Im a chelsea supporter and even i have to admit hazard shouldnt be number 1. Certainly lived up to the billing right from the get go but has fizzled out since. i guess his still young and adapting to the league so its expected. Michu should certainly be one and rvp must be a close 2nd he has been a matchwinner all season so far.

He certainly would be but i don’t think he will. I remember watching that game thinking City were gonna cause a real upset and set off a warning shot to the rest of the teams in the competition but obviously the class shone through with the late goals from benzema and ronaldo. I completely agree that if they had won that game at the bernabeu, then they would certainly have laid down the foundations for progression into the knockout rounds with the belief that would have been gained. Silva and Nasri have been transformed into inverted wingers at city and being that pirlo type pillar in midfield whose always available and whose able to direct traffic is not something that comes naturally to them. At valencia and at arsenal/marseille respectively, silva and nasri were very much crafty and tricky wingers with pace, flair and an eye for goal but they just seam to be too loaded in attack with attacking players up top especially with tevez and aguero dropping so deep al the time which i feel unsettles the balance of the team. It’s almost as if sometimes theres no midfield at all and just the defence and attack with no linkage. Gareth barry seems to be the closest conductor city have at their disposal at the moment. Javi Garcia could potentially play that role but he has hardly played. perhaps going for a toni kroos or nuri sahin would give city greater balance in midfield who are able to control the tempo of the game.

With the astronomical transfer fees paid to land some of the stars they have on their squad and the pay packets that continue to eat into the owner’s wallets Manchester City are a completely different case altogether. Arsenal took time to make an impact in the champions league simply because the premier league was overshadowed by the strength of Serie A and La Liga during the late 80s and throughout the 90s. Arsenal were never buying trophies. Mancini has an awful european record that cannot be overlooked. Tough groups they may have been over the last two seasons, however they should have made a better fist of it at the very least instead exiting so meekly. I mean qualifying for the europa league is out of their hands for crying out loud. Just look at Chelsea. As soon as they had the money to build a squad that could compete at the top, in the 2003-2004 season they made it all the way to the semi-finals in the first go. It has not taken Chelsea anytime to settle into the champions league arena having consistently gone deep. Manchester City’s progress is alarming to say the least with the quality in that side.

I had a justification for why some players were not on the list but must have been edited out. My criteria was very intricate and perhaps very picky. Although the title suggests a very simple criteria, i paid greater heed to factors such as heartache (finals lost semi finals lost), the calibre of the player, the age (the older the better chance of being on the list as a suarez, benzema as some have suggested are still quite young and may well win it in the future). Id say huntelaar, rvp, robben, zlatan and buffon are nearing the end of their prime and therefore a chance of winning it in the near future would be limited. Chiellini was very close but he hasn’t even played a lot of champions league games let alone go deep on any occasion. Huntelaar for me having been at madrid and milan. should have won one by now. His excellent scoring record for the national team and form for schalke since moving from milan has set him apart. Falcao as well has not even played in the champions league’s knockout rounds in his career so he has not even had a legitimate chance to win it

Its probably the beginning of the phasing out of “mourinho’s chelsea” i think give it a year or two and Cech will be the only player who is an automatic starter.

Of course. He epitomises what Chelsea are all about: Power, determination and skill. When Drogba is on the ball and firing Chelsea look like…..well chelsea. Without him, the blues look less threatening. It will be a very sad day when he leaves the bridge.

yeh i think your pretty much right on the money there. As for nando i dont necessarily think he would be any better anywhere else, i believe he is genuinely lacking confidence with his own ability, particularly his finishing as evidenced by the numerous layoffs and lack of courage to have a ping even from the penalty area. If he cant even score with the best team in the world with some of the best distributors in the game today in the Spanish national team, theres really nothing else thats the problem other than his mind. His movement and workrate is outstanding and is really world class just that he is not fulfilling his primary duty to score.

