With big spending teams dominating club football in recent years will the most expensive players be dominating this summer’s World Cup?
World Cup betting experts WorldCupOdds.com have come up with an infographic that shows what would happen if transfer fees decided who wins the World Cup. Other alternative methods of rankings the World Cup teams are also examined.
Brazil Come Out On Top
Brazil have the most expensive first eleven based on most recent transfer fees of their most used players at the Confederations Cup. They come out on top at £261.1m, £55.2m more expensive than nearest rivals Portugal. On the infographic however it is Belgium rather than Portugal who fill the runners up spot at the World Cup despite Portugal’s side costing their clubs £46m more and this is because of the pre determined World Cup draw that would see Portugal meet Brazil in the semi final should they win their respective groups.
England aren’t expected to have a successful World Cup but they finish fourth according to these projections. They don’t have the fourth most expensive team though. Seven other sides can actually boast a more expensively assembled team than England. England only finish fourth here because of the World Cup draw.
The Limitations Of Transfer Fees
The big limitation from looking at transfer values is that some players are still at the clubs they began their career at. No side shows this better than Spain with five of their eleven most used players in qualifying having never played for any other team. Those players are Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Pedro, Xavi and Iker Casillas. Spain’s team only generated £104.9m in transfer fees but independent valuations of the same eleven players put their value nearer the £278.5m mark which would make them the most ‘valuable’ team in the world.
Lionel Messi is another Barcelona youth product who goes down as a free transfer. Argentina’s total transfer value is £141.7m but Lionel Messi alone has been independently valued at over £100m and if looking at the total team values (ignoring transfer fees) then Argentina add up to £265.1m which makes them the second most valuable team, ahead of third most valuable team Brazil who are independently valued at £257.3m.
There are also some very expensive players who didn’t make some of the teams’ most used elevens. The most expensive single player not to be included was Fernando Torres. He cost Chelsea £50m when signed from Liverpool in 2011 yet played just 16 minutes for Spain in qualifying.
Champions League Players
The Champions League is considered the best club competition so surely the best teams at the World Cup should have more players involved? Only Spain are able boast all of their eleven most used players in qualifying being involved in the Champions League this season. This is because their most used eleven was made up entirely of Barcelona and Real Madrid players.
Germany were next best with 10 players representing clubs that were involved in this season’s Champions League, only Lazio striker Miroslav Klose missed out. France had 9 players involved whilst England and Argentina are next best with 8 players involved in this season’s Champions League. The three England players who have missed out this season are Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Everton’s Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines.
England Hoping To Avoid Penalties
Things could have been very different in the 1966 World Cup final had England not won the game in extra time. It turns out that Germany are the best World Cup team at taking penalties as they have won all 4 World Cup penalty shootouts they’ve been involved in. England are at the complete other end of the scale, they are the worst team at penalties at the World Cup having lost all 3 World Cup penalty shootouts they’ve faced.
Will the hosts Brazil win the 2014 World Cup? View the latest odds, stats and tips on the World Cup at WorldCupOdds.com.
With big spending teams dominating club football in recent years will the most expensive players be dominating this summer’s World Cup?
World Cup betting experts WorldCupOdds.com have come up with an infographic that shows what would happen if transfer fees decided who wins the World Cup. Other alternative methods of rankings the World Cup teams are also examined.
Brazil Come Out On Top
Brazil have the most expensive first eleven based on most recent transfer fees of their most used players at the Confederations Cup. They come out on top at £261.1m, £55.2m more expensive than nearest rivals Portugal. On the infographic however it is Belgium rather than Portugal who fill the runners up spot at the World Cup despite Portugal’s side costing their clubs £46m more and this is because of the pre determined World Cup draw that would see Portugal meet Brazil in the semi final should they win their respective groups.
England aren’t expected to have a successful World Cup but they finish fourth according to these projections. They don’t have the fourth most expensive team though. Seven other sides can actually boast a more expensively assembled team than England. England only finish fourth here because of the World Cup draw.
The Limitations Of Transfer Fees
The big limitation from looking at transfer values is that some players are still at the clubs they began their career at. No side shows this better than Spain with five of their eleven most used players in qualifying having never played for any other team. Those players are Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Pedro, Xavi and Iker Casillas. Spain’s team only generated £104.9m in transfer fees but independent valuations of the same eleven players put their value nearer the £278.5m mark which would make them the most ‘valuable’ team in the world.
Lionel Messi is another Barcelona youth product who goes down as a free transfer. Argentina’s total transfer value is £141.7m but Lionel Messi alone has been independently valued at over £100m and if looking at the total team values (ignoring transfer fees) then Argentina add up to £265.1m which makes them the second most valuable team, ahead of third most valuable team Brazil who are independently valued at £257.3m.
There are also some very expensive players who didn’t make some of the teams’ most used elevens. The most expensive single player not to be included was Fernando Torres. He cost Chelsea £50m when signed from Liverpool in 2011 yet played just 16 minutes for Spain in qualifying.
Champions League Players
The Champions League is considered the best club competition so surely the best teams at the World Cup should have more players involved? Only Spain are able boast all of their eleven most used players in qualifying being involved in the Champions League this season. This is because their most used eleven was made up entirely of Barcelona and Real Madrid players.
Germany were next best with 10 players representing clubs that were involved in this season’s Champions League, only Lazio striker Miroslav Klose missed out. France had 9 players involved whilst England and Argentina are next best with 8 players involved in this season’s Champions League. The three England players who have missed out this season are Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Everton’s Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines.
England Hoping To Avoid Penalties
Things could have been very different in the 1966 World Cup final had England not won the game in extra time. It turns out that Germany are the best World Cup team at taking penalties as they have won all 4 World Cup penalty shootouts they’ve been involved in. England are at the complete other end of the scale, they are the worst team at penalties at the World Cup having lost all 3 World Cup penalty shootouts they’ve faced.
Will the hosts Brazil win the 2014 World Cup? View the latest odds, stats and tips on the World Cup at WorldCupOdds.com.
Glen Johnson has revealed that waiting to be offered a new contract at Liverpool has been an unnecessary distraction and wants to stay at Anfield for years to come.
Glen Johnson in action against Notts County. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The England full-back’s current deal expires in summer 2015, but he is keen to get an extension tied up so that his future is more certain.
Johnson recently came back into the team after some time on the sidelines to recover fitness after never fully rehabilitating from injury problems earlier in the campaign.
Now Johnson, who was signed by Rafa Benitez in 2009, says he’s loving life at the club under Brendan Rodgers and hopes the club reward him with a new long-term deal.
“I’ve loved every minute of the five years I’ve been here and I’d love to stay but really the only truth in it is that I’ve not been offered a new contract on any level,” he told the Daily Mail .
“I know some people have been saying Liverpool don’t want to pay me my current wages, but I’ve not heard that. No one has come to me from Liverpool at all.
“I don’t know the situation the club are in or if they want to renew it. So I’ve not got a decision to make other than to see my contract out because no-one is telling me any different.
“It is an unnecessary distraction. I’m more than happy to sign a new contract and I’d love to stay here for many more years. But at the moment that is not for me to decide because I’ve not been offered anything and I’ve not been told I’m going to be sold.
“I just have to honour my contract and try not to let it distract me.”
Johnson could face Reds teammate Daniel Agger on Wednesday night if selected to play for England in their international friendly at Wembley. Kick-off is 8pm.
At 29-years-old, Johnson is thought to be on wages of around £110,000 per week — making him one of the higher earners at the club.
By the time his current contract expires, Johnson will be almost 31-years-old.
Would you give Johnson a new contract? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, on Twitter @thisisanfield or in our forums .
Glen Johnson has revealed that waiting to be offered a new contract at Liverpool has been an unnecessary distraction and wants to stay at Anfield for years to come.
