Gabriele Marcotti: Better without Ronaldo, the price of democracy and Michael Owen's PR crew

'Big four' stats count against Ronaldo

My colleague Oliver Kay cogently outlined why Cristiano Ronaldo deserves the Ballon d'Or. Among the counter-arguments that he sifts through is the charge that Ronaldo's a flat-track bully. So I checked. Since the summer of 2005 - when, I think we can all agree, he kicked it up a notch - he has faced Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal 21 times in all competitions, scoring four goals. Hardly a sterling return. And, actually, United performed marginally better against the rest of the "big four" WITHOUT Ronaldo than WITH him in that period. What does it prove? Not much, they're only numbers. Use them any way you like.

Democracy at work in best-player vote

Speaking of the Ballon d'Or, for my money it remains the most prestigious individual award in football. And it eerily mirrors the democratic process. I have a friend who, before the US elections, voraciously devoured every shred of coverage he could find in newspapers, radio, TV and blogs. He actually read up on the candidates' positions on just about every issue and tried to keep an open mind. That's what you call a "perfect voter", making an informed decision. But, of course, in a democracy, his vote counts just as much as the guy who rolls up drunk and has never heard of either candidate or the woman who votes for John McCain because she thinks Barack Obama is a Muslim terrorist. Everyone's vote is equal.

The Ballon d'Or works the same way. There are voters from 96 countries, virtually all of them journalists. Some of them, like the juror from England, watch the world's top stars week in, week out in person. Others, simply do not. I couldn't find the identity of this year's jurors on the France Football website but I do know that last year, a guy named Gordon Glen Watson (who works for the Oceania Football Federation) cast New Zealand's vote. How often does somebody who lives at the opposite end of the world from Europe get a chance to see the people he's voting on? Or how about Lee Dong Kyu, the juror from North Korea, who works for state television? In a country where people aren't generally allowed to leave without the Dear Leader's permission, how often did he make it over to Europe in order to decide whether Ronaldo really is better than Leo Messi?

The reality is that, while these gentlemen may know plenty about football, they don't have the access or opportunity to watch the players that some of their fellow jurors enjoy. And that inevitably means that their vote will be less informed. Then again, that's what democracy is all about.

Owen rumours set to run and run

OK, bold prediction time. Michael Owen has not extended his contract at Newcastle, which means he
can walk on a free at the end of the season. He's already been strongly linked in the media to Chelsea and Liverpool (despite Rafa Benitez' categorically denying any interest). You can bet that Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa are next. Never mind whether there's a shred of evidence.

Owen's agents are among the smartest, savviest people in the game. Owen's mates among pundits never hold back when it comes to showering him with praise (that some of them are also his golf buddies doesn't hurt). And, despite his injuries and declining performances, he remains the biggest star there is among English strikers not named Wayne. So let the games begin. The market will tell us what people think he's really worth. And, as happened last time, I wouldn't bet on any of the big clubs being willing to commit £5m a year to the former England striker.

PLAY MY GAME: Portsmouth - the House that Harry Built - is up this week. You know the rules. Which of Portsmouth's non-English players would get into a 23-man England squad? Easy, right?

Here's how I see it:
Nadir Belhadj - Plenty of talent, not sure if he provides enough defensively at left back, but I'd find a spot for him.
Lassana Diarra - If you're talking pure holding midfielders, he's in. Only Owen Hargreaves can match him in that role and he's on the Darren Anderton fitness plan.
Nico Kranjcar - Quality and creativity. It's crowded out wide, but he'd definitely have a shot. Plus, you can stick him behind a striker in a Christmas tree as well.

Anybody else? I love John Utaka's tools, but he's just too inconsistent right now. Sylvain Distin? Dare I say it, Kanu? What do you think?

Comments

[Faithy]

I am not a big fan of individual awards in team sports. If the player keeps the award in perspective (like Kaka) then there is no harm. However if it is the most important award in your career, like Ronaldo said it was, then I would be worried about his priorities if I was a Man U fan.