As much as the adoption of a system, it is the philosophy that ultimately picks the system. You mention barca and their 4-3-3 which is a perfect example of their approach to the game where they value possession and interchanging of positions where the likes of Villa,pedro and messi as well as iniesta all find themselves in different positions of the front and middle 3 which is part of their philosophy. A team such as Inter who play with a number 10 in an advance postion in Sneijder with 2 out and out strikers in Eto’o and Pazzini and milito playing without much width but a narrow direct style will mean they will play a christmas tree or 4-3-1-2. As for the Aussies if we want to play with a burley target man, sure play that 4-5-1 or 4-1-1 but if we aim to play with fluidity and a bit of sophistication whether we succeed or not then we play 4-3-3. Its rather simple, but managers these days are too afraid of the chop and are way too pragmatic to stick to one formation

with a few more pre seasons under their belts this team can achieve anything in the near future. I would be inclined to giving pykey,LRt and bevo the tap on the shoulder. Possibly lrt to richmond for brad miller so syd have an experienced forward to free up goodes and give reid,white and johnston a mentor. Bevan is a tough nut p player and uncompromising footballer but lacks the overall quality and would be taking another more talented kids spot. Pykey looks like he would be wasting his career honestly should go back to rugby, not because his bad he has adapted really well but syd have plenty of options. I would be have a crack at kozzi or if the hungers still there a mooney because the attack lacks experience and a goalsquare presence. Jesse white has to step up when he gets an opportunity. The team this year has been whooped once by the hawks and have mixed it with the very best without winning. Its a learning curve and they will become better for it next yr and beyond.

i really dont see the relevancy of your comment to this article

just noticed so much has been edited out of the original piece omg.

oh crap read the other blue text with mrs kussy max

mrs kussy i agree with u that he is not there right at the top with ur locketts and what not but the pav and mcleod as u say have played for clubs in was and sa afl is life and death in those regions so of course its not gona hurt their status its an afl state. Brown is a special case as a triple p player his gona be remembered no matter what and he pav, mcleod with all due respect have never been the best 2 or 3 players in the comp at any time, as forwards yes and mcleod although very good his been overshadowed by roo mostly throughout his career so its sorta hard but goodes is totally different. There is no doubt him playing for syd has made him a peripheral figure, to what extent is up for debate.

look this piece is just something off the top of my head and was not articulated as well as i would have liked. The main issue im trying to bring to the fore is whether playing outside of melbourne in a non afl orientated city such as sydney has sort of taken away the gloss on a stellar career. Good players are good players and will be universally hailed. However when talking about the absolute best today, he is not in the spotlight making press conferences everyday and thus people forget adam goodes even still exists to be frank. His lack of exposure in sydney where the media blowtorch is not as candescent is exacerbated by the fact that he has been part of a team percieved as blue collar and dour,thus his impact is not amplified or recognised as much. He obiviously belies that perception personally but i also think the whole issue about his worst and best being too big a gap is not fair bast on b and f finishes. With him and with most players its not all about the numbers. His duel brownlows is not a true indication or a tool of elevation to greatness because it is not a totally accurate measure of how great a player is but rather a demonstration of good ones peak is. Longevity wise he has to be now considered a great who is still playing good footy not a superstar mixing it with the best because as people have already stated the game has changed and he is passed the point where he has to prove things and should be celebrated and admired for what he has done for the club. A time of retrospective examination. Simon black is a veteran playing great footy but he does not have all this pressure to continue to mix it with the best but is rather saluted for his career. Scotty west lastly in 06 was within a whisker of winning the brownlow but at 32 he had nothing to prove and nobody was comparing him to stars of that period such as judd, goodes,cousins etc so its important now people begin to appreciate just how much he has done for syd and start pencilling him in for how he should be remembered.

wow this is exactly how i feel personally. He is greatly underated considering the variety of roles he plays . If he plays on the ball and rests forward it would make sydney so much better but playing more forward would prolong his career. His greatest attribute is his ability to bring others into the game. Giving spangher his first goal on debut against gc with a handball over the top is something minor but it does wonders for the confidence of others. Truly spectacular and i do believe he will eventually be in that echelon of voss,hirs,buckley,ricciuto but not ur matthews,abletts etc. I think in terms of completeness he would have to be one of the most complete players of all time. Matthew pavlich is a classic example someone who is extraordinary up forward and effective in the middle put despite the physical similarities he cannot play ruck or be as effective on the ball. Once again i reiterate he is a nightmare matchup. Rotation of several opponents is necessary. The fact that a michael jamison plays on him when he plays forward and bryce gibbs tags him when he isin the middle attests to his influence wherever he plays and the impossibility of having just one opponent. Just imagine if he still played in the ruck

