There were a whole bunch of friendlies plus two qualifiers just after the November rankings were released, plus a friendly between Poland and Bosnia&Herzegovina on 10th December. Looking at the results of these games, I predict:
Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 2-2, but won their earlier friendlies against Ivory Coast (19) and Slovakia (18) respectively, so both teams should gain. Their opponents will lose out.
England will probably fall in points, though maybe not position, as will Germany. France should gain after beating England.
Portugal beat first-placed Spain 4-0, incredibly. That gets them the maximum possible points for a friendly game - 600 - and may result in them even overtaking England (dare I say it). The Netherlands, who beat their opponents Turkey (29), might even go top. But that's less likely.
Expect Luxembourg, Romania, Northern Ireland and Belgium to do well after draws. Northern Ireland's was with a poorer team, but they maintain good form.
Finally, Georgia beat much better opponents in the form of Slovenia (15), and will also gain.
Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts
13/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 13/10/2010 Results
The best UK team this weekend was Northern Ireland, with two draws, although they should have done better against the Faroe Islands. The worst team was Wales, who had two losses - to Montenegro and Switzerland. Scotland also had two losses, but they did too well against Spain to be the worst UK team this weekend. England barely scrape ahead of Scotland, as they should have done better against Montenegro.
Most unexpected result: Azerbaijan 1 – 0 Turkey. Surprising because Azerbaijan are 102nd in the world to Turkey's 21st. This is Azerbaijan's first win of Euro 2012 qualifying after losses against Germany and Austria. Turkey are suffering their second loss this weekend after Germany on Friday, but beat Begium and Kazakhstan previously.
Most predictable result: Armenia 4 – 0 Andorra. I'd have gone for the San Marino game, but they didn't get quite as bad a score as usual, since they were playing against Moldova. Actually, since the gap is smaller for Armenia and Andorra, San Marino are doing better than their fellow poor-scorers.
Most embarrassing result: Estonia 0 – 1 Slovenia. The only goal in this game was an Estonian own goal. Funnily enough, Serbia scored an own goal against Estonia on Friday, which got them the most embarrassing result for that round of qualification matches.
Most promising result: France 2 – 0 Luxembourg. France are winning again. Okay, Luxembourg are easy, but they also beat Romania. Perhaps they can start rising in the ranks again.
Most unusual result: Italy – Serbia. They're taking two of the 'awards tonight'. An abandonment counts as an unusual result in anyone's book. For completed games. This goes to Belgium 4 – 4 Austria, who are only one place apart in the FIFA rankings. This pair of Western European countries kept their fans excited to the end, with first one then the other team getting ahead. Two goals were scored in extra time – one by each team!
Cleanest game: Netherlands 4 – 1 Sweden. It was a toss-up between three games, but the Netherlands got it because of their improved form since the World Cup final.
Dirtiest game: Italy - Serbia. And it was the fans, not the players, who made this game dirty. Serbian fans, to be precise. They had already clashed with Italian police, and continued their poor behaviour at the stadium. As the players were emerging onto the pitch, some Serbian hooligans set off fireworks and threw flares onto the pitch. The players had to return to their dressing rooms as Italian riot cops confronted the fans. The match eventually started 40 minutes late, after a nasty booing of the Serbian national anthem by the Italian fans. After a mere seven minutes it was abandoned by the Scottish referee. Terrible! Why do British referees always get the bad games?
Most unexpected result: Azerbaijan 1 – 0 Turkey. Surprising because Azerbaijan are 102nd in the world to Turkey's 21st. This is Azerbaijan's first win of Euro 2012 qualifying after losses against Germany and Austria. Turkey are suffering their second loss this weekend after Germany on Friday, but beat Begium and Kazakhstan previously.
Most predictable result: Armenia 4 – 0 Andorra. I'd have gone for the San Marino game, but they didn't get quite as bad a score as usual, since they were playing against Moldova. Actually, since the gap is smaller for Armenia and Andorra, San Marino are doing better than their fellow poor-scorers.
Most embarrassing result: Estonia 0 – 1 Slovenia. The only goal in this game was an Estonian own goal. Funnily enough, Serbia scored an own goal against Estonia on Friday, which got them the most embarrassing result for that round of qualification matches.
Most promising result: France 2 – 0 Luxembourg. France are winning again. Okay, Luxembourg are easy, but they also beat Romania. Perhaps they can start rising in the ranks again.
Most unusual result: Italy – Serbia. They're taking two of the 'awards tonight'. An abandonment counts as an unusual result in anyone's book. For completed games. This goes to Belgium 4 – 4 Austria, who are only one place apart in the FIFA rankings. This pair of Western European countries kept their fans excited to the end, with first one then the other team getting ahead. Two goals were scored in extra time – one by each team!
Cleanest game: Netherlands 4 – 1 Sweden. It was a toss-up between three games, but the Netherlands got it because of their improved form since the World Cup final.
Dirtiest game: Italy - Serbia. And it was the fans, not the players, who made this game dirty. Serbian fans, to be precise. They had already clashed with Italian police, and continued their poor behaviour at the stadium. As the players were emerging onto the pitch, some Serbian hooligans set off fireworks and threw flares onto the pitch. The players had to return to their dressing rooms as Italian riot cops confronted the fans. The match eventually started 40 minutes late, after a nasty booing of the Serbian national anthem by the Italian fans. After a mere seven minutes it was abandoned by the Scottish referee. Terrible! Why do British referees always get the bad games?
