FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 & FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2013

[King Binny]

[article=http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/news/newsid=2207371/index.html]Men’s shortlists for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013

The following 23 men (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013:

Gareth Bale (Wales), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Xavi (Spain).

The following ten coaches (in alphabetical order, first nationality and then team) are in contention for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2013:

Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain FC/Real Madrid CF), Rafael Benítez (Spain/Chelsea FC/SSC Napoli), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Chelsea FC), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil/Brazil national team), Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).

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The official FIFA Ballon d’Or Facebook page has also been launched: www.facebook.com/FIFABallonDor

Jupp Heynckes for Coach of the Year award? RVP, Bale, Suarez in but no Mata?

 

[localny]

Good to see suarez there but no chance. Also nice to see Rafa there, it must be very gratifying for him, but what is Mouriniho doing in there? Anyway, it has to go to the coach of bayern, IMHO.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Messi Heynckes surely

 

[Whirly]

Messi Heynckes surely

If Ibrahimovic can lead Sweden to a win over Portugal in the final qualifiers, I think he becomes the favorite.

 

[Red Mullet]

Bale will win both.

 

[King Binny]

[article=http://www.marca.com/2013/10/29/en/football/international_football/1383063200.html]The Atlético de Madrid president, Enrique Cerezo, is upset that FIFA didn't include 'Cholo' Simeone on the 10-man shortlist for the World Coach of the Year award.

"I don't understand why Simeone isn't amongst the top managers. He's a sensation in Europe", said 'Rojiblancos' president Enrique Cerezo. He hopes his coach will be nominated next time around though, explaining that he's "very disappointed because he deserved it".

Cerezo also gave his opinion on the nominees for the Ballon d'Or, saying that "Messi is the best in the world". Also, given the season that Diego Costa is having, he didn't hold back with the praise saying that the Brazilian striker is also "a sensation in Europe".[/article]

 

[King Binny]

[article=http://as.com/diarioas/2013/11/14/english/1384443488_092393.html]Cristiano Ronaldo may have further reason to feel aggrieved at his treatment by FIFA, world football’s governing body, following the release of its profiles of the 23 candidates to win the 2013 Ballon d’Or. Cristiano’s description is the only one to feature an element of negativity, with FIFA recalling that the Real Madrid man lost out to Lionel Messi in last season’s Liga BBVA scoring charts.

Cristiano’s profile reads: “2013 proved to be another goal-drenched year for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star helped himself to 34 of them in the 2012/13 Liga season, a haul beaten only by Lionel Messi’s 45, and scored a hatful more in Europe and for his national team.” Published on fifa.com, the information fails to take into account that only goals scored in 2013 are considered in the Ballon d’Or vote.

The profile scarcely mentions the 28-year-old’s sporting merits (something which does occur in the case of the other favourites for the award), choosing instead to focus on off-the-field information.

The remainder of Cristiano’s description says: “Always on top form for Real Madrid and Portugal, the flying forward, who won the FIFA World Player award in 2008, is only gaining in stature with Los Merengues, and it came as no surprise when he extended his contract with the club to 2018 and said he was considering staying put for the rest of his career.”

Lionel Messi’s profile: “Since winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or the Barcelona ace has showed no sign whatsoever of letting up, topping the La Liga’s scoring charts as his side made off with the 2012/13 league title. Messi has been just as prolific on the international front, finishing the South American qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ as the second-highest marksman. With a third world finals to look forward to next year, the 26-year-old attacking wizard is bearing downing fast on another record, as he seeks to become the highest goalscorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League.”

Franck Ribéry’s profile: “Frustration reigned for Franck Ribery in 2012 as Bayern Munich finished runners-up in the Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Champions League, but the dangerous France winger did not have to wait long to exorcise the memory. Operating at a different level since those disappointments, he helped his side win all three competitions in 2013, adding the UEFA Super Cup for good measure. Moreover, he has also shone brighter for Les Bleus in recent times, becoming a more convincing and decisive performer on the international stage. Reputed for his mesmerising dribbles, precise shooting ability, and explosive acceleration, those qualities could well keep Bayern on top at home and abroad and inspire France to force their way back into the limelight – just as they convinced UEFA to crown him the Best Player in Europe in 2013.”[/article]

 

[King Binny]

[article=http://as.com/diarioas/2013/11/18/english/1384793371_872810.html]Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has revealed that he voted for Barcelona pair Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández as two of his three picks for the 2013 Ballon d’Or.

Speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, he said: “I voted for the two Spaniards [on FIFA’s 23-man shortlist for the award], and the other I’ll leave unknown.”