i totally agree with you right on the ball

i reckon the saints have had to win the last 2 weeks. The roos and port are not exactly quality teams but the eagles will provide a stern test. The dogs will finish in the 8 but im not so sure about the saints they seem to be very stale and dour and lack energy and vitality. If they dont make the 8 and even if they do, they have gotta make some big decisions in the off season

i gotta say matt f is spot on. The experienced players play such a crucial role in developing the next batch of stars and thus you have to hold on to a few so that the transition becomes much smoother. I think west coasts youngsters have certainly stepped up in a big way as well which has aided the teams improvement. LeCras and Lynch have been great up forward and your sucklings,swifts,eberts,hams,schofields have been excellent in the middle along with experienced players like priddis and rosa. Eric Mckenzie and mitch brown are really learning their craft under glass and beau waters is providing some real grunt along with sam butler. With the best rock combo in the league with cox and nicnat theres a real nice spread. In saying that there older players wont be able to sustain this form forever so i dont think the rebuiilding phase has hit its climax and i reckon its a flase dawn.

yeah i have to agree on the fact that the article is a bit confusing as to what it is trying to say but the bottom line is that the fed express is 30 and he will no longer maintain that tag if the last 2 years are anything to go by hence yes he is on the decline. I think for a legend like federer its no longer a matter of what stage did he get to at wimbledon or whether his made a quarter final and a semi and a final in his last 3 slams. He is the only man who can comfortably say ive been there and done it all and so for him he is gonna feel that either he wins a slam to feel like he is getting the job done or not winning any and feeling he needs to do more work. Its a tricky situation at 30 and approaching 31 you cant expect him to fend of 24-25 yr old counterparts who are more athletic and playing with more hunger. I guess like he said winning 20 slams is the goal now anything in between is just a blur and rankings and titles and prize money is not whats important. Lets judge him on whether his winning slams or not, not how close or far he is in comparison to his nearest ranking rival. Lets face it the last time fed lost 2sets to love up was to hewitt in 03 and it is an uncharacteristic performance. The cracks are starting to appear

okay fussball okay you can continue to to be japans number 1 fan

futbanous the espn article is really intriguing. I guess you have to strike a compromise in this instance. You either want a strong league or a strong national team. Only the likes of germany, france, spain, italy and to a certain extent england can say they have a strong domestic league as well as a strong national team. By strong team i mean a good tournament team because at the end of the day you will expose your better players to better leagues to improve your players and thus inprove the team. However while these top nations have the luxuary of grooming talent domestically and keeping them there because their leagues are elite. Thats not a luxuary australia has. The bottom line is that australia is clearly a better national team than their league. The bottom line is do you want to have a great dom league like the epl but have a underachieving national team like england? The dutch have a comparably poorer league yet they have a fantastic national side. Its a tricky situation but for developing footballing nations in asia like us we need to place an emphasis on building a strong national team then focusing on the league. I think its worth noting that players in australia have to hone their skills in oz before embarking on a european adventure so that they are ready to deliver in europe and not go too early and find themselves struggling for game time and halting their development

well perhaps i went overboard in my word choice but i think my article should be given its due respect and not taken out of proportion by arguing points that are not even related to what i am saying. I think everyone acknowledges that australia has been given a tough qualification process under oceania but thats just poor administration because a switch to asia should have been made a long time again. In saying that the oppostion in the play off round in recent times has not been as difficult as you think. Scotland in 1986, Israel and NZL in a play off group in 1990 where australia finished second is not good enough considering the weakish opposition, 1998 was a very beatable opponent in Iran and in 2002 uruguay were the opponents who wre hardly a powerhouse team. In the last 5 wc prior to making it only the 1994 qualification foe in argentina were extremely tough. Australia should have done better there are no excuses for the “hard opposition”.