Glen Johnson in action against Notts County. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The England full-back’s current deal expires in summer 2015, but he is keen to get an extension tied up so that his future is more certain.
Johnson recently came back into the team after some time on the sidelines to recover fitness after never fully rehabilitating from injury problems earlier in the campaign.
Now Johnson, who was signed by Rafa Benitez in 2009, says he’s loving life at the club under Brendan Rodgers and hopes the club reward him with a new long-term deal.
“I’ve loved every minute of the five years I’ve been here and I’d love to stay but really the only truth in it is that I’ve not been offered a new contract on any level,” he told the Daily Mail .
“I know some people have been saying Liverpool don’t want to pay me my current wages, but I’ve not heard that. No one has come to me from Liverpool at all.
“I don’t know the situation the club are in or if they want to renew it. So I’ve not got a decision to make other than to see my contract out because no-one is telling me any different.
“It is an unnecessary distraction. I’m more than happy to sign a new contract and I’d love to stay here for many more years. But at the moment that is not for me to decide because I’ve not been offered anything and I’ve not been told I’m going to be sold.
“I just have to honour my contract and try not to let it distract me.”
Johnson could face Reds teammate Daniel Agger on Wednesday night if selected to play for England in their international friendly at Wembley. Kick-off is 8pm.
At 29-years-old, Johnson is thought to be on wages of around £110,000 per week — making him one of the higher earners at the club.
By the time his current contract expires, Johnson will be almost 31-years-old.
Would you give Johnson a new contract? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, on Twitter @thisisanfield or in our forums .
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher lined up alongside some of the greatest names to have played football in the past 20 years in a charity match on Tuesday evening.
The game – “Ronaldo, Zidane and Friends vs BSC Young Boys and Friends” – took place in Switzerland to raise money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Luis Figo tweeted a picture after the match, with Carragher alongside Ronald de Boer, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Pavel Nedved, Robert Pires and another former Liverpool player, Steve McManaman.
The starting XI for the match was:
Nikodopolis, Salgado, Hierro, Cannavaro, Maldini, Figo, Zidane, Gattuso, Nedved, Ronaldo, Suker
Some line-up!
The match also featured women’s footballer Marta, which the all-star team won 8-6.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher lined up alongside some of the greatest names to have played football in the past 20 years in a charity match on Tuesday evening.
The game – “Ronaldo, Zidane and Friends vs BSC Young Boys and Friends” – took place in Switzerland to raise money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Luis Figo tweeted a picture after the match, with Carragher alongside Ronald de Boer, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Pavel Nedved, Robert Pires and another former Liverpool player, Steve McManaman.
The starting XI for the match was:
Nikodopolis, Salgado, Hierro, Cannavaro, Maldini, Figo, Zidane, Gattuso, Nedved, Ronaldo, Suker
Some line-up!
The match also featured women’s footballer Marta, which the all-star team won 8-6.
With a fortnight until Liverpool’s next fixture – at Old Trafford – Brendan Rodgers could have Lucas Leiva back from injury. Andrew Lawrence takes a look at the stats when he and/or Steven Gerrard start. Do they confirm what we’d all expect?
What does the future hold when Lucas Leiva returns to fitness? Pic: David Rawcliffe / Propaganda
This article started as a comment on Oliver Smith’s piece asking ‘What is Wrong with our defence?’ but I thought it might be interesting to delve into the issue in more detail. In essence, let’s explore whether we can draw any observations about the impact that both Lucas and Gerrard have had on Liverpool’s Premier League results this season, by looking at the results we have had while they are on the pitch.
First let’s look at the results for Lucas:
The assumption at this stage is that when Lucas was subbed on or off it had little impact on the scoring in the game. For this reason subbed on is included in the ‘did not start’ section.
Now let’s compare that to Gerrard using the same assumption:
Obviously the assumption that the substitutions made no impact is a flawed one. The above tables don’t factor in the timings of the substitutions or the state of the game when the subs are made so we need to make some adjustments to the figures to more accurately reflect the players influence while on the pitch.
You can jump straight to the next table if you wish, but for those who like detail. The figures below have been adjusted to reflect the following games.
Everton (a): Lucas started the match but was subbed off when the score was 2-2. The final score was 3-3.
West Brom (h): In this match Gerrard was taken off due to injury and replaced by Lucas. At the time Gerrard went off Liverpool were leading 2-0. The final score was 4-1.
Spurs (a): Lucas started the match but was substituted when Liverpool were 3-0 up. After the substitution we went on to win 5-0.
Aston Villa (h): Lucas did not start the match, but when he came on to the field Liverpool were trailing 0-2. When Lucas was subbed off (injured) in the same match the score was level at 2-2.
Adjusting for these matches we can now start to get a feel for how Lucas and Gerrard may have impacted matches while on the pitch (including both starts and non-starts).
Before we discuss the results let’s look at one more comparison. The impact on results when one plays but the other doesn’t.
Fortunately, whenever Lucas hasn’t started, Gerrard has, and vice-versa so the results are fairly easy to calculate. We only need to make a few slight adjustments to the ‘did not start’ figures calculated previously.
First we need to reflect the brief period at Spurs when neither were on the pitch (Alberto replaced Lucas for the final 11 minutes, Gerrard was injured), and adjust for the effects of West Ham (h) when Lucas replaced Gerrard.
We also need to adjust for the Villa match when Lucas was brought on at half-time and two goals were scored while he was on the pitch. This figure had previously been recorded in the ‘did not start’ figure.
The adjusted figures are recorded in the table below:
For those that might be interested let’s also look at Gerrard’s last eight games, those he has played as a defensive midfielder.
Conclusion
The results confirm what we’d expect. Less goals against with Lucas but more goals for with Gerrard. Pic: David Rawcliffe / Propaganda.
Obviously, this analysis does not factor in the implications of home and away form, or the quality of the opposition. It does not factor in the direct role that the players may have made in relation to specific goals, both via mistakes or assists. However, it does provide us with a general flavour as to how the team performs when the two players are on the pitch.
Using the above stats, it does appear to confirm several things you’d expect, namely:
The bottom line is that this analysis suggests what I suspect that many people already know: if you want Liverpool’s best defensive team on the park, play Lucas. If you want a higher scoring, but defensively more vulnerable strategy, play Gerrard.
The only caveat: you shouldn’t play them together.
Born in the UK and raised in Australia, currently based in Melbourne, Andrew is an international Liverpool member who has been following the pool since the days of Craig Johnston.
With a fortnight until Liverpool’s next fixture – at Old Trafford – Brendan Rodgers could have Lucas Leiva back from injury. Andrew Lawrence takes a look at the stats when he and/or Steven Gerrard start. Do they confirm what we’d all expect?
What does the future hold when Lucas Leiva returns to fitness? Pic: David Rawcliffe / Propaganda
This article started as a comment on Oliver Smith’s piece asking ‘What is Wrong with our defence?’ but I thought it might be interesting to delve into the issue in more detail. In essence, let’s explore whether we can draw any observations about the impact that both Lucas and Gerrard have had on Liverpool’s Premier League results this season, by looking at the results we have had while they are on the pitch.
First let’s look at the results for Lucas:
The assumption at this stage is that when Lucas was subbed on or off it had little impact on the scoring in the game. For this reason subbed on is included in the ‘did not start’ section.
Now let’s compare that to Gerrard using the same assumption:
Obviously the assumption that the substitutions made no impact is a flawed one. The above tables don’t factor in the timings of the substitutions or the state of the game when the subs are made so we need to make some adjustments to the figures to more accurately reflect the players influence while on the pitch.
You can jump straight to the next table if you wish, but for those who like detail. The figures below have been adjusted to reflect the following games.
Everton (a): Lucas started the match but was subbed off when the score was 2-2. The final score was 3-3.
