Just call me Stato

ITV4 have just shown a programme called " How to win the FIFA World Cup". Based on statistics from a Groningen University study, there are all kinds of indicators that make up a World Cup winning side. Taking an enormous amount of data they worked out that Brazil are best equipped to win this World Cup. France are second best equipped, followed by Holland & Germany. Nice one! Who would have thought that Brazil might win the World Cup? Incidently this Dutch study figured out England would win their group, but fail to reach the last 8.

In amongst all the drivel there were some, but not may semi-interesting things to consider, but as ITV doesn't carry to Rustenberg then our Coaching staff will be non the wiser.

As you might expect having a player sent off doesn't help. In the last World Cup there were 16 games where 1 player was sent off. 13 of those games ended in defeat for that side, bringing an end to the garbage when people say "we always play better with 10 men".
Out of the 32 teams in South Africa, Ghana are the team that have received the most yellow cards on average per game, proceded by Portugal and Chile. Cameroon have had the most red cards per game with Denmark & France close behind. Indeed Rigobert Song and Zinedene Didane are the only 2 players ever to have got sent off twice in World Cup's.

Brazil are the cleanest team with England in 3rd place. The 3 teams that commit the most fouls on average per game are Ghana, Japan, with Australia the dirtiest side. Obviously fouls not harsh enough to consider getting booked for!

On average Greece concede the most goals per game (3.3) with England the 3rd best placed (0.7), followed by Italy and then Brazil who only concede an average of 0.4 goals per game.

When it comes to the scoring of goals it is a completely different story. England are only 16th when it comes to goal attempts per game with a dreadfull average of 13 per game. The top 3 are Holland, Ivory Coast and then Germany with 18.25 attempts - thats a shot on goal every 5 minutes! England also feature in 16th place when it comes to actual goals scored in World Cup games. We suffer with only an everage of 1.2, as a comparison Brazil and Germany are joint 2nd with 1.9 and Spain top the scoring charts with an average of 2.0 goals scored per game.
England just don't shoot enough for us to win the World Cup.

When goals are scored in World Cup games from open play a whopping 86% are scored from inside the penalty area. With Emile Heskey in the squad, opposition teams must be quaking in their boots!

I can now reveal that penalties are NOT a lottery. It is a science.
1 in 5 knockout games at the World Cup are likely to be settled by penalties, so it it something that should be prepared for. From the last 3 World Cups, we know that you are 7 times more likely to win if you go first. Strikers score 74% of the time, Midfielders 58% and Defenders 69%. In total though only 66% of Penalties are scored in a shootout, compared to 86% in normal play.

If you are still awake then I can also tell you that players over 28 score 71% of the time and those players under 22 score 85% of the time.
86% of left footed players score their penalty and 69% of right footed players score theirs. The most successfull place is top left as the penalty taker stands.
In the last 5 World Cups England have only coverted 50% of their penalties in shoot outs - the worst record of any team going to South Africa. Germany have the best record and have not missed a single penalty in any shoot out since 1990.
When players face the goalkeeper to take a penalty they only score 69% of the time but a whopping 92% if they turn their back on the keeper first.

In open play England have a decent record though - its just those blasted shootouts! Only Italy, North Korea and France have a better record of converting penalties during 90 minutes.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Even I am asleep now and am actually writing this in my sleep!

Out of all the goals scored in the last World Cup 21% came from attacking full backs, 36% came from (but not directly from) a free kick, infact only 4.8% of all freekicks are scored direct from the kick. Italy however have not scored direct from a freekick in 52 attempts, but they do score the most goals from set-plays.
When it comes to corners, Germany only score an average once every 34 times so its a damn good job they are pretty good at everything else. The corner resulting in most goals at World Cups is an inswinger taken from the right, by a left footer. They need a university to tell you that??

Ghana, South Africa and France are the three most successfull teams at intercepting the ball, and Japan, France and Germany the three that make the most attacking runs.
Holland, Portugal and Brazil are the three best sides at passing to one of their own players.

Luck has nothing to do with who wins the World Cup - its simply the best team.