08/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 8/10/2010 results
UEFA have drastically updated their MatchCentre to display the matches far more sensibly. I won't go into the changes, but let's just say it is much simpler to use and has much less scrolling! It also now displays team statistics, including results and averages of previous games between the two sides.
My complaints would be first that it is still not updated very well as the match goes on. It can take some time to get the 'live' results appearing, and corrections often have to be made so you can't trust what it says. [Portugal's own goal was originally credited to one of the Danish players]
Secondly, in the statistics section there are red (home) and blue (away) bars to show how many goals, cards, shots etc. each team has had. But while some of these are positive, others are negative. It can therefore be hard to see which team is dominating a game – if a team has a good number of shots but a low number of cards, it looks like an even game, but a good number of shots and high number of cards looks like a dominated game.
Most Unexpected Result: Armenia 3 – 1 Slovakia. Surprising because Armenia are 89 points lower in rank than Slovakia, who were in the World Cup!
Most Expected Result: Hungary 8 – 0 San Marino. Because San Marino are... one of the worst international football teams in the world.
Most Embarrassing Result: Serbia 1 – 3 Estonia. Serbia helped Estonia to their victory with an own goal in extra time at the end of the second half. This was the first of two own goals scored today.
Most Promising Result: Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. Holding Italy to a scoreless draw is fantastic for any team. Northern Ireland would have no shame in losing to Italy, but drawing shows that their victory against Slovenia was not a fluke result. More importantly, Northern Ireland are the only team in the British Isles who didn't lose tonight! (England weren't playing; Ireland lost to Russia; Wales lost to Bulgaria; Scotland lost to the Czech Republic)
Most Unusual Result: Portugal 3 – 1 Denmark. Why Unusual? Portugal scored all the goals! At least they managed to win despite this.
Cleanest Game: Spain 3 – 1 Lithuania; Moldova 0 – 1 Netherlands; Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. No cards of any kind. Spain continue the way they were going in the World Cup before the final (they were the only team to get no cards in the group stages). However, it's a very clean game for the Dutch. And Northern Ireland earn more kudos for not getting any cards against Italy, who have been known in the past to dive.
Dirtiest Game: Wales 0 – 1 Bulgaria. In this awful game one Welsh player – defender Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest) – got a straight red card. His teammate Sam Ricketts (Bolton) got a yellow, as did four Bulgarian players including another Bolton player.
My complaints would be first that it is still not updated very well as the match goes on. It can take some time to get the 'live' results appearing, and corrections often have to be made so you can't trust what it says. [Portugal's own goal was originally credited to one of the Danish players]
Secondly, in the statistics section there are red (home) and blue (away) bars to show how many goals, cards, shots etc. each team has had. But while some of these are positive, others are negative. It can therefore be hard to see which team is dominating a game – if a team has a good number of shots but a low number of cards, it looks like an even game, but a good number of shots and high number of cards looks like a dominated game.
Most Unexpected Result: Armenia 3 – 1 Slovakia. Surprising because Armenia are 89 points lower in rank than Slovakia, who were in the World Cup!
Most Expected Result: Hungary 8 – 0 San Marino. Because San Marino are... one of the worst international football teams in the world.
Most Embarrassing Result: Serbia 1 – 3 Estonia. Serbia helped Estonia to their victory with an own goal in extra time at the end of the second half. This was the first of two own goals scored today.
Most Promising Result: Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. Holding Italy to a scoreless draw is fantastic for any team. Northern Ireland would have no shame in losing to Italy, but drawing shows that their victory against Slovenia was not a fluke result. More importantly, Northern Ireland are the only team in the British Isles who didn't lose tonight! (England weren't playing; Ireland lost to Russia; Wales lost to Bulgaria; Scotland lost to the Czech Republic)
Most Unusual Result: Portugal 3 – 1 Denmark. Why Unusual? Portugal scored all the goals! At least they managed to win despite this.
Cleanest Game: Spain 3 – 1 Lithuania; Moldova 0 – 1 Netherlands; Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. No cards of any kind. Spain continue the way they were going in the World Cup before the final (they were the only team to get no cards in the group stages). However, it's a very clean game for the Dutch. And Northern Ireland earn more kudos for not getting any cards against Italy, who have been known in the past to dive.
Dirtiest Game: Wales 0 – 1 Bulgaria. In this awful game one Welsh player – defender Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest) – got a straight red card. His teammate Sam Ricketts (Bolton) got a yellow, as did four Bulgarian players including another Bolton player.
15/07/2010
World Ranking Calculation
The World Cup is over, and the world rankings have been readjusted as of yesterday (14th July). Unsurprisingly, Spain are top of the rankings with 1883 points. But how are the points calculated? FIFA has a simple formula based on several factors:
1 – Whether the match was won or drawn (M. The usual values apply – 3, 1, or 0. If the match is won in penalties, the winning team gets 2 points, and the losing team gets 1.
2 – The importance of the match (I)
Friendly: 1.0 points
World cup/continental qualifier: 2.5 points
Continental finals (eg: Euro) or FIFA confederations cup: 3.0 points
World Cup finals: 4.0 points
3 – The strength of the opponent (T)
Calculated by the following formula: [200 – position of opponent]/100 taken from the most recent FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
Any team ranked below 150th gets an automatic rating of 0.5
4 – The continental confederation factor of the opposing team(C)
UEFA: 1.00
CONMEBOL: 0.98
CONCACAF: 0.85
AFC: 0.85
CAF: 0.85
OFC: 0.85
Then the final points are calculated as P = M*I*T*C*100
The maximum possible points from a World Cup match is 2,400.
