FOOTY FAIR

Is PSG a Big Club or Just a Rich One?

2015-08-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva had some Manchester United fans waving their fists this weekend when he claimed that Angel Di Maria is ‘stepping up to a big club’ by leaving United to join him in Paris.

But are PSG a big club really?

When most fans think of 'big clubs', names like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and, indeed, Manchester United are what immediately come to mind.

Big clubs typically have a rich history of success, wealthy owners, a massive fan base, and are still successful in the current day.

There is a second category of 'big clubs' like Liverpool, Roma or Marseilles who certainly have history, a large number of supporters and have even achieved some sporadic success in recent years but aren't considered to be favourites to win their respective leagues title anytime soon, largely due to not being awash with the cash that's needed these days to scale that peak.

Speaking of cash, a third category of 'big clubs' is the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea that hadn't won a league title in decades before a rich owner swept in and turned them into his successful play thing. Clubs like this had large numbers of supporters prior to these lucrative cash injections, but 'shockingly' their ranks of supporters have swelled since then. I say that with just the slightest amount of sarcasm by the way.

As for Silva's PSG, they were only formed in 1970 and prior to their current owners taking over in 2012 they hadn't won a domestic title in 18 years. In fact they had only won two league championships in total until they were purchased by the Qatari Royal Family and were given the funds needed to subsequently win the last three Ligue 1 crowns.

In contrast, United coach Ryan Giggs, who retired as a player in 2014, won 13 league titles with the Red Devils. That's not mentioning his two UEFA Champions League winners medals to PSG's none.

So in short, PSG are likely in the 'big club' category of Manchester City and Chelsea, although both of those clubs could argue they are bigger than the French side on the account of their history and by virtue of playing in a more competitive domestic league. But to say that PSG is a step up from Manchester United is absolutely laughable.

2014 World Cup Match Day 24 (3rd Place): Goals & Highlights

2014-07-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Game 60: Brazil 0-3 Netherlands

2014 World Cup Match Day 24 (3rd Place Match): Preview

2014-07-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Brazil vs. Netherlands

Match Info

The third place match will be played at 5pm local time in Brazil.
This fixture is between two sides that have met six times before. The two nations share not only an identical record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, but have also scored an exact 15 goals each in previous meetings. The match will take place at the 69,349 seat Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, in the capital Brasilia. Brazil has played once before in this stadium, defeating Cameroon in the group stages 4-1. The Netherlands will be playing in the capital of Brazil for the first time in this tournament.

Netherlands' star winger Arjen Robben has gone on record saying that he does not care for the 3rd place match whatsoever. Brazil on the other hand, have some unfinished business after their humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany, after which they must have a good showing in front of their home supporters in order to regain any kind of respect from their nation's faithful.

Don't get your hopes up, Neymar will not be playing in this match. But the key ingredient that was missing against the Germans, captain and center-back Thiago Silva, will. Surely the Dutch don't want to finish off a decent World Cup run with two straight losses, but the Brazilians have much more riding on this fixture and are more likely to come out on their "front foot".

Players to watch

For the Dutch it will most likely be Tim Krul who had played all of 46 seconds before becoming a Dutch hero, leading his nation to a penalty kick victory over the Ticos from Costa Rica. Van Gaal must show the keeper respect and give him the nod in this "match that doesn't matter". For the Brazilians it will be David Luiz. The newly aquired PSG center-back must show his new teammates that he can be relied on, because if he shows up to camp after the World Cup with nothing other than the loss to Germany to show for, he may as well spend all of next season on the bench while proving to his colleagues in training that he can get the job done.

Staff Predictions:

Kon: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands

Iain: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands

Pedro: Brazil 3-1 Netherlands

FootyFair Semi Finals Predictions

2014-07-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

The semis are here, and we are not sure there could have been a more lethal combination of four teams playing it out for a spot in this year's World Cup Final. Will it be South America versus South America, Europe versus Europe, or maybe one of each in the finals?

