Why Asia does poorly in the World Cup

[SINGAPORE] FOOTBALL is a simple game. A ball, some open ground, and something to mark the goalposts with - that's all that one needs. Girls and boys all over the world play it, and dream of being Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo.

Despite or perhaps because of its simplicity, football provides lots of examples of innovation in the quest for success. Some involve the rigorous enforcement of what ought to be blindingly obvious, as when Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996, weaned the back four off their traditional diet of lager and crisps, and in the process transformed the Premier League.

Others are more novel and creative, with perhaps the best recent example being how Spain transformed itself from a footballing backwater to a powerhouse, adopting a new style of play in every academy, one suited to the build and temperament of Spanish schoolboys - short, nimble and quick - that evolved into "tiki-taka": one-touch, short-passing, possession football.