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Australia's Brett Holman, center, celebrates with fellow team members Harry Kewell, left, and Mark Bresciano, right, after scoring a goal during the World Cup Group D soccer match between Ghana and Australia at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, on Saturday, June 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Midway through the World Cup, 32 of the 64 matches done after this morning’s batch rounded off Matchday 2, the one thing that is blatantly apparent is how difficult it has been for some of the top sides to break down the so called lesser lights, who are packing their defences and holding on for dear life.
Where there has been a gap technically, teams like New Zealand, Denmark, Switzerland and Nigeria have built a bridge and defended for their lives.
Teams like Spain, the Netherlands, Argentina, Italy and Brazil have been searching for answers, seeking ways to unlock these packed defences.
Some have shown tactical flexibility and been able to find ways to knock down the door, while others have suffered from their complete lack of variation.
Like the Barcelona side that couldn’t find a way past Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the Champions League semis this season, they haven’t hitherto shown enough variety.
Spain’s first up effort against Switzerland was instructional in this sense.
Spain knocked the ball around, patiently, from side to side, kept the ball, but simply couldn’t find any Swiss holes. Then Vicente del Bosque brought on the right-sided midfielder Jesus Navas, who started whipping in cross after cross (19 in total), but there was no solution.
It was rather ironic that one of Spain’s best chances came in the five minutes before half time.
From a Swiss goal kick, Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men won a throw-in around the half-way line. When it came back in, Spain won the ball. A quick break out of midfield from Andres Iniesta on the half-way line, a quick ball forward and suddenly David Villa was in the box, with only one man shadowing him.
He didn’t finish with his usual efficiency, shooting wide, but it was an instructional couple of minutes.
The conclusion? Let the opposition have the ball every once in a while.
Let them come up the pitch and send a few players forward, then win the ball in your own half and counter attack rapidly. There might actually be some space to play in.
Instead, offensive teams like Spain, based on the Barcelona model, are so obsessed with winning the ball high up the pitch, and keeping the pressure on. But when they do win it, the defensive wall hasn’t moved, so there is no space.
Occasionally, let the opposition have it I say. Give it to them, win it deeper and then use the space to break forward.
Apart from this and some lopsided selections from Del Bosque (starting both Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets in midfield being an example), Spain’s other problem against Switzerland was the poor work from their two fullbacks, Sergio Ramos on the right and Joan Capdevila on the left, who didn’t offer anywhere near the forward integration required.
For the most part, they just sat off the play, and watched.
Compare it to the work of Maicon and Michel Bastos for Brazil against North Korea. Faced by the same brick wall, Maicon, in particular, was able to join the attack late, from the last line.
This late integration led to his opener.
Other teams that have used this tactic well are Chile, who have Mauricio Isla and Arturo Vidal adding much to their attack, and Mexico, who send Carlos Salcido up and down the left flank all day. Portugal’s young left back Fabio Coentrao has also caught the eye.
For me, the average offensive quality of the fullbacks is an issue that could come back to haunt both Spain and Holland, and maybe even Argentina.
The former two have been rather one-paced, and predictable, in the way they have circulated the ball. The Netherlands covet a fit Arjen Robben to give them a slightly different tempo.
They relied on a long range effort from Wesley Sneijder to break down a stubborn Japan. A shot from distance is a traditional method of breaking down a packed defence, but the Jabulani hasn’t helped in this regard.
Argentina, on the other hand, have average overlapping fullbacks in Gabriel Heinze and Jonas Guiterrez, but they make up for this by varying their mode of attack, mixing patient build-up with rapid transition and the dribbling strength of Lionel Messi.
This tactical flexibility should hold up well.
The same goes for Brazil, who perhaps at this stage look best equipped to deal with all the scenarios.
Their work without the ball has been superb, transitioning back and getting seven or eight men behind the ball, winning it comfortably, before bursting forward, with numbers and pace.
When the opposition sit back, they have proved they can unlock them, an example being the lovely interchange between Robinho, Kaka and Luis Fabiano for the opener against Ivory Coast yesterday morning.
When they can’t go through the middle, they have the overlapping fullbacks to get the job done.
Others with this sort of tactical variation include Italy, who tried a few things but couldn’t break down the gallant Kiwis, and Germany, who, even with 10 men against Serbia, showed you can still control a game and create chances by utilising various methods.
Over the coming weeks, any of the big gun wishing to lift the trophy will need to show a variety of solutions, especially against second tier teams like Uruguay and Paraguay, who can not only pack a defence, but have the quality to vary their tactics.
Join Tony at noon today for a LIVE World Cup Q & A, discussing the tactics, Socceroos, All Whites or any other topics. Leave a comment or question now or at 12 noon, when Tony joins.
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