Before we take up our guys' predictions, let's see how they did in the quarters.

Quarter-finals prediction results:

KON: Two of four correct predictions for Kon in this one. Netherlands and Germany winning were his correct pick, and he was able to predict the 1-0 score-line in the German's match. [Match Outcome: 2/4, Correct Scores 1/4]

PEDRO: Pedro was only able to predict one match correctly, and surprisingly he even got the score right in the match which saw Argentina overcome the Swiss by a score of 1-0. [Match Outcome: 1/4, Correct Score: 1/4]

IAIN: Again the bragging rights go to Iain as he managed to correctly predict three of the four outcomes, with only the Colombians' loss standing in his way of a perfect prediction round. He also guessed the Argentina - Switzerland score correctly, so there' no doubt who the predictions winner is again this round. [Match Outcome: 3/4, Correct Scores: 1/4]

Predicting the semi finals:

BRAZIL vs GERMANY

KON: For the very first time in this tournament, the Brazilians impressed me with their play against the Colombians, but Felipe Scolari's side has obvious problems with Neymar and Thiago Silva out of the lineup. The Germans did not look spectacular in their win against the French, but did play a solid match where the defense (for the most part) did their job pretty well. Karim Benzema was the only player on the pitch the Germans had trouble containing, and with the absence of Neymar I don't see any Brazilian player that can make that kind of difference. The German attacking on the other hand matches up pretty well against the Brazilian defense and I see them scoring more than once. [Final Score: Brazil 0-2 Germany]

PEDRO: Brazil will be missing Neymar and Thiago Silva. I expect Brazil to use Dante in Silva’s place and perhaps Ramires or Willian in place of injured Neymar. Neither of these substitutes will be able to give Scolari the same results but they will have to do. If this game was anywhere other than in Brazil I would give the edge to Germany, but at home Brazil is very hard to defeat and I don’t think the Germans have the tools they need to overcome the atmosphere around this match. Germany will be in full strength but their play over this tournament has not impressed me, and I think if Brazil can play 90 minutes equal to the first 45 they played against Colombia they will win.[Final Score: Brazil 2-1 Germany]

IAIN: Although Brazil, at times in the first half, played some of their best football in this tournament against Colombia in the Quarter Finals, they will desperately be missing Neymar and Thiago Silva in this one. Neymar has been virtually their only consistent creative outlet and without him I think they'll struggle to break down the Germans. Germany seemed to have corrected their fragility at the back and although it wasn't pleasing for the neutrals, they thoroughly dominated France in the last round. I think there's just too much quality and organization in this German side for the Brazilians to handle, and they won't be bullied like the Colombians were. [Final Score: Brazil 1-2 Germany]

NETHERLANDS vs ARGENTINA

KON: Argentina's first test against a world-class team should probably be their last match in this tournament. Let's be honest here, Argentina has not played a single match against a worthy opponent, which of course may mean that they are fairly rested. But winning against Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland and Belgium is no road to glory for a World Cup champion, especially not when you manage to win each match by just one goal. The Dutch are coming off a scare against the Ticos from Costa Rica, but the fashion in which they managed to win the penalty shootouts should be a huge boost for van Gaal's boys. I believe the Netherlands will turn up the heat against Argentina the same way they did against the Chileans in the second half of their affair, and the Spanish all throughout that fixture. Wait a second, did I just guarantee a European title in South America? I believe I did! [Final Score: Netherlands 2-1 Argentina]

PEDRO: Argentina will miss Di Maria, but will respond with Enzo Perez. He is more a box to box player and not as much of a pure winger like Di Maria, but more than capable of filling in those shoes. Netherlands will play the same team that faced Costa Rica, and if that game and the Mexico game is any indication of what is happening to this team, they will struggle to score goals. Argentina has won every match by 1 goal, so you have two teams that don’t score a lot of goals but that also don’t allow many. In the end, Messi will be the difference in this game, giving Argentina a slight edge over Netherlands. [Final Score: Netherlands 0-1 Argentina]