FIFA World Coach of the Year: “I voted for [Jupp] Heynckes, [Rafa] Benítez and [Luiz Felipe] Scolari. I base my choices on silverware, which is the most objective criteria.”

Spain’s travels: “In terms of the trip to Equatorial Guinea, the political element didn’t come into it. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, far from it. The president [of the Spanish Football Federation, Ángel María Villar] had a commitment to come to South Africa. The journey isn’t an issue; it’s ten hours in first class.”

Brazil and Diego Costa: “The Brazilians are very good, but anyone is capable of beating them at the World Cup. Spain hasn’t set a precedent with the Diego Costa case.”

World Cup chances: “I’m not saying we don’t have aspirations of winning it, but I’m wouldn’t like to say: we’re going to be champions.”[/article]

 

[King Binny]

[article=http://www.marca.com/2013/11/26/en/football/barcelona/1385495186.html]Former Real Madrid player and Spain coach between 1998 and 2002 José Antonio Camacho has said that Cristiano Ronaldo "deserves" this year's Ballon d'Or, but he went on to add he would like it if they gave the award to Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta.

"This year Cristiano Ronaldo deserves it, but I would like it if they gave it to Iniesta", Camacho said after being very critical about the way the voting system works and the predictable outcome of the award.

"I think the whole thing about Iniesta is a huge error by FIFA and the organisation behind the prize. If you win everything with your club they say you had to win also with the national team, and then you win everything with them, it just seems illogical to me that they don't give it to him", he commented.

Camacho, who coached 'La Roja' at the Korea and Japan World Cup in 2002, thinks that next summer's event in Brazil will be a case of "everybody else against Spain".

"Fortunately it is going to be played in Brazil and the whole world will have them as favourites, but it will be everybody against Spain. What will be important is the respect they get from the referees, as we saw in the Confederations Cup", he said.[/article]

 

[King Binny]

Just watched this video. Thought it is fitting to post it in this thread instead of creating a separate one.

 

[King Binny]

[article=http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/news/newsid=2230985/index.html]Carlo Ancelotti
The former Italy international left Paris Saint-Germain in the summer for Real Madrid, where he has once again shown his ability to handle a star-studded dressing room. Few coaches are as flexible as Ancelotti, who has developed a gift for adapting his tactics to the players at his disposal and to the opposition, which has allowed him to spring a surprise or two over the years. During his reign at PSG, the Italian lined up with a 4-4-2 formation on 29 occasions, losing only two of those games. At Madrid, Carletto has been alternating between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. Once asked to describe what really matters to him, he said: “Having 11 players who attack when they have the ball and 11 players who defend when they don’t.”

Rafael Benitez
The Spaniard is a perfectionist who leaves nothing to chance, enthusiastically implementing computer-generated training programmes and tactical drills prepared right down to the last detail. “It is now possible to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents and your own team in a very objective way,” said the current Napoli coach a few years ago. “You can use that data to draw up plans: a Plan A, Plan B and a Plan C. A player once asked me if there was a Plan D. And he was right. There’s every reason why you should consider every possible hypothetical situation.”

He added: “Why do people always associate beautiful football with short passes or technical ability? I’ve got no time for rigid mindsets. There is no objective definition of beauty on the pitch. Good football is not a question of ideologies, and nor is it the intellectual property of those in the know.” Though Benitez generally opts for 4-2-3-1, he is not averse to a rapid reshuffle if the opposing line-up and the situation demands.

Antonio Conte
Conte is the man behind Juventus’ recent revival, having guided the Italian giants to back-to-back league titles since taking over in 2011. One of the major factors in their recent success is the tactical changes he has introduced, casting aside Juve’s time-honoured and occasionally rigid 4-4-2 for a more flexible approach in which a 4-2-4 line-up can quickly become 4-3-3 or 3-5-2. “He has one exceptional virtue and that is organisation,” said his compatriot Ancelotti in heaping praise on Conte for his achievements a few weeks ago.

Vicente del Bosque
Spain’s national team has dominated if not revolutionised world football over the last five to six years. Del Bosque took over from Luis Aragones after their UEFA EURO 2008 triumph and set about fine-tuning their near-perfect tiki-taka passing game, which involves the stringing together of countless passes as a means of opening up tightly packed defences. Del Bosque has also made extensive use of the falso nueve (false No9), choosing a talented ball-player to lead the front line rather than an out-and-out centre-forward, the idea being for the player in question to contribute to Spain’s lengthy passing moves and to drop back into midfield whenever required. La Roja have been fielding a 4-1-4-1 formation for many years now. As part of this system every man, defenders included, is continually on the move, an approach that forces opposing sides to defend a very large space and allows Spain’s possession-hungry players to build their intricate moves.