[Gabriele Marcotti]

1. Ralph - I'm mentioning stats over the past three years because if I only mentioned stats from this year they would cover just two games. You have to have some kind of statistically relevant sample and judge him on more than just one season, no?
2. Hugh - My sentimens exactly
3. Eddie - It's not aobut forgiveness with Rafa... it's about whether or not he thinks Owen is worth the investment.
4.Piers - Good point. And, in fact, if you compare where Roanldo is at his age with what Ronalidnho and Zidane achieved by that same age (23) you'll find that Ronaldo is far ahead.
5. Rinus Michels - I take your point, but you're a bit harsh. Ask yourself whether United would have won in Moscow if Ronaldo had not been on the pitch.
6. RicardoNZ, Brendan - Of course, the NZ voter can probably watch as much, if not more, football on TV than anybody else. I don't doubt that. But it's equally true that he doesn't get to see players in the lfesh, which is where you can really judge them (and it's not as if the guys in Europe can't watch TV either). More importantly, the guy in NZ most likely can't speak to players and coaches off the record to see what they really think. He can't have his finger on the pulse of a player the way somebody who watches him regularly does. It's not a slight, it's just a fact.
7. Ola - I'm not fully sold in Distin. I thought he had a better campaign last year.
8. Tony B - It comes back to fitness and production. Because of his fitness, Owen is a gamble. I can see how somebody might be willing to commit 6m over three seasons to Owen. That's a reasonable hedge against him being fit and productive. I don't believe it makes sense to give him 15m over 3 years in light of the risks associated. And, yes, every player can get injured, it's just that Owen's age and injury record work against him.

[Mark]

Gabriel - i hope you will be posting your 23 man England squad including English players and foreigners at the end of the season as by now i think you have almost 40 players in it.

M

[Tony B]

Gabriele said: I'm not sure that Owen's problems have to do with the pace of the game or the physical nature in England. Going abroad would probably require more of him technically and I don't think he can do that.

Which is odd as he did rather well when he came on for Real. Now it is true that at Real he failed to dislodge the other "galacticos" to become an automatic choice, nonetheless he did extremely well when he was on the pitch and the decision of which striker to pick may well have driven as much by commercial as footballing considerations.

Owen has been desperately unlucky with injuries and I don't think he is yet back to peak fitness. While it is possible that he may never be as quick as he once was he always took a while to play himself back into form when he had been out from injury at Liverpool.

Owen is a proven big-match player and it is far too early to dismiss him, he just needs a good, injury free season under his belt.

[Ola]

Re Portsmouth:

Diarra would be the only one that would go straight into my squad. His versatility and tactical acumen would command him a place over the likes of other fringe midfielders such as Jenas.

Niko Kranjcar: I think it would be harder to fit him in than his considerable talent would suggest mainly because his languid style would involve a considerable shift from Capello's mandate from his wide players thus far.(ie.pace and penetration). I would try to find a place for him but it wouldnt be certainty.

I certainly think Sylvain Distin would compete with the likes of Upson and Lescott, for a place in the squad, especially as Capello seems to like the idea of having the balance of left footed players in his squad. Aside from Terry, Ferdinand, Carragher (who's retired), King (who's perpetually injured) and Woodgate, there's no English defenders that I would definitely place above him so he'd definitely be in with a shout.

Not to sure about Belhadj. He looks a a good enough player but is far from being a certainty if you consider that the likes of Stephen Warnock/ Nicky Shorey, who I would place on a similar sort of level, seldom get a look in.

[Brendan]

Re: Ballon d'Or voters -

It doesn't follow that living at the arse end of world necessarily means your vote will be less informed.

Clearly, living far away restricts your ability to see live games. But on the other hand, television coverage of matches from the big leagues is far better here in Australia than it is in England. Seeing matches live better helps you appreciate off-the-ball movement and so on, but television gives you a much better appreciation of on-the-ball happenings. I would argue what happens on the ball is generally more important in what goes into making a great player.