IAIN: After coming back from a late deficit against Mexico and surviving a penalty shootout against Costa Rica, the Netherlands should be in good spirits going into this one. That being said, they did struggle to break both sides down with any consistency and I believe that may be a problem against this Argentina side. The South Americans will definitely miss Di Maria, but with Gonzalo Higuain showing some great form in the last match and the mercurial talents of Messi, I think Argentina can just about edge this one.
[Final Score: Netherlands 0-1 Argentina]

2014 World Cup QF: Best XI

2014-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

2014 World Cup quarter finals are over, let’s see who I consider the best XI of this round.

Goalkeeper – M. Neuer (Germany)

He was a stone wall for the Germans against France in their quarter finals match. He is the main reason why Germany is in another semi-final and with a clean sheet. He was calm, collected and when he was called into action he came through in a big way. His 90th minute save on Benzema short range shot was just another sign of what he had done for the duration of this match.

Defender – Zabaleta (Argentina)

He almost goes unnoticed during the game, because he is not a flashy player or someone who will dazzle you with incredible runs down the wing, but he is so consistent defending and has an extremely good final pass or cross into the box which makes him very important on both ends. He had a very solid game against Belgium, able to shut down De Bruyne, who had been so fundamental against USA in the previous round. He has been one of the best defenders in Argentina team that has managed to win games by 1 goal difference.

Defender – Thiago Silva (Brazil)

He is by far, aside from Neymar, Brazil’s best player. He scores the go ahead goal for Brazil in a corner kick and leads his team to victory against a very good Colombian side. Thiago Silva has been their best defender and their most consistent player of the tournament, but in this quarter final round he raised his level even higher. The only downside is that he saw a yellow card that will make him miss the semifinal game against Germany.

Defender – M. Hummels (Germany)

Hummels came back into his team in a big way. He scored the only goal of the match, which would guarantee them a spot in the semi-final. He was the anchor at the back but also versatile enough that he is able to start the play from the back. He was very solid defending, didn’t make mistakes and scored a winning goal, what else can you ask of your central defender.

Defender – David Luiz (Brazil)

PSG’s new defender has had an up and down tournament, but during the quarter final match against Colombia he had his best game to date. He scored the winner from an incredible free kick and was very strong in the box, clearing danger and also moving the ball forward into attack, which he loves to do but not always does well. He will have to play the same way in the semis. Brazil will be depending on him to surpass Germany in the absence of Thiago Silva.

Midfield – Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

He was Netherlands best player on the field against Costa Rica. Against a very strong defensive team that never really looked at scoring just defending, Robben looked like someone that wanted to finish the game within 90 minutes. His runs were incredible and his ability to still sprint at players even in the later stages of the game is a testament to his incredible physical condition.

Midfield – James Rodriguez (Colombia)

The tournament lost two of their stars in one game, James Rodriguez because Colombia was eliminated and Neymar due to injury. James scored his 6th goal of the tournament which gives him the lead and a real chance of winning the goal scoring title, but it wasn’t enough for his country to stay in the competition. He was once again Colombia’s bright star and his play in the second half gave them a real chance of winning this game. James has proved to be a world class player at such young age.

Midfield – Paul Pogba (France)

Pogba proved in this World Cup that France has a bright future in the middle of the park when it comes to box to box midfield players. He had another great game; I don’t think he can play bad even if he tried. He was able to control most of the offensive maneuvers from Germany and kept Muller quiet for 90 minutes which is not an easy task.

Midfield – T. Kroos (Germany)

He is such an important player in the German side, but is also one of the most under rated players on the team. He was fundamental in the game against France and one of their best players on the field. He is strong, smart and capable of moving the ball forward with quality as well as defending when he doesn’t have it. His quarter final game was his best game of the tournament so far.

Forward – Messi (Argentina)

Messi continues to shine for Argentina and be the world class player we all known he is and that he can be. He helped his country take one step closer to the dream of winning the World Cup, and his performance was once again, magical.