Let's look at the World Cup final to show how this works.
Spain beat Netherlands outside of penalties, so for Spain, M=3. For Netherlands, it's equal to 0 so they get no points from the final.
The importance of the match is I=4.
The strength of Spain's opponent (Netherlands) = [200 – 4]/100 = T=1.96
And there's a continental confederation factor of C=1.00, as both teams are in Europe.
So in total, Spain's points from the World Cup final are:
P = 3*4*1.96*1*100 = 2352
That's only 48 points from the most you can achieve in a game!
Obviously, the actual FIFA ranking isn't calculated only from the last game a team played. If that were the case, Netherlands wouldn't have any points! Instead, and I'm not clear exactly how this works, the matches over the past four years are taken into account. Games in the last year are worth 100% of their points, 50% for those 1-2 years ago, 30% for those 2-3 years ago, and 20% for those 3-4 years ago.
(Source: Fifa.com This is a PDF so make sure you have Adobe Acrobat reader. It's free, so I'm not making them any money by telling you this.)
1 – Whether the match was won or drawn (M. The usual values apply – 3, 1, or 0. If the match is won in penalties, the winning team gets 2 points, and the losing team gets 1.
2 – The importance of the match (I)
Friendly: 1.0 points
World cup/continental qualifier: 2.5 points
Continental finals (eg: Euro) or FIFA confederations cup: 3.0 points
World Cup finals: 4.0 points
3 – The strength of the opponent (T)
Calculated by the following formula: [200 – position of opponent]/100 taken from the most recent FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
Any team ranked below 150th gets an automatic rating of 0.5
4 – The continental confederation factor of the opposing team(C)
UEFA: 1.00
CONMEBOL: 0.98
CONCACAF: 0.85
AFC: 0.85
CAF: 0.85
OFC: 0.85
Then the final points are calculated as P = M*I*T*C*100
The maximum possible points from a World Cup match is 2,400.
Let's look at the World Cup final to show how this works.
Spain beat Netherlands outside of penalties, so for Spain, M=3. For Netherlands, it's equal to 0 so they get no points from the final.
The importance of the match is I=4.
The strength of Spain's opponent (Netherlands) = [200 – 4]/100 = T=1.96
And there's a continental confederation factor of C=1.00, as both teams are in Europe.
So in total, Spain's points from the World Cup final are:
That's only 48 points from the most you can achieve in a game!
Obviously, the actual FIFA ranking isn't calculated only from the last game a team played. If that were the case, Netherlands wouldn't have any points! Instead, and I'm not clear exactly how this works, the matches over the past four years are taken into account. Games in the last year are worth 100% of their points, 50% for those 1-2 years ago, 30% for those 2-3 years ago, and 20% for those 3-4 years ago.
(Source: Fifa.com This is a PDF so make sure you have Adobe Acrobat reader. It's free, so I'm not making them any money by telling you this.)
06/07/2010
Day Twenty-six preview: 6/7/2010
Semi Final One: Netherlands vs Uruguay
1- FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Netherlands are 4th, Uruguay are 16th and the worst-ranked team left in the competition.
2 – Previous matches: Only three. One draw, and each team has won one.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Netherlands failed to qualify in 2002, but made the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 1994, and came third in 1998. Uruguay only qualified in 2002, and didn't make it past the group stages.
4 – 2010 Group Stages: Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, Uruguay a 2-1-0 record.
5 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Netherlands are 21-10, Uruguay 10-1.
So with Uruguay the outsiders, and all the stats against them, Netherlands have every chance of winning this game and getting into the final. My prediction is for the Brazil-beating team to win!
1- FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings: Netherlands are 4th, Uruguay are 16th and the worst-ranked team left in the competition.
2 – Previous matches: Only three. One draw, and each team has won one.
3 – 1994-2006 World Cup ability: Netherlands failed to qualify in 2002, but made the final 16 in 2006, the quarter-finals in 1994, and came third in 1998. Uruguay only qualified in 2002, and didn't make it past the group stages.
4 – 2010 Group Stages: Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, Uruguay a 2-1-0 record.
5 – Odds: (as of 4/7/2010 at bet365.com) Netherlands are 21-10, Uruguay 10-1.
So with Uruguay the outsiders, and all the stats against them, Netherlands have every chance of winning this game and getting into the final. My prediction is for the Brazil-beating team to win!
05/07/2010
Semi-Finals: The Players
Let's take a look at the teams remaining in the competition. Most of them have players who play all over the world, except for Germany, whose players all work in their home nation.
In descending order, here are the most popular countries to play in for World Cup finalists:
Germany – 28 players The whole German team plus five Dutchmen.
Spain – 24 players Most of the Spanish team plus one Dutchman and three Uruguayans.
Netherlands – 11 players Nine Dutchmen and two Uruguayans.
England – 8 players Three Spaniards and five Dutchmen.
Italy – 6 players Four Uruguayans and two Dutchmen.
Portugal and Chile – 3 players each All Uruguayans.
Uruguay – 2 players Two Uruguayans.
Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey – 1 player each Apart from one Dutchman (Scotland), all Uruguayans.
This shows the immense popularity of the European leagues. The first three countries are all finalists, but Uruguay come far down. All of these leagues are either European or South American – the dominance of the sport in these countries is obvious, not just here, but also in the three Europeans and one South American in the final.
In descending order, here are the most popular countries to play in for World Cup finalists:
Germany – 28 players The whole German team plus five Dutchmen.
Spain – 24 players Most of the Spanish team plus one Dutchman and three Uruguayans.
Netherlands – 11 players Nine Dutchmen and two Uruguayans.
England – 8 players Three Spaniards and five Dutchmen.
Italy – 6 players Four Uruguayans and two Dutchmen.
Portugal and Chile – 3 players each All Uruguayans.
Uruguay – 2 players Two Uruguayans.
Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, France, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey – 1 player each Apart from one Dutchman (Scotland), all Uruguayans.
This shows the immense popularity of the European leagues. The first three countries are all finalists, but Uruguay come far down. All of these leagues are either European or South American – the dominance of the sport in these countries is obvious, not just here, but also in the three Europeans and one South American in the final.
04/07/2010
Quarter-Finals Summary: 4/7/2010
Sorry that I've completely failed to post the last few days. It's been busy here. Anyway, Brazil were defeated by the Netherlands, and Uruguay beat Ghana in penalties after Gyan failed to get an in-game penalty at the end that would have put his team through. Oops!
Yesterday, there was an awesome victory for Germany over Argentina, and Spain beat Paraguay. So now the European dominance returns, with three of the four finalists in this continent. Two of the four haven't won a World Cup before, so it's quite possible that we could see a new country winning the cup. Personally, I'm with Spain.
Despite being a low-scoring team (in their five matches they have only had 6 goals), Spain also has the tournament's top goalscorer so far – David Villa, who has scored five of those goals. That's an average of one per game.
Germany's Mueller is also a top scorer with four goals, despite his young age (19). However, he will miss out on their next match – against Spain – because of the yellow card he got in yesterday's game. For all the other players, there is now a yellow card amnesty. This is so that people who get a yellow card in their semi-final game won't miss out on the final/third-place playoff. It's probably also because otherwise, so many people would have one yellow card that the teams might struggle to get enough people together for the final!
Anyway, no more stats on goals per game/cards per game. I'm a little behind on working these things out. I might have them later in the week.
Yesterday, there was an awesome victory for Germany over Argentina, and Spain beat Paraguay. So now the European dominance returns, with three of the four finalists in this continent. Two of the four haven't won a World Cup before, so it's quite possible that we could see a new country winning the cup. Personally, I'm with Spain.
Despite being a low-scoring team (in their five matches they have only had 6 goals), Spain also has the tournament's top goalscorer so far – David Villa, who has scored five of those goals. That's an average of one per game.
Germany's Mueller is also a top scorer with four goals, despite his young age (19). However, he will miss out on their next match – against Spain – because of the yellow card he got in yesterday's game. For all the other players, there is now a yellow card amnesty. This is so that people who get a yellow card in their semi-final game won't miss out on the final/third-place playoff. It's probably also because otherwise, so many people would have one yellow card that the teams might struggle to get enough people together for the final!
Anyway, no more stats on goals per game/cards per game. I'm a little behind on working these things out. I might have them later in the week.
01/07/2010
The Quarter Finals: Continental Drift
Now we're up to the final eight teams in the competition. They come from three continents, but how does this compare to previous competitions? We were only ever going to get three European teams through, as a twist of fate meant they ended up playing each other instead of nations from other continents.
The perceived European dominance of football has been severely dented this year – only three sides made it from here, and most of the teams come from South America. In previous years, there was a European dominance, with maybe a couple of teams from South America. Even in 2002, Europe had more representation, and the other teams came from a wide spread of continents.
There has never been a World Cup winner outside of Europe or South America, and it looks like that will continue this year. Only Paraguay of the South American teams remaining has not won a cup, but only Germany from the European sides has done so. So it is possible that we may get a new World Cup winner this year – I'm supporting Spain.
| Continent | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 |
| Africa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Asia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Australasia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Europe | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| North/Central America0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| South America | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
The perceived European dominance of football has been severely dented this year – only three sides made it from here, and most of the teams come from South America. In previous years, there was a European dominance, with maybe a couple of teams from South America. Even in 2002, Europe had more representation, and the other teams came from a wide spread of continents.
There has never been a World Cup winner outside of Europe or South America, and it looks like that will continue this year. Only Paraguay of the South American teams remaining has not won a cup, but only Germany from the European sides has done so. So it is possible that we may get a new World Cup winner this year – I'm supporting Spain.
The Quarter Finals: Odds
Eight teams have been eliminated from the competition, and eight remain. Obviously, the bookies have now had to revise their odds. In comparison to last time, the odds have changed a bit. The change (+ if you get more back, - if you get less back) is shown after the odds. Let's take a look at the teams. As before, the odds are bet365.com, Ladbrookes, William Hill (10.00am 1/7/2010):
1-Brazil. Brazil are, unsurprisingly, still top. They easily took care of Chile. They're up against Netherlands/Holland next, who are also a good side. (12-5, 9-4, 5-2 -)
2-Spain. Viva la Espana! They managed to beat Portugal, and now face Paraguay. Not too hard for the Euro Champions. (11-4, 3-1, 11-4 -)
4-Netherlands. Now the third-best in the competition, but they face Brazil next. Can they do it? (7-1, 7-1, 7-1 +)
6-Germany. Germany easily beat a terrible England team. They play Argentina next, who are another fantastic, England-beating side. (7-1, 6-1, 13-2 -)
7-Argentina. And Argentina are just below Germany in the rankings. Both countries have won cups before, so there's pressure at home for more. (4-1, 7-2, 9-2 -)
16-Uruguay. They face Ghana next, and have done well so far in the competition. They are the third of four South American sides still in the competition! (14-1, 14-1, 16-1 -)
31-Paraguay. Paraguay face Spain. They're a long way down, but can David beat Goliath this time? (40-1, 40-1, 50-1 +)
32-Ghana. The last African nation left. They have a nation upholding them, but they're playing Uruguay. (33-1, 33-1, 40-1 -)
The biggest changes were with Ghana (decreasing) and Paraguay (increasing). Paraguay have taken Slovakia's place as outsiders.