And for the record i dont think you should be suggesting anything about writing articles if you don’t know what context my responses are originating from.

i dont wanna beat a dead horse anymore but the facts are plain and simple. You have no basis for an argument for 1974 because we didnt even score a goal and thats just one wc compared to koreas half dozen that have included a ridiculous group. Australia have been given some pretty open groups in the last two wc but havnt taken advantage. I honestly though australia could make the semi finals because taking ghanas spot would have mean usa in the 16 then uruguay in the quarters and then who knows against the dutch but noooo the aussies couldnt d it. Same for 06 if we werent cheated by italy we wouldve had ukraine in the quarters and another semi beckons. This frustrates me immensely thats why this inability to seize the moment leaves our world cup record pitifull compared to the others.

Okay my bad with Japan’s World cup record it is 4 yes not 7 I got mixed up with South Korea. Now Fussball if you were kind enough to actually read my article, then you would have noticed I wrote “Asia who were the perennial easybeats”and yes that does include South Korea because they are in Asia. Now you are arguing about world cup records. Why? I never said Japan and South korea have superior world cup records. That’s just stating the obvious. We are talking about player development may I remind.

Your preposterous postulation that South Korea have “done nothing” at the 4 world cups prior to 2002 is absolutely ludicrous and that just because Japan have made one more wc appearance than Australia means…..what?

Now I will give you a World Cup Lesson so that you don’t make pathetic comments.

The raw facts are that:
Japan have made 4 world cups to Aus’s 3. Those 4 are consecutive which is an achievement in itself not 32 years between drinks. Japan have made the round of 16 twice and Aus have done so once. Crystal clear Japan have a superior world cup record than Oz.

South Korea have almost tripled Aus appearances with 8 with a record 7 straight from 1986-2010. They almost reached a FINAL and made another round of 16 appearance in 2010.

Now your claim that South Korea have done nothing in the wc before 2002?

In 1986 South Korea were grouped with eventual winner Argentina, Italy and Bulgaria. Thats 3 powerhouse nations at the time. Korea lost 3-2 to Italy thanks to an own goal and drew with Bulgaria 1-1. Thats pretty commendable considering how bad Asian football was at the time.

In 1990 Korea again were drawn with giants Spain and Uruguay. They were defeated 3-1 and 1-0 to Spain and Uruguay. Hardly a disgrace.

In 1994 Korea again were dealt a crazy draw with Germany and Spain in their group. Korea drew 2-2 with Spain and lost 3-2 to Germany to finish 3rd in the group. You think its easy to get out of that group? Do you think its easy to even compete in this group?

In 1998 Korea were given a slightly(if any) easier draw with eventual Semi Finalist Netherlands, Mexico in their group. If there was a poor world cup where Korea seemingly did nothing it was only this world cup where they were trounced 5-0 by the Netherlands and finished last.

In 2002 Korea plays Portugal, Italy, Spain and Germany and beats 3 of them to make a Semi Final. That’s no fluke even if it was at home Korea faced the best of the best in this tournament and almost beat them all.

In 2006 Korea ends up with 4 points in a group including Togo and Switzerland and ends up missing out on the knockout rounds by a whisker and drawing with eventual runner up France 1-1.

In 2010 South Korea makes the round of 16 even after being hammered 4-1 by Argentina with 4 points in a group featuring Greece and Nigeria and ran Uruguay close to miss out on a quarter final berth.

Now I have added the last 2 world cups to show that Korea have won games and been close to making the knockout rounds when given a chance by the draw. You can see from 1986-1998 that Korea was drawn in the group of death (for them) almost every time in that period yet were only humbled once by the Netherlands and flew the flag for Asia and performed admirably against the world’s best and your saying they have done nothing? Id like to see our Aussie boys do that. 4-0 against Germany? This is World Cup pedigree that doesnt look too shabby when compared with the globe and you are trying to devalue it by comparing it to Australia? These are cold hard facts Fussball next time do some research.

chillax chris i did watch it and watched agains to c how they lost. Both teams had a plethora of chances and i know aus dominated the first half but were clearly in trouble when defeding on the counter. Cahill playing upfront himself is not good enough there are no clinical finishers in this aus team. With all those chances there was not even one goal. What does that suggest? Japan played smart counter attacking football and lee scored the stunner in extra time- a clinical and emphatic volley. Im gutted as hell but its clear japan beat em fair and square.