Forward – Higuain (Argentina)

He has been quiet for the duration of this tournament, but finally he scored a goal that is worth a spot in the semi-final. It was a pure forwards goal. Higuain has shown in the past that he is capable of scoring goals and being a decisive player in the box, when given a chance. He hasn’t had many chances in the tournament, but today the one he had he made it count. This should help his confidence going forward in the tournament.

Neymar Injury a Loss to Brazil & All Football Fans

2014-07-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Brazil loses Neymar & Thiago Silva in one single match.

Brazil should be celebrating the fact that they have advanced to the World Cup semi-finals. Instead they are concerned over the health of Neymar and how will they be able to cope without their superstar.

It all happened during the 87th minute of the Brazil vs. Colombia quarter final match, when Zuniga jumped from behind Neymar and kneed him in the back. At first it didn't look very serious, but when he didn't get up and the stretcher had to be brought in to remove him from the field, you knew that this wasn't something mile that some magic spray could cure.

The Brazilian national team doctor later confirmed that indeed the test results conducted at the Fortaleza Hospital, had confirmed that Neymar had a broken lumbar vertebrae and that his recovery time would be from 4-6 weeks. This was not the news Scolari wanted to hear. This puts Neymar out of the World Cup and creates a problem for a Brazilian team.

Brazil wins the game against Colombia but lost two of their key players. Neymar is out of the tournament with a horrible injury and the captain, Thiago Silva, will be out of the semi-finals against Germany for receiving his second yellow card. This will mean that Brazil will be missing their two most influential players, for a key game against one of their toughest opponents to date. Scolari will have some very difficult decisions to make in the short term, but I can’t imagine it will be easy to replace either one of these players for the upcoming game against Germany.

Thiago Silva can be replaced by Dante at the back, for this one match, but replacing Neymar not only is a difficult thing to do, it is impossible. What he brings to the team cannot be given by anybody else on that roster. While the loss of their captain will be felt, the loss of Neymar is far more reaching and could be the beginning of the end of Brazil’s hopes of winning this tournament.

It is unfortunate that Brazil loses its superstar and all the football fans lose one of the brightest stars of this tournament. In the end we all lose with Neymar injury, not just Brazil.

2014 World Cup Match Day 20: Goals & Highlights

2014-07-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

Game 54: France 0-1 Germany

Game 55: Brazil 2-1 Colombia

Ochoa Saves The Day For Mexico

2014-06-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Not often in the World Cup do you have a goalkeeper stealing the show.

Normally we concentrate all of our attention on the strikers with their goals and hat tricks, midfielders with their wonderful amazing passes and the defenders with their timely tackles. The goalkeepers are often forgotten when discussing a game, unless they had a huge blunder that cost their team the match.

Yesterday we saw what perhaps will be remembered as one of the most dominant performances by a keeper, that we have seen in modern football and World Cup history. The performance of Guillermo Ochoa against Brazil yesterday was incredible, the stuff of legends. Lev Yashin would be proud of Ochoa.

He is the only reason Mexico has 4 points and is tied with Brazil on top of Group A. Going into this game everyone was expecting Neymar Jr to be the star and the storyline. Perhaps Oscar could steal the show and have another incredible performance or Dos Santos for Mexico; he can always turn a game on its head. These were all strong possibilities, but what nobody was expecting was for Guillermo Ochoa to be the star.

For a player that is currently without club he put on a show that for sure will have his agent’s phone ringing all day long. If you are looking at impressing a club, a performance like that at the biggest stage of the world will go a long way helping you secure a new contract.

It all started when Neymar Jr headed a ball towards the net and Ochoa with an incredible diving save, stops the ball right before it crosses the line. Immediately as the ball was saved commentators and Brazilian fans had flashbacks of the stop Gordon Banks did on a similar play during the 1970 World Cup. In that game Brazil’s Pele was denied in similar fashion by an incredible Banks, this time it was the “new Pele”, Neymar that was being denied. The similarities between both plays are evident, but the fact that both came from headers of Brazilian star strikers makes it even more incredible. At that point you knew that it would take something very special to beat Ochoa on this day.