Alex Ferguson
Like Arsene Wenger, Ferguson – who this year retired from coaching after winning countless trophies with Manchester United – had the luxury of developing a very specific style of play over of long period of time and of seeing his sides implement a specific set of tactics to the letter of the law. The Scottish tactician stuck to a rigid 4-4-2 for many years, though in more recent times he often opted for 4-2-3-1. One of his most memorable coups came when he fielded a 4-2-4-0 formation against a nonplussed Arsenal side in August 2011, a game that ended in an emphatic 8-2 win for his side.

Jupp Heynckes
Voted coach of the year in Germany in 2013, Heynckes drew on all his experience and sang-froid to guide Bayern Munich to the UEFA Champions League title. The 68-year-old coach tapped into the talent of an exceptional if occasionally temperamental squad to create a perfectly drilled unit. In doing so he toyed with a number of tactical approaches before coming up with a 4-2-3-1 formation capable of playing a lightning-quick passing game, slicing opposing sides open down the flanks, switching the play from one wing to the other and exerting suffocating pressure up front. The style might even be described as tiki-taka 2.0, although the usually reserved Heynckes had this pointed comment to make before handing the reins over to Pep Guardiola: “Bayern don’t play like Barcelona. Bayern play a more modern, more contemporary and better game. My successor is quite possibly inheriting the best team in the world.”

Jurgen Klopp
There are some very good reasons for arguing that the Borussia Dortmund boss is one of the sources of inspiration for the new German style and one of its leading advocates. A tireless motivator, Klopp – who as a player never graced the top flight – has acquired a reputation for being a great strategist and has championed the transition from attack to defence and the offensive pressing game like no other coach in German football has ever done. Klopp habitually goes with 4-2-3-1, manning the double pivot position with a hard-running midfielder adept at one-on-ones alongside a more gifted and tactically aware player.

Jose Mourinho
As everyone knows, “The Special One” organises his teams around a solid, well-drilled defence. The Portuguese, who returned to Chelsea during the close season, is famed for his ability to read games, a gift feared by his rivals, and no one is as adept at setting up sides to prey on the weaknesses of their opponents as the 2010 FIFA Coach of the Year. Mourinho is another proponent of 4-2-3-1, though when his sides are in possession they tend to rely more on the vision of a gifted midfielder than individual skill and the speed of their wide men.

Luiz Felipe Scolari
It was almost a year ago that Felipão took charge of the Brazil side with the express objective of winning the World Cup on home soil. Though pundits and fans alike were sceptical of his chances of success, they have been won round by Scolari, who guided A Seleção to the world title in 2002. The small but perceptible changes he has made have already had their effect. Scolari has a preference for players who can give their all for 90 minutes and impose themselves on matches thanks to their speed, stamina and power. Founded on solid defensive units manned by high-quality players, Scolari’s sides play a direct, high tempo passing game and continually probe for ways to outflank opposing defences. He favours 4-2-3-1, a formation in which the ability of the full-backs to push forward at pace gives the front men space in which to manoeuvre. Scolari also has a top-class finisher at his disposal in Fred, a threat for any defence and Brazil’s leading scorer at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013.

Arsene Wenger
The 64-year-old Frenchman has been in residence in the Arsenal dugout since 1996. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the fluid, short-passing game, Wenger has not changed his philosophy much over the years, though the Gunners have swapped their habitual 4-3-3 and occasional 4-4-2 for a 4-2-3-1 formation. This most aesthetic of coaches has always put the accent on flexibility and creativity, using his invariably gifted players in a variety of different formations. A champion of attacking football, Wenger rarely takes the opposition and the tactics they pursue into consideration when setting up his teams.[/article]

 

[darkstarexodus]

Notice a trend for preferring 4-2-3-1 much?

 

[King Binny]

[article]Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has hit out at the Ballon d’Or, claiming that he does not want anyone to win this year’s award.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery are up for the annual FIFA prize this time around, but the French Coach has insisted that individual awards are bad for the game.

“Who do I want to win this year? I do not want anyone at all,” he told Telefoot.

“I am against individual awards. This is an endorsement of an individual which goes against the essence of our sport.

"I fight like a mad man against the award, which hurts football. Unconsciously, the player is prompted to favour individual performance over that of the team."[/article]

 

[#roadred]

Communist! Go back in your box and have a nap Arsene.