Long live France and all that: Ten things that the 2018 World Cup has taught us



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Written by Nimish Dubey
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Posted: 16 July 2018 21:00:01 pm





No team has managed to keep the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. (Source: REUTERS)

The curtain finally came down on the Cup 2018. And contrary to what many feared (hopefully, in some cases), the tournament was definitely a success, with surprises and surprises in abundance. By the time the first round of matches was over, the defending champions had been beaten and by the time of the final whistle, there was still a new world champion – no team managed to retain the World Cup. since 1962. As the tournament progresses, several trends emerge, of which ten are the most notable:

Possession is not enough

  FIFA World Cup 2018, Cup World Cup 2018, FIFA World Cup 2018, Spain vs Russia, sports news, football, Indian Express Spain made over a thousand badists in their match against Russia, had 79 percent of possession, but ended up losing. (Source: Reuters)

Possession could be nine-tenths of the law and up to 2012, even just about all football, but the 2018 World Cup was notable for teams that dominated possession but were beaten by the opponents better. This was perhaps the best example when the former masters of football possession, Spain met Russia. Spain made more than a thousand badists in the game, had 79 percent of possession, but ended up losing. The champion par excellence, France, had 34% of possession in the final against Croatia and 36% in the semifinal against Belgium. And won both matches with a certain degree of comfort. It is no longer a question of keeping the ball, but of what you do with it!

The "traditional" powers exist mainly in the tradition … for the moment!

Germany had nothing to do. (Source: Reuters)

A semi-final World Cup without Brazil, Argentina, Italy or Germany? It never happened in a World Cup. This time it worked. Italy could not even qualify for the tournament, and the other "traditional" powers looked poor on their own. Yes, football fans still admired them but they looked like faded carbon copies of their stereotyped versions – there was very little Samba on Brazilian football, Germany was nothing hot and l & # 39; Argentina was moving like an elephant in an ocean of

The era of "strong" managers is down

Gareth Southgate of England who got the best press of all, was praised more for its discreet way and its vest (??) than for any radical tactical innovation. (Source: Reuters)

Didier Deschamps may have won the World Cup but he has convinced the experts that at the very end of his tactical sense. And the same could be said of most managers at the tournament. Even Gareth Southgate of England who got the best press of all, was praised more for his unobtrusive manner and his (??) vest than for any radical tactical innovation. Throughout the tournament, the tactic was a little overpriced, and there was no manager who stood out, even though Oscar Tabarez of Uruguay and Vladimir Petkovic of Switzerland were both rewarded for their disciplined and well-trained sides. There was, however, no radical strategy or training change that attracted attention. Tactically, it was a dull price. And maybe because the best managers, be it Guardiola or Klopp or Mourinho, are not in the management of the national team.

VAR is a WIP (work in progress)

The VAR has often slowed down the game. intervals, appeared only on certain occasions and, worse still, often did not give clear decisions. (Source: Reuters)

This was the first World Cup in which video footage was widely used to help the referee. The referee could be advised by a panel of referees called the video badistant referee (VAR) who would look at the images of the match from different angles. The referee could also view videos to make a decision. Sounds in the concept? Well, in practice it was a bit of a nightmare, although France was not complaining – the world champions took advantage of dubious VAR calls in their first match against Australia and again once in the final against Croatia. The VAR has often slowed down the game, creating long intervals, seeming to come into play only on certain occasions, and worse yet, it has often not given clear decisions. The basic idea of ​​using video footage to make the right decision sounds great, but its implementation is far from being the target. [19659099] It is not about any attack …

  FIFA World Cup 2018, Argentina, Argentina Messi, Messi Argentina, sports news, football, Indian Express "data-lazy-src =" https : //images.indianexpress.com/2018/07/argentina-m.jpg L & # 39; Argentina was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup after France defeated them 4-3. (Source: Reuters)

Almost all World Cups had teams that impressed us with their willingness to go on the offensive with the word "go". They did not always win the trophy but left the spectators with memories. Well, not this time, with perhaps the very honorable exception of Senegal and sometimes Japan. Even teams with phenomenal offensive talents like Belgium and France have chosen to sit down sometimes and absorb the pressure. The concept of playing football seemed to go back to the 1980s when going from front to back and defending was more important than doubling your lead.

… but about the break

What about the France of Mbape, Perisic of Croatia, Harry of England Kane or the Belgian Eden Hazard, the Counterattacks were a growing source of goals in this World Cup. (Reuters)

It was also the World Cup that saw the return of the fast counterattacker. Whether it's the French Mbape, Croatian Perisic, the Englishman Harry Kane or the Belgian Eden Hazard, counterattacks were a growing source of goals in this World Cup . The idea of ​​sitting back, inviting opposition to you, then hitting them with a quick quick break was the theme of the tournament. It seemed spectacular but with the exception of the odd match, often resulted in one-dimensional encounters, with a greater emphasis on deep defense.

The One-Man Teams Pbaded By "

Argentina and Portugal discovered as their strategy of" giving to Lio / Cristiano and praying "simply refused to give dividends through better organized defenses. (Source: AP)

The increased stress on the defense meant that it was not enough to have a single player of near-legendary status in his ranks – it took at least three or four exceptional ones to really make the difference. Argentina and Portugal have found out the hard way that their strategy of "giving to Lio / Cristiano and praying" has simply refused to give dividends through better organized defenses. Even a team like Brazil had to do without Neymar as a key striker and extended responsibility to people like Coutinho. The days when a player like Maradona could "wear" a relatively less accomplished side with him seem to be history.

Europe has eclipsed South America … for the moment

The current flavor of football is distinctly European, with a much more pronounced emphasis. on discipline and rhythm than on pbadion and witchcraft. (Source: AP)

Formerly considered the bastion of "real" football, South America made a sad figure at the 2018 World Cup, with only two teams, Uruguay and Brazil in eighths. More than the number, however, what really surprised a lot is the fact that the teams did not seem as technically accomplished as their predecessors – in fact, in terms of success, Uruguay may have to be done better, far exceeding its potential. Brazil and Argentina seemed strangely disinterested and inconsistent, and even a team like Colombia, which had fascinated spectators four years ago, broadcast a relatively mediocre football. The current flavor of football is distinctly European, with a much stronger emphasis on discipline and rhythm than on pbadion and witchcraft. We are complaining

The FIFA ranking counts for nothing

The best-ranked team of the tournament was actually Russia, at 70, and this team almost beat Croatia. (Reuters)

In the tournament, the top five teams in the world according to the FIFA rankings were: Germany, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal and Argentina. Only one of them made the semifinals. The team that won the tournament, France, was ranked number 7, while Croatia was ranked 20th. Do you want more? The lowest team of the tournament was actually Russia, at 70, and this team almost beat the runners of Croatia.

The players are not only fallible but collapsible

even but he was in no way the only culprit. (AP)

Dive by the payers has plunged into new depths at this World Cup. Neymar's comic roulades could have launched a million memes, but he was by no means the only culprit. In almost every team, there were players who fell at the slightest breeze and squirmed by holding different parts of their anatomy. Even players in the English team, once considered "men among boys", were guilty. The VAR system for some reason did nothing to curb them. Maybe he liked the memes …

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