2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral

Technical and tactical analysis 45crosses was remarkable and resulted in 37goals, with slightly more from the left (20)than from the right side.Tempo/physical fitnessThe players’ physical fitness and high levelof commitment was vital given the highintensity of play right up until the closingstages of matches. Teams who prepared wellin this aspect were successful, and tacticssuch as pressing and efficient possession playwere closely related. There was a lot of fair,physical play (speed, challenges, duels) withgood determination from players (example:Switzerland’s winning goal versus Ecuador).TransitionsThe quality and pace of transitions made thisWorld Cup a special event. At times transitionscan be the key to success in football as theirexecution can be the difference betweenvictory and defeat. There were three typesof transitions once a team had regainedpossession:- A player running/dribbling with the ball intothe opponent’s defensive area.- Two to three quick passes forward.- Long balls to players up front behind theopponent’s defence.Teams were extremely keen to get forwardquickly after the ball had been recovered.Every successful team had at least one playerwho could run outstandingly well with theball (e.g. Messi, Robben, Neymar, Müller(Germany, 13), Rodríguez, Sánchez (Chile, 7).All teams used rapid counter-attacks as part oftheir game. Thirty-four of the 171 goals scoredat the World Cup came from quick transitionplay or counter-attacks. Counter-attackingtactics were once a tool in a team’s armoury,but now some teams base their entire playaround such tactics.StrikersA successful team is characterised by thequality of its strikers with their work rate,personality and outstanding performances.We are currently being spoiled by ageneration of good attackers (Neymar,Messi, Rodríguez, Müller, Sánchez, Benzema(France, 10), Musa (Nigeria, 7) to name but afew). Such strikers are priceless assets, as theyreward team play and finish off build-up playin a moment of individual brilliance.There are generally two types of strikers:- Lone forwards who stay deep in theopponent’s half and drop back into defenceafter losing the ball (e.g. Fred (Brazil, 9),Giroud (France, 9), Klose (Germany, 11) tolink attack with midfield in such situations.- Mobile and versatile strikers who aredifficult to mark (Neymar, Benzema, Messi,Rodríguez, Sánchez). They also act as a linkto the midfielders and create the space forthem or the wingers/full backs to get behindthe defensive line.Over 50% of all goals were scored by strikers,a number and percentage that was notreached in the last few World Cups.Possession and progressionThe 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa wasa demonstration that ball possession was vitalfor success. In 2014, there were 21 matches inwhich teams who had a smaller percentageof ball possession emerged victorious. Thiswas the result of outstanding fast transitionsand counter-attacking tactics. Possession playmust be efficient and not sterile. All successfulteams played a possession game but alsoused counter-attacks as an important tacticalmanoeuvre.Every loss of possession means an increasedphysical effort to regain the ball or to trackback and re-organise the team’s defensiveshape.The better teams also demonstrated goodprogression (e.g. Germany, Colombia,