May Cause Offence

Transfers

Whilst most of the world’s industries continue to struggle in the aftermath of one recession, at the same time as riding through the current financial crisis which threatens to send the world into another one, European football ignores Katie Price’s – more accurately her corporate sponsor’s – concerns for the economy, her glee at “China’s latest GDP figures” and her solution to it all and continues to spend, spend, spend.

Amidst the Eurozone crisis, the volume of transfers occurring is up 16.6% from 2009 at an average of 10 transfers per club, across the 500 clubs surveyed by the CIES Football Observatory. Undoubtedly, the new money in Russian football is somewhat distorting of this figure, with five of the current top seven clubs in Russia’s top flight, the fortunate beneficiaries of the plutocrats of their country.

The recent spending of newly owned Anzhi Makhachkala, which has seen, most notably, Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o join the side, has aided a perceived improvement of the Russian League: since 2009, there has been a 17% increase in the amount of active internationals plying their trade in the Russian Premier League from 11.6% to 28.6% and this isn’t down to an improvement of Russian youth players into fully fledged internationals, nor an increased development of club-trained players.

The increase in the quality of the league has come at the expense of youth development: using the same time frame as above – 2009-2011 – the percentage of club-trained players playing in the Russian top flight has fallen sharply from 20.2% to 12.2%. Whilst the Russian Premier League can claim to be the host of more international players than France’s Ligue 1, La Liga and Serie A, it has cost them a long term future of Russian product and will thus continue to rely on a succession of short-termism philosophies from owners willing to spend a fast buck.

The Demographic Study 2012, compiled by the CIES Football Observatory, which surveyed the 500 clubs in the top-flight of 33 European countries, showed that, on average, over 2011 each club made 10 transfers and 11.1 including promotions up the ranks and into the first team. However, proving that going with the flow doesn’t mean all shall go swimmingly, FC Barcelona, who won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, made only two purchases in 2011: Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas.

Furthermore, Spain’s position as the highest of Europe’s top 5 leagues when it comes to club-trained players making up La Liga’s roster, 24.7%, is reinforced by Barcelona: in promoting Thiago Alcantara, Fontas and Dos Santos, Barcelona’s club-trained make up was 42.9%, 4.2% higher than England’s most club-trained friendly side, Arsenal, at 38.7%. Yet, Barcelona aren’t even the most prolific at player development in La Liga; Real Sociedad has a figure of 62.5%, Athletic Bilbao at 54.2% and Santander’s is at 44%. Meanwhile, much like the Premier League’s Wigan Athletic, Getafe does not have a single player that was trained at the club for three years between the ages of 15 and 21.

Height

In his Dispatches article for World Soccer, Brazil’s correspondent Tim Vickery, recalled that, “Brazilian coaches have argued over recent years that the physical evolution of the game demands six-foot midfielders and makes extended passing moves outdated.” Brazilian coaches are observant of the European game, it seems, and so they should be after Barcelona so comprehensively beat the best the country can offer.

For the second successive calendar year, player heights in the European top flights is at an average of 182cm, or, for an easy comparison to Ramalho and co.’s deduction, 5’11. Hats off to the coaches in Brazil. Germany, a current powerhouse of world football, has the tallest average height in European football at 6’ and their tallest side, Werder Bremen has an average height of 6’1. The tallest side in Europe is Volyn Lutsk at 6’2 and they finished 11^th out of 16 in the 2010/11 season. It would be fair to say, they are Ukraine’s answer to Stoke. Talking of Stoke, they are the oldest average side in the Premier League and the 8^th eldest in Europe at 29.08-years old.

However, yet again Barcelona are bucking the trend; along with having the most actively international side with 81% of their first team having represented their country in 2011, they are doing so with Europe’s smallest collective side, with the Barca boys coming in at an average height of 5’9. Their smallest player is expectantly Leo Messi at just 5’6^1/2 and their tallest is Gerard Pique at 6’4. The blueprint that Barcelona set is seemingly not just their tiki-taka football; as well as the fluid, attacking possession football they play, Barca are proving that small, technically gifted players can outplay the big boys, quite literally. Manchester City’s creative hub comes in the form of Silva, Aguero and Nasri, and before Carlos Tevez departed he was the spearhead to a diminutive attacking trio. Swansea’s height hasn’t come with a detrimental effect either; Britton and Allen dictate their midfield at 5’6 tall each, Wayne Routledge paces up and down the flank at 5’7 and Nathan Dyer bombs down the other 2 inches shorter, at 5’5.

Brazilians

In my last article, I explained and justified my adamant view that Neymar must immigrate to be a great and for Diego, it remains the “objective” and “the dream” for every Brazilian to “play in Europe, in the Champions League, at a big club.” The trend shows that is the considered view of many Brazilians with 528 playing in Europe; however, that figure is down 7% from 2010 and is explained, in part, by the new money in Brazil that can bring the old boys home and keep the new ones in. Yet, the money isn’t bringing success, “Brazilian football has never been so rich in money and poor in quality,” said Brazilian sportswriter Benjamin Back, in the wake of Santos’ humiliating defeat to FC Barcelona in the FIFA Club World Cup final, which may also explain the decrease: Brazil aren’t producing on the scale they were.

However, the ones in Europe excel and, understandably, 73% of the top 15 clubs in Europe – based on the percentage of active internationals a club has – have at least one Brazilian on their books. The only exceptions are Celtic – an anomaly on the list due to their vast amount of Home Nations players – West Brom, Manchester City and Zenit. Only 2 Brazilians were in the top 20 for the Ballon d’Or: Neymar and Dani Alves. With Neymar at Santos, this leaves only one Brazilian in the top 20 players in Europe, and he plays in a team that many consider the greatest ever: Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. In the past, and as recently as 2005, 3 Brazilians were in the FIFPro World XI, never mind the Ballon d’Or shortlist. It suggests, and it is a view I hold, that the quality in Brazilian football is declining and for the players that do have the potential to be world class, their interests lie outside of their homeland.

Again, Barcelona buck the trend; in Adriano they have a useful back-up to Abidal and Alves and a player who popped up with two goals in the FIFA Club World Cup to finish joint top scorer with his teammate, Messi. In Dani Alves, they have the only Brazilian in Europe to make the top 20 for the Ballon d’Or, and a right back who has twice been in the FIFPro World XI. Their two other Brazilians, Henrique and Kerrison, 25 and 23, aren’t as effective and both are currently back in Brazil on loan.

Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit