The Ballon D'Or 2014

The shortlist for the prestigious Ballon D'Or award has been announced, and with the award in the New Year looming, let's take a look at who I think are the main contenders and what they have to offer:

Thomas Muller

Everyone's favourite raumdeuter on the award winning Football Manager series, Thomas Muller has had an impressive year with both club and country. At the World Cup, the German was awarded the Silver Boot, finishing behind James Rodriguez in the goal scoring charts with 5 goals. Also at the event he collected the Silver Ball behind Lionel Messi who received the coveted Golden Ball. With Bayern he helped them to their 23rd Bundesliga title and in the process scoring 13 goals and assisting 10 times. Muller is a work horse and is surely got be in with a shout at the award ceremony in January.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo is always going to be in with an excellent shout of retaining the award. Although his Portugal did not have a good World Cup, he has been firing on all cylinders for Real Madrid in 2014. With less than half of the season gone, he has netted 20 goals in 12 league appearances and 26 goals in total. Ronaldo was instrumental in Real Madrid achieving La Decima last season, breaking the record for number of goals scored in a single campaign (17). This led him to being awarded UEFA's Best Player in Europe accolade. For the 6th season in a row, it is looking likely that the winner of the award is likely to come from the Portuguese captain or else Lionel Messi and the raging feud between the pair continues..

Philipp Lahm

For many years, Philipp Lahm was the heart of the defence for both club and country, without notable praise abroad. Now after a World Cup triumph, his expertise is finally being noticed and complimented. Having decided to hang up his international boots in order to further his club career at Bayern Munich, he capped it off with aplomb in Brazil in July. The Munich captain is definitely more of a team player rather than relying on himself, but he does galvanise his side, and gives them a lift to the next level when he is on the pitch. Lahm may not receive the ultimate prize, but I do believe he has to be a shoe-in for Team of the Year. 

Lionel Messi

Ever since the bitter disappointment of losing in the World Cup Final in July, Lionel Messi has been breaking more records. At the tender age of 27, the Argentine recently broke Raul's record goal tally in the Champions League with a hat trick midweek against APOEL Nicosia, and it seems like there are more European goals in the future. Out of his 74 European goals, he has scored in 23 different cities in 16 countries. In Argentina's route to the World Cup Final, he found the net 4 times and also won the Golden Ball for the best player - no consolation however for losing in the Final. He'll be up there, and the new record broken, might just swing it for the the Barcelona no.10.

Manuel Neuer

You won't find a goal keeper on the list of Ballon D'Or winners in the modern award, and in fact have to look back to 1963, for the last keeper to go home with the award. Manuel Neuer will be hoping to change this drought and be the first since the Soviet, Lev Yashin to do so. The 6ft 4in keeper has been a colossus in the goal, over the past 12 months and only conceded 4 goals in the World Cup. In comparison, he conceded 40 goals in 50 matches for Bayern, not bad, considering the quality of teams he played against. Numerous awards gained this year include the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season, the Golden Glove award at the World Cup, World Cup Dream Team, World Cup All Star Team and Footballer of the Year in Germany.

Other notable contenders include Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria, Arjen Robben and Toni Kroos. Costa led the Atletico line all the way to the Champions League Final last year and although he had a disappointing World Cup, he has been in red hot form for new club Chelsea. Di Maria and Robben have had excellent seasons both with club and country, sending eachother to trophies respectively. Similar to his former Bayern team mates, Kroos, was a key figure for club and country. His ability to dictate the play around the park and spread the ball, ensured a very successful season for Bayern Munich and Germany.

Even at an awards ceremony to commemorate the sublime talent we have in this era, UEFA have seemed to have grabbed the headlines once more, with needless ramblings that have caused controversy. With little over a month to wait, let's hope that UEFA can keep their opinions muted in order to not detract anything more from the spectacle that rewards some of the most gifted players in the planet for their individual brilliance.

Euro Qualifying Round 4 Preview

In this round of the European Qualifying, I'm only previewing four matches, but the quality will certainly make up for one less match.

There is not a better way to kick us off with a crunch tie where Scotland take on the Republic of Ireland. Even though Scotland defender Steven Whittaker has calmed the significance of winning on Friday night, a win would send them level on points with their opponents who lie behind Poland in the standings. BBC have reported that James McCarthy is doubtful which will be a big miss in the centre of the park for the Republic. While both teams will be after maximum points on Saturday, a draw is looking likely. We can expect a few rough challenges from each team who will want to leave their mark on each other as they push for qualification to France in 2016.  The Republic of Ireland will be looking to keep the pace with Poland at the top of the standings who face an away trip to Georgia and would be expected to record another 3 points.