West Brom (h): In this match Gerrard was taken off due to injury and replaced by Lucas. At the time Gerrard went off Liverpool were leading 2-0. The final score was 4-1.
Spurs (a): Lucas started the match but was substituted when Liverpool were 3-0 up. After the substitution we went on to win 5-0.
Aston Villa (h): Lucas did not start the match, but when he came on to the field Liverpool were trailing 0-2. When Lucas was subbed off (injured) in the same match the score was level at 2-2.
Adjusting for these matches we can now start to get a feel for how Lucas and Gerrard may have impacted matches while on the pitch (including both starts and non-starts).
Before we discuss the results let’s look at one more comparison. The impact on results when one plays but the other doesn’t.
Fortunately, whenever Lucas hasn’t started, Gerrard has, and vice-versa so the results are fairly easy to calculate. We only need to make a few slight adjustments to the ‘did not start’ figures calculated previously.
First we need to reflect the brief period at Spurs when neither were on the pitch (Alberto replaced Lucas for the final 11 minutes, Gerrard was injured), and adjust for the effects of West Ham (h) when Lucas replaced Gerrard.
We also need to adjust for the Villa match when Lucas was brought on at half-time and two goals were scored while he was on the pitch. This figure had previously been recorded in the ‘did not start’ figure.
The adjusted figures are recorded in the table below:
For those that might be interested let’s also look at Gerrard’s last eight games, those he has played as a defensive midfielder.
Conclusion
The results confirm what we’d expect. Less goals against with Lucas but more goals for with Gerrard. Pic: David Rawcliffe / Propaganda.
Obviously, this analysis does not factor in the implications of home and away form, or the quality of the opposition. It does not factor in the direct role that the players may have made in relation to specific goals, both via mistakes or assists. However, it does provide us with a general flavour as to how the team performs when the two players are on the pitch.
Using the above stats, it does appear to confirm several things you’d expect, namely:
The bottom line is that this analysis suggests what I suspect that many people already know: if you want Liverpool’s best defensive team on the park, play Lucas. If you want a higher scoring, but defensively more vulnerable strategy, play Gerrard.
The only caveat: you shouldn’t play them together.
Born in the UK and raised in Australia, currently based in Melbourne, Andrew is an international Liverpool member who has been following the pool since the days of Craig Johnston.
Steven Gerrard believes England can benefit from the feel-good factor generated by Liverpool's Premier League title challenge.
Captain Gerrard is also tipping the Reds' flying winger Raheem Sterling to make his international mark when England face Denmark at Wembley.
The five-strong Liverpool contingent - Gerrard, Sterling, Glen Johnson, Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson - could all feature in Wednesday night's friendly.
Liverpool's impressive form has lifted them into second place, four points behind leaders Chelsea, amid growing expectation that they have a chance of lifting their first title since 1990.
Gerrard said the confidence at the Anfield club was bound to rub off on England as they continue their World Cup preparations.
"There is a great feeling back at Liverpool, we're really really happy with where we're sitting in the table and the feeling's great," said Gerrard.
"Everyone's in good form and feeling very confident and hopefully if the lads are selected, they can bring those performances to Wembley."
England fans should savour the prospect of Sterling running at the Danish defence, Gerrard said.
The 19-year-old was named in the England senior squad for the first time since making his debut against Sweden in November 2012.
He scored twice in the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal at Anfield last month and netted with his first touch in front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson after coming on as a substitute in the 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday.
"The form he is in at the moment - he's the type of player you pay good money to go and see... the type of player that will get you off your seat," added Gerrard.
"People looking at Raheem see him as a very small boy, see him maybe as a weak player. But he's the complete opposite. He's very strong, very robust and the pace he has got is electric.
"He's going to be a big player for this country for a long time. I'm just glad he's a Red."
Steven Gerrard believes England can benefit from the feel-good factor generated by Liverpool's Premier League title challenge.
Captain Gerrard is also tipping the Reds' flying winger Raheem Sterling to make his international mark when England face Denmark at Wembley.