1-Brazil. Brazil are, unsurprisingly, still top. They easily took care of Chile. They're up against Netherlands/Holland next, who are also a good side. (12-5, 9-4, 5-2 -)
2-Spain. Viva la Espana! They managed to beat Portugal, and now face Paraguay. Not too hard for the Euro Champions. (11-4, 3-1, 11-4 -)
4-Netherlands. Now the third-best in the competition, but they face Brazil next. Can they do it? (7-1, 7-1, 7-1 +)
6-Germany. Germany easily beat a terrible England team. They play Argentina next, who are another fantastic, England-beating side. (7-1, 6-1, 13-2 -)
7-Argentina. And Argentina are just below Germany in the rankings. Both countries have won cups before, so there's pressure at home for more. (4-1, 7-2, 9-2 -)
16-Uruguay. They face Ghana next, and have done well so far in the competition. They are the third of four South American sides still in the competition! (14-1, 14-1, 16-1 -)
31-Paraguay. Paraguay face Spain. They're a long way down, but can David beat Goliath this time? (40-1, 40-1, 50-1 +)
32-Ghana. The last African nation left. They have a nation upholding them, but they're playing Uruguay. (33-1, 33-1, 40-1 -)
The biggest changes were with Ghana (decreasing) and Paraguay (increasing). Paraguay have taken Slovakia's place as outsiders.
Day Twenty-two preview: 2/6/2010
It's time for the first two quarter-final matches. Brazil vs Netherlands are first, and then Uruguay vs Ghana. Let's compare the teams.
Brazil vs Netherlands
Two strong teams here. Brazil are first in the world, Netherlands are fourth. It will be a close game, but Brazil just edge this one out.
In their nine previous matches, Brazil have won three, Netherlands have won two, and four have been drawn. I'd say this one's a tie.
As for previous World Cup ability, Brazil won in 1998 which gives them the point. Some Brazillian players who were in that game are still on the team now!
Finally, group stage performance. Brazil have a 2-1-0 record, but Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record. So the final point goes to Netherlands.
This means it's a close match, with Brazil having a slight advantage.
Uruguay vs Ghana
Uruguay and Ghana are some of the weaker teams in the competition. Uruguay are 16th in the world, and Ghana are 32nd. That's a difference of 16 places. So Uruguay win this point.
In their only previous game, it came out as a draw, so this one's also a tie.
In the last four World Cups, Uruguay only qualified in 2002, when they went out in the group stages. Ghana qualified for their first World Cup in 2006, but made it to the final sixteen. This point goes to the Africans.
As for group stage performance, Uruguay have a 2-1-0 record, while Ghana are 1-1-1. So Uruguay get the final point.
Once again, the stats say it could be close.
My predictions: Netherlands and Uruguay. I would love Ghana to get through, and be the best African nation of all time, but I don't think they will win. As for Brazil/Netherlands, I think the Dutchmen will edge it out of desperation.
Brazil vs Netherlands
Two strong teams here. Brazil are first in the world, Netherlands are fourth. It will be a close game, but Brazil just edge this one out.
In their nine previous matches, Brazil have won three, Netherlands have won two, and four have been drawn. I'd say this one's a tie.
As for previous World Cup ability, Brazil won in 1998 which gives them the point. Some Brazillian players who were in that game are still on the team now!
Finally, group stage performance. Brazil have a 2-1-0 record, but Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record. So the final point goes to Netherlands.
This means it's a close match, with Brazil having a slight advantage.
Uruguay vs Ghana
Uruguay and Ghana are some of the weaker teams in the competition. Uruguay are 16th in the world, and Ghana are 32nd. That's a difference of 16 places. So Uruguay win this point.
In their only previous game, it came out as a draw, so this one's also a tie.
In the last four World Cups, Uruguay only qualified in 2002, when they went out in the group stages. Ghana qualified for their first World Cup in 2006, but made it to the final sixteen. This point goes to the Africans.
As for group stage performance, Uruguay have a 2-1-0 record, while Ghana are 1-1-1. So Uruguay get the final point.
Once again, the stats say it could be close.
My predictions: Netherlands and Uruguay. I would love Ghana to get through, and be the best African nation of all time, but I don't think they will win. As for Brazil/Netherlands, I think the Dutchmen will edge it out of desperation.
28/06/2010
Day Eighteen: 28/6/2010 (again)
Brazil and Netherlands up to standard
Is there any surprise today? Just as yesterday, the teams live up to expectations as Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 (Slovakia's final goal came from a penalty), and Brazil beat Chile. Slovakia's goalscorer Vittek now has 4 goals, which matches Argentina's Higuain's amount. But with Slovakia out, Higuain just has to score once to go top.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.28, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range - 7
Cards per game: Mean – 3.94, Median – 4, Mode – 5, Range – 10
Predictions for tomorrow: Japan to beat Paraguay, Spain to beat Portugal.
Is there any surprise today? Just as yesterday, the teams live up to expectations as Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 (Slovakia's final goal came from a penalty), and Brazil beat Chile. Slovakia's goalscorer Vittek now has 4 goals, which matches Argentina's Higuain's amount. But with Slovakia out, Higuain just has to score once to go top.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.28, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range - 7
Cards per game: Mean – 3.94, Median – 4, Mode – 5, Range – 10
Predictions for tomorrow: Japan to beat Paraguay, Spain to beat Portugal.
Day Eighteen: 28/6/2010
Note: I'm graduating tomorrow from university so I may have trouble posting on time with family around, but I'll try!
Netherlands vs Slovakia, Brazil vs Chile
Really, do I need to give the statistics for these games? I will anyway, but just looking at the teams gives you the answers as to which side seems dominant.
Netherlands vs Slovakia, incidentally, is the second of three Europe-on-Europe games in the knockout stages. The other teams from around the world will not be playing European teams again until the next round. At least we know for sure, three European sides will make it to the quarter-finals.
Netherlands are ranked 4th, and Slovakia are ranked 34th. This is a 30-place difference! So point one to Netherlands.
Their only game against Slovakia resulted in a draw, so no points given.
Since this is Slovakia's first World Cup, the Netherlands win point three automatically.
And in terms of this cup, Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, while Slovakia have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to Netherlands.
So the stats say Netherlands will win.
Brazil vs Chile is South America on South America. Brazil have the reputation, but Chile are like a second division side taking on the Premier League champions - going for it with all they've got!
Brazil are ranked first. This gives them point one without even looking at Chile, who are ranked 18th.
In the competitive record, these teams have met 71 times. Chile have won 8, drawn 13 and lost 50, with 57 goals for and 159 goals against! Point two to Brazil.
From 1994-2010, Brazil have qualified for every World Cup and even won it! Chile have only qualified twice - being banned in 1994, and making the final 16 in 1998. So point three to Brazil.
And finally, in this World Cup, Brazil have a 2-1-0 record in the group stages, while Chile have a 2-0-1 record. Point four to Brazil.
All the same, I'd like to see the little guys win for a change.
Netherlands vs Slovakia, Brazil vs Chile
Really, do I need to give the statistics for these games? I will anyway, but just looking at the teams gives you the answers as to which side seems dominant.
Netherlands vs Slovakia, incidentally, is the second of three Europe-on-Europe games in the knockout stages. The other teams from around the world will not be playing European teams again until the next round. At least we know for sure, three European sides will make it to the quarter-finals.
Netherlands are ranked 4th, and Slovakia are ranked 34th. This is a 30-place difference! So point one to Netherlands.
Their only game against Slovakia resulted in a draw, so no points given.
Since this is Slovakia's first World Cup, the Netherlands win point three automatically.
And in terms of this cup, Netherlands have a 3-0-0 record, while Slovakia have a 1-1-1 record. Point four to Netherlands.
So the stats say Netherlands will win.
Brazil vs Chile is South America on South America. Brazil have the reputation, but Chile are like a second division side taking on the Premier League champions - going for it with all they've got!
Brazil are ranked first. This gives them point one without even looking at Chile, who are ranked 18th.
In the competitive record, these teams have met 71 times. Chile have won 8, drawn 13 and lost 50, with 57 goals for and 159 goals against! Point two to Brazil.
From 1994-2010, Brazil have qualified for every World Cup and even won it! Chile have only qualified twice - being banned in 1994, and making the final 16 in 1998. So point three to Brazil.
And finally, in this World Cup, Brazil have a 2-1-0 record in the group stages, while Chile have a 2-0-1 record. Point four to Brazil.
All the same, I'd like to see the little guys win for a change.
24/06/2010
Day Fourteen: 24/6/2010
The champions are out!
Everyone was surprised today. I would have thought Italy would have played better, as England did yesterday. But they did not, and lost to a team that have never been in a World Cup before: Slovakia!
“As things stand now, reigning world champions Italy would join 2006 runners-up France in failing to progress from the group stage. This would be a FIFA World Cup first. Never before have the two finalists from the previous tournament been knocked out in the group stage the following World Cup. This even includes years in which the runner-up did not qualify.” - Fifa.com in Paraguay vs New Zealand matchcast (emphasis mine).
Interestingly, Paraguay lost their last three matches when the score was 0-0 at half time. This time, they have drawn against opponents New Zealand, but their previous good results put them through to the next round. New Zealand have had three straight group-stage draws now. The last time this happened in a World Cup was in France, 1998, with Belgium and Chile.
During the Italy/Slovakia game, one of the ITV commentators said this: “Kopunek never has to kick another football in his life again. He can bore his grandchildren forever." This was after Slovakia had gone 3-1 up. He had scored in an unmarked goal - something a lot of other players have failed to do this year. While the final score was eventually 3-2, this was still a game for the Slovaks to be proud of.
My predictions only came half-true in group F thanks to Italy's poor performance.
Next up, Netherlands – already through – took on Cameroon – who were already out, so I only watched the Japanese game. If the Netherlands had lost, Japan might have been able to go first in their group, but that wasn't the case. Japan took the lead in their game with two fantastic goals from free kicks, and although Denmark got one goal back, they were unable to emulate Italy as Japan got a third goal. It's the first time Japan have gone into the last 16 from the group stages away from home. So in this group, my predictions proved correct.