We can watch live pretty much ANY Premiership game we care to through multi channelling. We get 2 - 3 live games a week from Serie A (cf the UK's zero), and as many again or perhaps slightly more from La Liga. We also get live coverage of the Champions League and UEFA Cup. We also get Europe's second tier leagues covered live - we even get The Championship live, if we care to watch it. About the only thing wrong with our TV coverage is ESPN North America/Pacific's commentary teams.

[RicardaoNZ]

Re: Some chap from Oceania voting for the Ballon d'Or. While it's true he probably doesn't get to watch many European games in the flesh, I'm fairly sure he'd know plenty about players from around the world. In New Zealand, Sky TV screens football from the Premiership (blanket coverage), Serie A, La Liga, MLS and Australian A League. We used to get the Eredivisie and Bundesliga, too, and I seem to remember sporadic coverage from Argentina. Technology, eh? We're a long way away, but we ain't necessarily out of touch.

[Rinus Michels]

CRonaldo scored in the big games?

Lyon were on the wane and never expected to compete, the true game-breaker was Tevez.

Roma have an inferiority complex since their mauling the previous year.

Barcelona were awful last season (and he missed a penalty in that game too), yet the only player that could be identified as the best was Messi (in terms of dribbling, the likes of CRonaldo beat a player with a trick and then play "Catch Me If You Can", while Messi doesn't need tricks, the ball just sticks to his foot). Despite the poorness of Barcelona's play they were unlucky that Paul Scholes had not been sent off earlier. They still attempted to play Arsenal-style walk-the-ball-into-the-goal football to the nth power.

CRonaldo scored against a 10-man Liverpool chasing the game.

Arsenal haven't had a solid reliable defence since the famous George Graham back four, the full-backs are so attacking that gaps are left wide open. As we now know, Toure and Gallas are not a good partnership, and CRonaldo is probably taller than them as well. Even Dirk Kuijt scored against them!

The first decent team Man U met in the Champions League was in the final (one of the easiest runs to the final in this format) against a Chelsea that employed Essien as a full-back to mark him, as Paulo Ferreira was not trusted at full-back anymore.

The real "big game" player at the club is Carlitos Tevez, who is likely to leave. CRonaldo deserved the Ballon D'Or as much for his penalties, free kicks and goals tally and the lack of decent competition with Messi and Kaka out inured for long spells. I feel it is a joint award as much for Rooney and Tevez's sterling work in creating the space for him to work in.

Perhaps Torres could have been considered if he had taken Liverpool's free kicks and penalties to pad out his scoring tally, but all he really achieved was scoring the winner in Euro 2008. Casillas should have been considered, but goalkeepers aren't glamourous, are they?

[Piers]

Ronaldo's problem is that he wants to be the best in every game, to be the match winner in every game. While that is admirable, it is also hugely naive and immature, once he learns when to do what he can do against the best teams and players in the world, then he will become far more devastating, still, he is phenomenal now. How many goals and a Champions League/Premier League double at the age of 23...could be worse.

Diarra would fly into the England squad, as you said only Hargreaves can match him in a purely holding mid role. Kranjcar would get in too, his creativity and tactical discipline would be cherished in an England team full of gung-ho hero wannabes.

[eddie]

lets get it straight ? when owen is fit....putting the ball in the onion bag , there is no-one to touch him..period. rooney can do a lot more....but if you want a striker to put the ball in the net regulary..he is your man. kuyt gets in some great situ's for us ....but misses too many. whether rafa will forgive owen for the second offer he gave him is another matter..???

[Hugh]

Gabriele,

I have to agree with you on Michael Owen. What his pundit mates don't mention is that Owen has never once scored twenty league goals in a season, that figure being the benchmark of a truly gifted striker. Even at his fittest and sharpest at Liverpool, he never managed it. And now that age and injuries have depleted his skills, it would be a foolish club that paid him £5 million a year. And its not as if he is guaranteed to bring in the marketing dosh a la Beckham.

None of the Big four clubs went after Owen when Madrid got rid of him, so I see no reason for them to go for him now. It's healthy I suppose that he still has ambition to play at the highest level but Newcastle might just be where he belongs.

