habits before matches, I have to brush my teeth and “use the loo” - not at the same time, just thought I’d clear that up. Ale has to clap his shin pads together before putting them on and his previous coach always joked about the “no sex the night before" rule. In the 2010 World Cup Fabio Cappello famously banned all WAGS of the English team from seeing their players before each match and were restricted to only post match visitation rights. Seeing as the team didn't make it to the quarter finals, maybe all they needed was a conjugal visit of sorts, a little spooning the night before perhaps.

World Cup 2014 Final Draw Review

Firstly, discussion turns to the arduous qualifying campaign, then attention turns to the grueling play-offs. Once we know who the 32 teams are, the World Cup ball is released with great interest. Last but not least, the final piece of the puzzle for a World Cup and arguably the biggest talking point is the World Cup draw. On Friday FIFA held the final draw in Brazil amidst celebrities, football dignitaries and former players. The teams were put into their respective pots, as designated by the football governing body, and one by one they were drawn into the eight groups. These are the groups for next year's FIFA World Cup.

What Did The Mid-Week Fixtures Deliver?

Crystal Palace 1 - West Ham United 0

Tony Pulis may just pull this off. He of course has the record of never seeing a team demoted, and this first win is a good step towards maintaining that record. In what was a tough fixture for both teams who were equally desperate for all 3 points. I’m sticking to my early prediction of Palace going down and now Pulis’ record going with it. Pulis has reportedly been given the go ahead to spend money in January and I hope he can put it to good use because it’s great to see Aussie Mile Jedinak playing brilliant football week in and week out in the Premier League.

The Decline of the Classic No.9

A few weeks ago I started thinking of the reasons that have always made me want to play up front on the football pitch. Is it because of my characteristics as a player? Is it because of the joy I get from scoring goals? The glory of netting a match winner? I realised all those reasons have definitely contributed to my choice. However, I think one external reason affected me the most, growing up in 90s. Football in the 90s was all about the 4-4-2 formation and a great no.9 up front whose sole purpose was to smash the ball in the back of the net. When you talk about the 90s era these names always come up, Vieri, Romario, Weah, Stoichkov, Ronaldo, Fowler and Shearer. The centre forward thrived in the 90s. One name, my favourite player when I was growing up, would determine my choice to play up front, Gabriel Batistuta. The all time leading goal scorer for Argentina was the very definition of a pure centre forward. Unfortunately due to the evolution of tactics, the classic no.9 is now an endangered species.

Home Advantage: What does it mean and why does it exist?

When we talk about home advantage in football what are we really talking about? Does not having to travel help preparation? Are the playing conditions more familiar? Does the crowd act as a “12th man”? Is the referee bias? Or is it purely psychological both for the home team and the players who are visiting? It’s the age old question which may never have a straight answer, but I’m happy to give it a go.

2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or Analysis and Predictions

The voting for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or closes on Friday 29th November and this year's award has already caused some controversy. Controversy and the Ballon d'Or come hand in hand, in recent years there has been heavy criticism on various issues, including questioning the winner, corruption by FIFA and a shadow of doubt over the voting system. The 2010 edition of the award being the most controversial when Andres Iniesta was a heavy favourite following an outstanding year with Barcelona and scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final but didn't win it. Furthermore, Wesley Sneijder didn't even make the top 3 that year after leading Inter Milan to Champions League glory and the Netherlands to a World Cup final. Lionel Messi took the award and would be the recipient of it for the next two years to make it a record four time consecutive winner. This year's controversy revolves around the extension to the voting period by FIFA thus allowing the inclusion of the UEFA World Cup playoffs, which allegedly favours Franck Ribery, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and most of all Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Premier League's Middle Ground

We've had a thrilling international break between weeks 11 and 12 of the premier league, which saw the World Cup roster completed in some very memorable matches. The league is back underway this weekend and I'm looking at the middle of the table and summing up how those teams have kicked off their 2013/2014 seasons.

Socceroos 1 - 0 Costa Rica: Player Ratings

The Socceroos defeated Costa Rica 1-0. Here are my player ratings and prediction for our next starting lineup based on last night's performance.