We now have quite a few players competing for the Adidas golden boot; top scorers are: Argentina's Higuain, Slovakia's Vittek (3 each) and Elano (Brazil), Honda (Japan), Villa (Spain), Fabiano (Brazil), Gyan (Ghana), Donovan (USA), Lee Jung Soo (South Korea) and Forlan (Argentina) with two goals each and the chance to increase that score. Nigeria's Uche and Australia's Holman also have two goals each.
The current qualifiers are from the following continents: South America (Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay), North America (Mexico, USA), Europe (England, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia), Asia (South Korea, Japan), Africa (Ghana). So the only unrepresented continent is Australasia, whose two teams are already out of the competition.
Now there is no chance that the world champions will win this year, so the World Cup is open to everyone who has the will and ability to go for it.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.16, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range – 7
Cards per game: Mean – 4, Median – 4, Mode – 5, Range - 9
Predictions for tomorrow: Brazil are already through, and I think Portugal will also win as they have too-big a goal difference against Ivory Coast. Then Spain and Chile will go through from group H.
Everyone was surprised today. I would have thought Italy would have played better, as England did yesterday. But they did not, and lost to a team that have never been in a World Cup before: Slovakia!
“As things stand now, reigning world champions Italy would join 2006 runners-up France in failing to progress from the group stage. This would be a FIFA World Cup first. Never before have the two finalists from the previous tournament been knocked out in the group stage the following World Cup. This even includes years in which the runner-up did not qualify.” - Fifa.com in Paraguay vs New Zealand matchcast (emphasis mine).
Interestingly, Paraguay lost their last three matches when the score was 0-0 at half time. This time, they have drawn against opponents New Zealand, but their previous good results put them through to the next round. New Zealand have had three straight group-stage draws now. The last time this happened in a World Cup was in France, 1998, with Belgium and Chile.
During the Italy/Slovakia game, one of the ITV commentators said this: “Kopunek never has to kick another football in his life again. He can bore his grandchildren forever." This was after Slovakia had gone 3-1 up. He had scored in an unmarked goal - something a lot of other players have failed to do this year. While the final score was eventually 3-2, this was still a game for the Slovaks to be proud of.
My predictions only came half-true in group F thanks to Italy's poor performance.
Next up, Netherlands – already through – took on Cameroon – who were already out, so I only watched the Japanese game. If the Netherlands had lost, Japan might have been able to go first in their group, but that wasn't the case. Japan took the lead in their game with two fantastic goals from free kicks, and although Denmark got one goal back, they were unable to emulate Italy as Japan got a third goal. It's the first time Japan have gone into the last 16 from the group stages away from home. So in this group, my predictions proved correct.
We now have quite a few players competing for the Adidas golden boot; top scorers are: Argentina's Higuain, Slovakia's Vittek (3 each) and Elano (Brazil), Honda (Japan), Villa (Spain), Fabiano (Brazil), Gyan (Ghana), Donovan (USA), Lee Jung Soo (South Korea) and Forlan (Argentina) with two goals each and the chance to increase that score. Nigeria's Uche and Australia's Holman also have two goals each.
The current qualifiers are from the following continents: South America (Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay), North America (Mexico, USA), Europe (England, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia), Asia (South Korea, Japan), Africa (Ghana). So the only unrepresented continent is Australasia, whose two teams are already out of the competition.
Now there is no chance that the world champions will win this year, so the World Cup is open to everyone who has the will and ability to go for it.
Goals per game: Mean – 2.16, Median – 2, Mode – 2, Range – 7
Cards per game: Mean – 4, Median – 4, Mode – 5, Range - 9
Predictions for tomorrow: Brazil are already through, and I think Portugal will also win as they have too-big a goal difference against Ivory Coast. Then Spain and Chile will go through from group H.
19/06/2010
Day Nine: 19/6/2010
Cameroon lose again as Australia scrape a draw
First, some information on the ages of all the card receivers in World Cup matches:
There have been 103 cards given out so far in this World Cup. The oldest player to get a card is 34-year-old Australian Craig MOORE, who isn't signed up for any team - in fact he is one of only three players in this World Cup who has no national league team [Fifa.com]. He has got two yellow cards in two separate matches, so he misses Australia's final game against Ghana.
The youngest player is Nigeria's Lukman HARUNA, aged just 19. Haruna plays for Monaco, in France.
The median age for a card receiver is 25, with LQ 23, and UQ 29 (in case there are any statistics geeks out there). The mean age is 26 years.
More stats on cards tomorrow!
Now, there were three more football matches today. Japan played well against the Netherlands, but a goal for Wesley SNEIDJER (pronounced 'Snider') gave the Netherlands three points.
Next, Ghana played previous losers Australia, who are in only their third World Cup, having previously qualified in 2006 and 1974. In 2006, Australia qualified for the final 16, but can they do the same this time? They only have a single point, but Germany's bad game yesterday means they could still qualify - Ghana is top of the group with only four points. Ghana's GYAN scored his second goal of the World Cup, and again from a penalty, making him equal second in the adidas Golden Boot competition. However, getting his goals in two separate games gives him an edge over Uruguay's Forlan.
Finally, Cameroon played Denmark. They took the lead early on, but Denmark came back to win 2-1. This is the first time Denmark have ever made a comeback from losing to win a group stages game in the World Cup!
I'm so glad FIFA is around to compare statistics with. Otherwise I would be making terrible mistakes! Actually, some of the card averages for the past few days may have been wrong. However, here's the actual results:
Goals per game: Mean - 1.88, Median - 2, Mode - 1,2, Range - 5
Cards per game: Mean - 3.96, Median - 4, Mode - 3,5, Range - 8
Four birthdays tomorrow. I'll probably edit them in tomorrow when FIFA updates their website, because I lost all the birthday boy details.