My home country, Northern Ireland have enjoyed a splendid campaign to date, collecting a maximum of 9 points in our opening 3 matches, but the task facing us on Friday night will be bigger than any we have faced in the current campaign. The loss of captain, Steve Davis is a massive blow, particularly when it is coupled with the injury to Jamie Ward, who has been a breath of fresh air this time out. Manager, Michael O'Neill, has called up Manchester United youngster, Paddy McNair, and he could make a brief cameo, especially if the fitness of Aaron Hughes is lacking. Looking at the opposition, they seem to be going through a period of transition having removed their manager last month. The Romanians will be forced to play in front of an empty stadium with exception to the raucous created by the travelling Northern Irish support due to crowd trouble at their last match against Hungary. I'm sure the fans would settle for a draw, but knowing O'Neill, I'm convinced he will want to win this match and extend his lead at the top. 2-1 Norn Iron.

With Wayne Rooney playing down his talents earlier this week, it's unlikely that he will need to utilise his full capabilities against Slovenia in 2 days. Despite injuries to Andros Townsend and Michael Carrick, the English fans and media expect nothing short than a commanding victory against a team ranked 36th in the World. England U21 international, Saido Berahino has dazzled the Premier League this season and last with several sparkling performances and some have argued that he is long overdue a call-up to the senior squad. As for their opponents, Slovenia, they lie in second position behind England in Group F after shocking the Swiss at home and comfortably dispatching Lithuania in Vilnius. Striker, Milivoje Novaković has netted all 3 goals for the central European side, so no doubt Roy Hodgson has done his homework on the 35 year old. Slovenia possess Samir Handanovic who is a monster in nets and has saved 3 penalties this season already for Internazionale. It will be a victory for England, but somewhere someone will complain about something.

It's a massive night for Wales as they travel to take on a Belgium side who has been relatively disappointing in this campaign and find themselves 3 points of the Welsh pace-setters at the top of the group, albeit they have a game in hand. It's obvious that Wales would like to batten down the hatches and get out of Brussels with a point, but there may be a sense of optimism as if they get Gareth Bale running full tilt at a Belgian defence then they can cause all sorts of problems for a defence who has only conceded a goal in this campaign. Wales have been no means spectacular so far, narrowly edging out the Andorrans, drawing with the Bosnians before an unconvincing home victory over Cyprus. Belgium were disappointing by everyone's standards at the World Cup this year and will be hoping to capitalise on an excellent squad that they now possess in time for France 2016, providing they get there of course. As for the outcome, I’m going to say 2-1 Belgium.

Let's be hoping for positive score lines all round over the break. With teams only playing one match this time around, a victory each would set them up perfectly for over Christmas. The march to France continues.

Can Anyone Catch Chelsea?

Even though I'm not a Chelsea fan - quite the opposite in fact, it's great to see at least one of my many predictions looking possible. After a victory against Liverpool on Saturday and dropped points from both City and Arsenal, Jose Mourinho's men sail into an 8-point lead and I ask the question, can anyone catch them?

Last season, Chelsea had an incredible record against the top 4 last and only dropped 2 points against Arsenal, securing 5 wins in the process. Their Achilles' heel were the matches against lesser opposition, with no disrespect intended. Aston Villa, Stoke, Newcastle, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton all recorded wins at home to the West London side. Last year, Chelsea's attacking options were limited, particularly as Fernando Torres never really hit form, much like his Chelsea career in a nutshell. Although Demba Ba popped up with some pivotal goals, his contribution was often hindered by his lack of playing minutes. 

Moving on to this season, the additions of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa has seen a dramatic change in Chelsea's fortunes. Even on the opening weekend, the relationship between the former Barcelona player and the former Atleti player, appears psychic. Already this season, the adopted Spaniard has netted 10 times in only 9 appearances this time, a tally that will guide his side to an easy Premier League title if he keeps this form up. Similarly, Fabregas has no doubt aided his fellow countryman and emphasised his importance to the Chelsea set up with assists in 6 consecutive matches earlier in the season, something which has never been achieved before.

With Chelsea unbeaten and in red hot pursuit of their 5th English title and 4th in the Premier League era, let's take a look at their competition.

Despite a win over their city rivals, United a matter of weeks ago, a dishevelled European loss at the hands of CSKA Moscow has epitomised Manchester City's season to date. I’ve already said in previous article’s that I’m not Manuel Pellegrini’s biggest fan and it seems that he is coming under increasing pressure from the fans after another poor performance at the weekend. Ultimately, City’s downfall is that they aren't as cohesive as Mourinho’s well drilled  machine even though they have the same wealth of talent at their disposal.

Even as a devout Manchester United fan, I find it remarkably difficult to summon any displeasure upon fellow countryman, Brendan Rodgers. I've the greatest of respect for the Liverpool boss, but his actions during the transfer market leave much to be desired. With a minority of the Liverpool faithful demanding for the Northern Irishman to be sacked, his fortunes will need to change. The Reds have not been firing on all cylinders this year and I don't see them posing a major threat to the Blues. Their lack of a challenge can be put down to a poor defence as well as signings not gelling, similar to Spurs last year.

