Football Superstars

As football fever grips the planet, one group of players will not be affected by the altitude, the roundness of the ball or the shriek of the vuvuzelas - the competitors of the Football Superstars World Cup.

Fighting for the right to be crowned the best virtual football nation, 40 teams will do battle over a two day long online football fest, hoping to fuse the key elements of teamwork, football know how and of course gaming skill.

With only days remaining before the virtual athletes take to the pitch, there is much speculation as to which nation will take the title home, with competition bound to be stiff from the likes of the English, Turkish, Russian and Polish sides.

Finding the best players from each country is not easy, with so many players applying to play for the most popular countries; playoffs are underway to ensure that only the top strikers, midfielders and defenders can represent their home nation.

This isn’t the first World Cup Football Superstars has hosted. Previous winners have included the Russians and the Romanians, both winning in very closely fought finals Herr Blatter and co. would be proud of.

Community legend “Kadarn” says, “The response from the players has been amazing, with a massive uptake from so many different countries.

“Co-ordinating so many players across so many teams has been a mammoth task, but it’s great seeing the squads getting themselves ready, discussing tactics and arranging friendlies with other nations in the lead up to the main event.

“Thankfully, we don’t have to wait four years between World Cup events, and I’m already looking forward to future competitions in the months ahead.”

Making the FS World Cup a semi regular event has been received well by the thousands of players in game, helping to add to the authenticity of competition and reward. Football Superstars lends itself perfectly to tournament play with friends and fellow countrymen and women. You are responsible for yourself only, but building camaraderie amongst your team mates is as critical as it is in real life. If you make a bad pass, or miss a sitter, you will soon know about it!

Football Superstars is not only about playing, but about managing too. We are able to give the very best players the unique opportunity to manage their nation in events like this. Their team selections, formation choices and anything else that managers have to consider in the real world is mirrored in the game. We have even had stories of WAGS interrupting games at vital moments, thus influencing games - so managers are always keen to ensure that their player’s partners are in another room as games are being played!

In terms of who is going to win? My money is on Turkey. They have a lot of very good players, and have a strong manager who knows his stuff. That said, Russia and Poland will always be strong - they have a great set of players who can go all the way. England can win it if they perform on their day, but just like the real thing, one never knows which English team will turn up!

Remember to keep checking back to see the latest developments on the qualification and actual FS World Cup games.

Playing The Beautiful Game

Not a lot of people know this - but I have come close in the past to doing my UEFA badges with the intent of becoming a football coach / manager. It isn’t the money, fame or glamour that I long for (nor is it likely to dissuade me), but the beautiful game that can be played when all the players on the pitch combine harmoniously. Very few teams play truly beautiful football, but with this brief guide, I hope your PMC (or real life) team can start to reproduce the kind of football that will have your opponents both admiring and fearing you in equal measures.

# 1 - You are not the only one on the pitch, so pass

Regardless of whether you are playing a 5 a side game down the park or a full 11 a side on the hallowed turf of Wembley stadium, football is a team game. There are moving parts, lots of responsibilities and constant interaction with those around you. Playing football with a team is very much like being in a serious relationship, and like any serious relationship, it requires some give and take in order to work.

On the football pitch, this relationship is symbolised by the giving and receiving of passes - the very core of a successful football team. If you haven’t got a passing game, you are less likely to break down any challenger worth their salt, and thus have any chance of winning.

Learn your team mate’s names, learn which foot they prefer to receive a pass with, share your limitations and learn theirs. As a team, you must move fluidly together, not as 11 individual components on a patch of grass trying to do their own thing.

Remember the phrase, ‘there is no “I” in team, but there is a “U” in failure’.

# 2 - Don’t miss when someone else can score

A continuation of part # 1, and states that if you are in a goal scoring opportunity, but a team mate has a better chance of putting the ball in the net, let him or her do the honours. Quite simply… why miss when someone else can’t?

This whole exercise depends on 2 things - vision and trust.

Firstly, you have to be able to identify that a player is in a better position that yourself. This requires you keeping your head up and not solely being intent on scoring. Drive into the box, and rather than try to beat the keeper at his near post, look for the cutback to a buddy in space.

Secondly, you have to have faith in your team-mate’s ability to finish off a lovely move that ideally started with your goalkeeper. This isn’t always easy, it is possible that same team mate missed a sitter in the first half or is showing signs of fatigue. Regardless, you must trust their ability. If the boots were on the other foot, you would expect a pass… time to reciprocate. One good thing from passing the ball off is that you won’t get shouted at for missing, and you get your assist bonus if he or she does score!

*This rule does not apply if you are on a hat trick and are winning the game comfortably. Greed is permitted, but only in moderation.

# 3 - Goalkeepers, a funny bunch, but not responsible for 75% of goals

Whether your goalkeeper is human or AI, there are some things to consider. Firstly he / she is most likely mad, secondly they have the least desirable job on the pitch and finally shouldn’t be held responsible for 75% of the goals your team concede. Yes they make mistakes, but good defending should prevent shots from coming in from any closer than 10 yards, and anything outside the box should be dealt with efficiently by the madman / woman between the sticks. So before you have a go at the keeper, have a look at the reactions of the defenders around him, the way they react can speak volumes about who was responsible for the goal - it most likely wasn’t the keeper.

One thing to always remember is that having a goalie is better than not having a goalie, and if he or she wasn’t there, would you volunteer to? Thought not.

# 4 - Fitness wins game and repairs broken bodies

The average football game lasts 96 minutes in total, and the average outfield player will cover around 10km in this time. Broken down, a player will walk 25% of this distance, 37% will be spent jogging, 20% running below top speed, 11% sprinting and 7% running backwards. This means top players will sprint one kilometer and cover five to six thousand meters jogging / running just below top speed. Combine this further with kicking and throwing the ball, knocks picked up from challenges, constant pushing and pulling (usually at corners, and rarely penalised) and other general influences that increase fatigue, it is safe to say that top flight footballers have to be incredibly fit to last the distance.

Being fit not only means you can get a win, but will also reduce your chances of injury, and will aid the recovery time of any injury that you do pick up.

Well, what does this mean for your team? Quite simply, the fitter you are individually, the more chance you have of grinding out a result and lasting the course. Many games are lost in the last few minutes as players tire and it is not only the physical side of the game that will suffer - mental fatigue can be as damaging as tired legs.

Keep fit, keep switched on and keep going until the end of the season.

# 5 - Winning ISN’T everything

No one likes to lose, but psychologically, losing is very important. Without the lows of defeat, you appreciate the highs of winning, and improvement must always be a driving factor. The most important thing after a defeat is to identify what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Do not dwell. Do not lay blame. Do move on.

That is not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy a victory like the best of them. Use this success to bring you closer together and stronger for the next game - just ensure you don’t celebrate too much and jeopardise the following match.

I hope this will help you and your team mates become the best players you can be. Learn to give rather than to take, learn that the whole team is a collective and no one person is responsible for a win, a loss or the scoring and conceding of goals.

The main thing though, is to always have fun - whether you are playing top flight Champion’s League or just having a friendly game of FS, you must have fun.

It is up to you, and I will be seeing you on the pitches, both real and virtual over the coming months.

Capitan