First, some information on the ages of all the card receivers in World Cup matches:
There have been 103 cards given out so far in this World Cup. The oldest player to get a card is 34-year-old Australian Craig MOORE, who isn't signed up for any team - in fact he is one of only three players in this World Cup who has no national league team [Fifa.com]. He has got two yellow cards in two separate matches, so he misses Australia's final game against Ghana.
The youngest player is Nigeria's Lukman HARUNA, aged just 19. Haruna plays for Monaco, in France.
The median age for a card receiver is 25, with LQ 23, and UQ 29 (in case there are any statistics geeks out there). The mean age is 26 years.
More stats on cards tomorrow!
Now, there were three more football matches today. Japan played well against the Netherlands, but a goal for Wesley SNEIDJER (pronounced 'Snider') gave the Netherlands three points.
Next, Ghana played previous losers Australia, who are in only their third World Cup, having previously qualified in 2006 and 1974. In 2006, Australia qualified for the final 16, but can they do the same this time? They only have a single point, but Germany's bad game yesterday means they could still qualify - Ghana is top of the group with only four points. Ghana's GYAN scored his second goal of the World Cup, and again from a penalty, making him equal second in the adidas Golden Boot competition. However, getting his goals in two separate games gives him an edge over Uruguay's Forlan.
Finally, Cameroon played Denmark. They took the lead early on, but Denmark came back to win 2-1. This is the first time Denmark have ever made a comeback from losing to win a group stages game in the World Cup!
I'm so glad FIFA is around to compare statistics with. Otherwise I would be making terrible mistakes! Actually, some of the card averages for the past few days may have been wrong. However, here's the actual results:
Goals per game: Mean - 1.88, Median - 2, Mode - 1,2, Range - 5
Cards per game: Mean - 3.96, Median - 4, Mode - 3,5, Range - 8
Four birthdays tomorrow. I'll probably edit them in tomorrow when FIFA updates their website, because I lost all the birthday boy details.
14/06/2010
Day Four: 14/6/2010
Lots of shocks and good football
Before I begin the day's statistics, here is some info on goals and cards:
So the strikers have been slacking off so far in the goalscoring department, but far too violent in their gameplay. However, assuming a 4-4-2 system, the goalies have done well in the card department. Midfielders have more than their fair share.
You'll notice that we've had our first own goal in the tournament. This was an unfortunate result of Danish defender Daniel AGGER being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ball struck his back and went sailing into the goal. Expensive Liverpool player Agger is 25 years old; by expensive, I mean that Liverpool paid more for him than any other defender on their team.
The Netherlands' first real goal was from another Liverpool player, Dirk KUYT. Dirk is just shy of his 30th birthday, and is unusual in that he doesn't clash with the orange shirts his team wears!
The second game of the day was also a shock. In a fairly clean game with only one yellow card apiece, Japan's HONDA Keisuke scored against an unlucky Cameroon on the day after his 24th birthday. Even Cameroon's best-known player Samuel ETO'O was unable to score. 29 year old Eto'o has scored 42 goals in 93 international games, which is just under one every two games. Hopefully this means he won't disappoint in Cameroon's next game.
Finally, Italy played Paraguay. Again, the teams shared a yellow apiece to go with their 1-1 draw. Daniele DE ROSSI scored for Italy after going into the second half a goal down thanks to a lucky shot from Paraguay's Antolin ALCARAZ.
Goals per game: Mean – 1.545, Median – 1, Mode – 1, Range – 4
Cards per game: Mean – 4, Median – 4, Mode – 2,6, Range – 6
Before I begin the day's statistics, here is some info on goals and cards:
| Position | Goals | Cards |
| Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 |
| Defender | 5 (and one own goal) | 13 (one sent off) |
| Midfielder | 8 | 18 (one sent off) |
| Striker | 5 | 8 (two sent off) |
So the strikers have been slacking off so far in the goalscoring department, but far too violent in their gameplay. However, assuming a 4-4-2 system, the goalies have done well in the card department. Midfielders have more than their fair share.
You'll notice that we've had our first own goal in the tournament. This was an unfortunate result of Danish defender Daniel AGGER being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ball struck his back and went sailing into the goal. Expensive Liverpool player Agger is 25 years old; by expensive, I mean that Liverpool paid more for him than any other defender on their team.
The Netherlands' first real goal was from another Liverpool player, Dirk KUYT. Dirk is just shy of his 30th birthday, and is unusual in that he doesn't clash with the orange shirts his team wears!
The second game of the day was also a shock. In a fairly clean game with only one yellow card apiece, Japan's HONDA Keisuke scored against an unlucky Cameroon on the day after his 24th birthday. Even Cameroon's best-known player Samuel ETO'O was unable to score. 29 year old Eto'o has scored 42 goals in 93 international games, which is just under one every two games. Hopefully this means he won't disappoint in Cameroon's next game.
Finally, Italy played Paraguay. Again, the teams shared a yellow apiece to go with their 1-1 draw. Daniele DE ROSSI scored for Italy after going into the second half a goal down thanks to a lucky shot from Paraguay's Antolin ALCARAZ.
Goals per game: Mean – 1.545, Median – 1, Mode – 1, Range – 4
Cards per game: Mean – 4, Median – 4, Mode – 2,6, Range – 6
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