He continued to rack up saves upon saves, not all of them of a high degree of difficulty but all of them of equal importance. He was keeping his team in the game and was able to shut down a powerful Brazilian offense. He was frustrating the Brazilian players that by this time were probably scratching their heads wondering what would take for them to score a goal.

Another player that would add his name to the list of frustrated Brazilians was Thiago Silva. In the 85^th minute he is free in the box and has a powerful header that Ochoa is able to swat it away. An incredible reflex save that pretty much saved the game and the point for Mexico. That save was just another incredible save to add to the highlight package that Ochoa was putting together, it was his night and nothing or nobody was going to take it away from him. No surprise that he won the man of the match award, who else could have taken it?

For the person checking the score sheet after the game, the assumption would be that it was a boring match with no goals. For those that tuned in on TV or that had the pleasure of being in the stadium, it was an incredible entertaining match with a goalkeeper putting on a show that for many years will be remembered as one of the best performances by a goalkeeper in a World Cup tournament.

7 World Class Players & Their Cleats - 2014 World Cup Edition

2014-06-07T15:00:00.001-04:00

Every World Cup, the major shoe manufacturers release new cleats with improved designs and colors. This is probably the first year where the changes to the cleats are more than just aesthetically.

Let us look at seven world class players and the cleats that they will be wearing this summer in Brazil.

Cristiano Ronaldo - Nike Mercurial Superfly

Nike has partner up with the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner, to have him use their most innovative pair of cleats. These new cleats are built for speed and quick changes in direction, the exact characteristics that Ronaldo possesses. June 16th will be Portugal's first match as they will be facing Germany, a possible chance to see the new Nike Mercurial Superfly in action on Cristiano Ronaldo's feet.

Lionel Messi - Adidas Adizeros F50

Messi is Adidas poster boy and it will be no different at the 2014 World Cup. These Adidas cleats are the most flexible and lightest in the market, offering power and speed. We will be able to see Messi in action with these new F50's on June 16th when Argentina faces off with Bosnia.

Thiago Silva - Nike Magista Obra FG

Nike is going to use this summers World Cup to launch their Magista brand. Brazil's captain, Thiago Silva, will be one of the stars at the World Cup wearing the new Nike's. The Magista are design for ball control. Magista is made with thin leather and a mesh sockliner, but is extremely light footwear. Andres Iniesta will also be wearing Nike Magista Obra as he will take the field for Spain.

Yaya Toure - Puma evoPOWER 1 Tricks FG

Ivory Coast midfielder, Yaya Toure, will be wearing the new evoPower 1 Puma cleats. They come with two cleats of different colors, and are design to make the player feel like he isn't wearing cleats at all. They are built to provide the player with more accurate and powerful striking. This is more of a striker cleat, but it also provides enough comfort for midfield players. Balotelli will be one other player wearing these Pumas.

Cesc Fabregas - Puma evoSPEED 1.2 Tricks FG

They are built to confuse the opponents with the bright colors and design. It is a very comfortable, flexible and durable shoe, perfect for a hard working midfielder, someone who needs good ball control in order to initiate the teams attacks.

Mesut Ozil - Adidas Predator LZ

The new Predators have a slick black design to match with Germany's national team kit. Therefore it is no surprise to see Ozil wearing these during the World Cup. One of the best cleats of the World Cup, the Predators offer great ball control, accuracy and striking ability. The Adidas Predator LZ will also be worn by Brazil's Oscar.

Karim Benzema - Adidas AdiZeros F50

Nike is the official sponsor of the French national team, but Benzema will be wearing Adidas. These are not the same ones Messi will be wearing. They are a design variation of the F50 that Messi will wear. They offer great feet comfort, stability to the ankles and acceleration when moving forward with the ball. Benzema is hoping to score important goals for France with these cleats.