The Start of a New Era: Socceroos 1 - 0 Costa Rica

What a difference a new coach makes! I had the pleasure of attending Ange Postecoglou's first match in charge as the Socceroos defeated Costa rica one nil. A great build up in the week prior to the match increased everyone's expectations, including my own. I had high hopes leading up to the match that the Socceroos would finally turn it around and start heading towards the right direction... I was not disappointed. It was evident from the get go that Ange's style of play was in full effect. After a shaky first couple of minutes the Socceroos settled into the match and showed some very promising play. Words to describe their performance would include dominant, controlled, determined and comfortable. It is amazing what our new coach has been able to do in such a short time and it's sad to think what could have been if he had taken over much earlier.

An Explosion of Football Coverage in the Media

Every time I travel back to Argentina, my place of birth, I am always amazed by the amount of football in the media. There are multiple radio programs that provide live commentary of matches as well as detailed analysis and talk back segments. Then of course you have the many sports channels on TV that mostly show football, all day every day. You also have the afternoon panel style shows that analyse and discuss matches to the finest of details and if that's not enough, you have the late night football variety shows which do interviews, gags and skits. It's hard to believe but Australia is not far from this football media feast at all.

EPL: Reviewing the Drop Zone and the Overachievers

It was May 27th, 2013. The place? Wembley. The teams? Watford and Crystal Palace. The prize? Promotion and an estimated £120 million cash influx. The result? Watford going down 1-0 to an extra-time penalty converted by Kevin Phillips. After an eight year absence, Palace was back in the Premier League. They may not have been the most consistent team all season, having finished fifth in the Championship, but they were good enough in the end to come out of the play-offs on top. Cut to November and they are currently sitting bottom of the Premier League, recording only 1 win in 10 games they are looking a sure thing to drop straight back down. The manager’s role is currently empty and there are reports that former Real Madrid coach Aitor Karanka has already had an interview for the position. I think they should instead make a realistic and forward thinking decision in picking someone with solid Championship and/or lower league promotional pedigree. Tony Pulis is apparently no longer interested, so perhaps the likes of Neil Warnock, Steve Coppell or Martin O’Neill?

Ange names his first Socceroos squad and Mark Schwarzer retires from international football!

Usually a squad announcement for a friendly is not very exciting and a lot of fans don't even pay much attention to it. However, this morning's Socceroos squad announcement was one of the most anticipated in recent times. Following our back to back 6-nil losses, the sacking of Holger Oesick and the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, everyone's attention and discussion turned to who would be called up to the national side. The big question on everyone's mind was who would get axed of the "golden generation" players and what new names would we see on the team sheet. One player from the "golden generation", Mark Schwarzer, answered the question before the squad was even named by announcing his retirement from international football in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Season 9 of the A-League Kicks Off !

The A-League has truly come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2005. I remember attending a Sydney FC pre-season match in early 2006, when football had finally come to the fore of the Australian sporting landscape. A journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald was at the match writing an article about the rise of the A-League and interviewed my friends and I. The article, found here http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/sydney-draw-friendly-coves-to-share-beer-and-pizza/2006/02/24/1140670269013.html, comments on how surprising it was to see fans travel so far to watch their team and how amazing it was to get 300 people to turn up and watch a training session. Fast forward six years, thousands of people showed up at the SFS last year to welcome Alessandro Del Piero and watch him train.

A Breath of Fresh Air in the Premier League

On this day, exactly one year ago, Chelsea were sitting top of the Premier League table, one point clear of United and City who were separated only by goal difference. The Gunners were 7 points off the pace, Liverpool were down in 12th with only 2 wins under their belt, QPR and Reading were in the drop zone, a sign of things to come, and nestled in between them was Southampton.

How times have changed. And by God do I love it, which in part is my bias as a Liverpool fan, but to a much larger degree is my bias as a fan of the Premier League. In recent years the title race has been a predictable occasion with a handful of teams fighting it out. In particular the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea, with Arsenal not far behind. 

The Darkest of Days for the Socceroos

I was there at Stadium Australia on that famous night in 2005 to experience the Socceroos’ greatest and proudest moment. With a win against Uruguay in the World Cup playoffs, we had not only beaten one of football’s super powers but also qualified for our first FIFA World Cup in over three decades. The “golden generation” was at the peak of it’s powers and Australia was the envy of all other lower tier football teams around the world. A few weeks ago, after back to back 6-0 defeats, the Socceroos’ hit rock bottom and arguably had their darkest moment.