The five-strong Liverpool contingent - Gerrard, Sterling, Glen Johnson, Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson - could all feature in Wednesday night's friendly.
Liverpool's impressive form has lifted them into second place, four points behind leaders Chelsea, amid growing expectation that they have a chance of lifting their first title since 1990.
Gerrard said the confidence at the Anfield club was bound to rub off on England as they continue their World Cup preparations.
"There is a great feeling back at Liverpool, we're really really happy with where we're sitting in the table and the feeling's great," said Gerrard.
"Everyone's in good form and feeling very confident and hopefully if the lads are selected, they can bring those performances to Wembley."
England fans should savour the prospect of Sterling running at the Danish defence, Gerrard said.
The 19-year-old was named in the England senior squad for the first time since making his debut against Sweden in November 2012.
He scored twice in the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal at Anfield last month and netted with his first touch in front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson after coming on as a substitute in the 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday.
"The form he is in at the moment - he's the type of player you pay good money to go and see... the type of player that will get you off your seat," added Gerrard.
"People looking at Raheem see him as a very small boy, see him maybe as a weak player. But he's the complete opposite. He's very strong, very robust and the pace he has got is electric.
"He's going to be a big player for this country for a long time. I'm just glad he's a Red."
Luis Suarez says him staying at Liverpool isn’t dependent on the club qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Luis Suarez in action against Tottenham Hotspur. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
When the 27-year-old was embroiled in his transfer saga last summer, he made his desire to play in the Champions League very clear.
However, Suarez stayed and signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool in December, and the Uruguayan international says he signed it for the right reasons.
Asked whether he would stay even if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League, Suarez told FourFourTwo magazine, “I think so. I signed my new contract because I’m very happy here and I want to stay where I’m enjoying football and life. Playing in the Champions League isn’t dependent on that.”
However, Suarez is relishing the opportunity to help Liverpool qualify and bring home the famous European Cup nights at Anfield nest season.
Brendan Rodgers’ side currently sit second in the Premier League with 10 games to go, needing a top four finish to confirm their place amongst UEFA’s elite in 2014/15.
“I’d actually prefer not to win this Golden Boot and for Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League this season,” said Suarez said. “Any player would miss the Champions League. We’ve not been good enough since I’ve been here to qualify, but this could definitely be our year.
“It would be a frustration not to get fourth because we’ve done everything possible and given our maximum to qualify.
“Everyone says Champions League nights at Anfield are amazing – memories you guard forever. It would be an unforgettable experience and it’s been too long since that happened. I think to finish in the top three, which is still possible, would be incredible with the players we have in the squad.”
Luis Suarez says him staying at Liverpool isn’t dependent on the club qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Luis Suarez in action against Tottenham Hotspur. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
When the 27-year-old was embroiled in his transfer saga last summer, he made his desire to play in the Champions League very clear.
However, Suarez stayed and signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool in December, and the Uruguayan international says he signed it for the right reasons.
Asked whether he would stay even if Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League, Suarez told FourFourTwo magazine, “I think so. I signed my new contract because I’m very happy here and I want to stay where I’m enjoying football and life. Playing in the Champions League isn’t dependent on that.”
However, Suarez is relishing the opportunity to help Liverpool qualify and bring home the famous European Cup nights at Anfield nest season.
Brendan Rodgers’ side currently sit second in the Premier League with 10 games to go, needing a top four finish to confirm their place amongst UEFA’s elite in 2014/15.
“I’d actually prefer not to win this Golden Boot and for Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League this season,” said Suarez said. “Any player would miss the Champions League. We’ve not been good enough since I’ve been here to qualify, but this could definitely be our year.
“It would be a frustration not to get fourth because we’ve done everything possible and given our maximum to qualify.
“Everyone says Champions League nights at Anfield are amazing – memories you guard forever. It would be an unforgettable experience and it’s been too long since that happened. I think to finish in the top three, which is still possible, would be incredible with the players we have in the squad.”
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