Moving on to Arsenal, while I don’t think they are playing at their optimum level, they do have more to offer. Wenger’s naivety in the transfer market will ensure that they will pose minimal threat to the league leaders. His failure to secure a defensive midfielder suitable for the midfield as well as cover for a defence that doesn;t have the depth of their rivals has disappointed Gooners and could be his unravelling at a dynasty he built. In fairness to Arsene, his capture of Alexis Sanchez is paying dividends and, in my humble opinion, Danny Welbeck is a protégé which could prove beneficial to himself and his new club, particularly after several nightmarish years at Manchester United.

Results still seem to be papering over the cracks for Louis Van Gaal's United. A questionable defence and already 13 points behind the table toppers will prove too much for the Dutchman to overturn. Even though the Manchester side have a lethal attacking threat, the summer signings of Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw won't be able to plug the leaky defence. Progress has certainly been made and there is no doubt that the fans will be pleased with the signings and games given to the youth that he has made.

It would be cruel of me to omit a mention to the overachievers, West Ham, Swansea and Southampton. Realistically I don't think anyone is expecting these teams to keep their form up, especially with the strength and depth of the squads behind them. West Ham possess an underrated squad and all suggestions of sacking 'Big' Sam Allardyce will almost be non-existant due to the impact that the signings of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Alex Song have made. Swansea were impressive in the opening stages of last season, but their form tailed off due to Europa League commitments. Southampton have shocked everyone after a mass exodus from their club during the summer, but Koeman has rallied his side together and a mix of shrewd investments and opportunities for the youth has vaporised any thought of relegation for the Southern England side.

I don't see anyone catching Mourinho's men and the only way the West London side will fail to win the title will be down to their own fault. With it looking progressively more likely that they are going to win it with several games to spare, I wonder if Jose will predict the date that he will in title on this time around? 

A Step Too Far for FIFA?

When Qatar was announced as the hosts of the 2022 World Cup, it caused a tremendous amount of controversy and now with recent influential football figures backing the proposal for it to clash with the Winter Olympics, the feud could spark into life again.

I remember in 2010 being told that the World Cup was being held in Qatar, and looking towards my friends with a quizzical appearance and in my naivety and adolescent nature retorted with the sentence, "I thought a guitar was a musical instrument?" From that short anecdote, I am sure you can tell that what I am about to write will not be showing any great faith in the actions of FIFA with regards to the allocation of the 2022 World Cup.

In fairness to Qatar, if they can pull of stadiums
like this, then they deserve some credit

To begin with, how Qatar were ever elected hosts of the World Cup ahead of Australia and the USA is beyond me. As far as I can see, both of these nations would be better equipped to host the tournament than Qatar. Australia and the US already has quality fully developed stadiums from hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2003 and 1994 World Cup respectively, including the Suncorp Stadium, ANZ Stadium and the Docklands Stadium, all of which hold over 52,000 seats. Likewise, the Americans have little problem with world class stadiums, Sun Life Stadium and Michigan Stadium to name a couple. As we saw from the World Cup past, construction of the stadia in Brazil came under critical analysis from the higher powers in the footballing world, but they decided to persevere, and numerous deaths were caused due to cursory preparations and the pressure that the stadia all had to be ready in time.

We're no more than 8 years from the beginning of the World Cup and already there have been claims that basic human rights denied to the workers. In addition to this, The Guardian newspaper have alleged that identity papers have been taken away from them and that their payments would not be paid on time, or even possibly at all. You'd think that a nation such as Qatar who built all their riches on oil, would be able to part themselves with a few coins and give them to the workers, who are building the stadia to facilitate this momentous event? From where I am sitting, it doesn't appear that this is the case.

Back in March, I wrote a piece entitled, "Will the World Cup be a Success?" in relation to my worries over the World Cup in Brazil, it seems now that I will be doing another one in the future to pen my concerns about it in Qatar. We were very cynical of the 8 deaths in the construction of the Brazilian stadiums, but when rumours sparked that 900 migrants have already lost their lives, FIFA and the Qatari football federation have questions to answer. In the report compiled by The Guardian, it estimates that up to 4,000 workers may die due to inadequate safety regulations and other causes by the time a ball is kicked. Rather selfishly however, FIFA may see this frightening statistic as a dampener on their reputation.


Disregarding the fact that FIFA have given the prized tournament to, in my opinion an unworthy nation, I tepidly applaud them for pushing the motion of staging the World Cup in the winter. Yes it will sent the European leagues' schedules up the left, which Richard Scudamore is arguing, but player safety is paramount and he seems to be neglecting this issue. Even in winter, the middle eastern country gets highs of 24oC, marginally higher than what we get here in Northern Ireland, so you could imagine what the temperature would be like in the peak of summer. It's not just the players that will suffer, the management and spectators alike will. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that alcohol dehydrates, so this doesn't look bright for the English fans who will no doubt have to drown their sorrows with the local beverage.

Controversy surrounds the 2022 host city and things only look like intensifying as the tournament draws nearer, while Australia and USA will be left cursing at how they didn't become hosts of the competition. While Blatter's corrupt regime rules over the world of football, it could be a long time before 'sensible' decisions return to our game.