[Ralph Wallace]

Gab, why are you using statistics from 3 years ago to decide how good he is today? By your logic your favourite player Michael Owen is still world class because he had world class stats a few years back. Shorten the Ronaldo time frame to last summer and the stats favour Ronaldo heavily. Goals against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Roma and Lyon stand out. Champions League top scorer. Enough said.

Also, you should now that stats and goals aren't everything. He played very well against Chelsea at home in 2005; didn't score mind, so it won't show in his stats.

[Gabriele Marcotti]

1. Basil - I'm not sure that Owen's problems have to do with the pace of the game or the physical nature in England. Going abroad would probably require more of him technically and I don't think he can do that.
2.E. Pierce - I don't think his injuries can be blamed on playing for Newcastle. And it's not as if he's surrounded solely by a bunch of stiffs. He's had plenty of quality to play off.
3.Tracey - But that's exactly the point. His golf buddies pretend as if he's the same Owen from five years ago. And there are so many people who defend him to the hilt regardless of how much (or how little) he produces. The fact of the matter is that he is one of the highest paid players in the Premier League and, as such, it's only right that you would expect his performances to reflect that. And, patently, they don't. This is not because Owen is foolish or lazy or stupid: most likely it's simply because of injuries and the fact that his skills have declined faster than those of others. What bugs me is that this fact is never acknowledge. If you're paying one guy 100k a week - rather than four guys 25k a week or two guys 50 k a week - you're making a decision in terms of resource allocation. And it's only legitimate to ask whether those resources couldn't be allocated better.

[Mark]

Nadir Belhadj - As you said, good player, good going forward. Poor defensively. I don't know where you would find a spot for him, for me he would be behind both Cole and Bridge. (Especially if Bridge would develop some ambition and finally leave Chelsea to get some regular football.)

Lassana Diarra - Yeah, again, I agree. So long as Hargreaves is out Diarra would be in. He is a genuine holding midfielder, unlike Barry who pretends to be so that he can gain some more England caps.

Nico Kranjcar - For me Kranjcar is over-rated. I have only rarely seen him play well. He may make it in the squad though as, however infrequently he puts in a good performance it occurs far more often than it does in the case of Downing.

Kanu - If there where injuries, and there frequently are in the England forward line, he could be in with a shout. Would be quite far back in the que though.

[cheryl]

I share your enjoyment of John Utaka's tools, but I still wouldn't have him in my England squad.

[tracey]

I agree the Ballon d'Or is prestigious, so why do you never pass up a chance to sneer at its last British winner (typical snidey reference to his golfing buddies there).

Unlike a lot of footballers Owen's always been mature and a credit to his country; that his once awesome talent has long been shot due to injury and bad management should be treated as a minor sporting tragedy rather than with the gleeful ridicule it usually is by people.

[E. Pierce]

I always said that Owen would regret moving to Newcastle. He has Shirer to thank. A great striker of any stripe dies a starving death when is not fed properly. When was the last geometrical 3-touch, or a well timed angle run fed behind the backs, made between Owen and any of the other mediocre footballers of Newcastle, I do not remember. You put Rooney in that situation and the result will be no different. Owen's deterioration by being in Newcastle is so great that no top 4 team will now take a chance with him. His only hope is to land in a 6-7 place class team and hope that their class can communicate with him and help him prove himself. That would be City, Villa or Sevilla. Good luck!!

[basil williams]

At this stage of Owen's career he's only of use as an extra or back up where there's a lack of depth towards the end of season. I see no space in the top four, as Owen would find it tough keeping up with the work rate. I suggest he looks abroad where it can be slower & less physical.

[Ivan]

If your looking at big game performance he vastly improved in the last season. He scored goals against Liverpool and Arsenal as well as the fifth and six placed finishers Villa and Everton. He was the top scorer in the UCL and scored against Chelsea. For me he turned up for his fair share of big games last season. Thus i find this criticism unfounded in terms of why he shouldn't win the award.

Kranjcar - overrated, overrated. Good player but nothing special.

Diarra - Arsenal should have kept him, his better than Flamini technically IMO