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It took until the 64th minute for Japan coach Takeshi Okada to react to his side going a goal down against the Netherlands, and even then it was only to take off his team’s most effective player. Such is the 2010 World Cup, where conservative tactics rule and a paralysing fear strikes at the heart of most coaches.
The po-faced Okada is hardly the best example – he’s about as progressive as an Easter Island statue – but such relentless conservatism is symptomatic of a tournament in which the fear of being humiliated has outweighed the instinct to play attacking football.
Australia’s opening clash with Germany was a classic example, with Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek setting his stall out for a draw only to watch on in dismay as the decision backfired spectacularly.
Playing one up front has been the formation of choice in international football for some time now, so it’s refreshing to see teams like Paraguay play a more attacking style – especially when it comes at the expense of an outfit as dismal as Slovakia.
And while it’s understandable to see teams of limited resources such as North Korea and New Zealand attempt to park the bus – and congratulations to Ricki Herbert and his team for their phenomenal 1-1 draw against Italy overnight – there have been far too many pedigreed sides looking to simply shut up shop and grind their way through the group stage.
It’s been that kind of a World Cup so far, where caution is the watchword and supposed giants such as England, Italy and France have had neither the bravado, nor the personnel required to break down workmen-like defences.
I just hope that for the sake of international football that it’s not a relentlessly dull tournament throughout, and to that end we could see the rise of some previously unheralded teams like the aforementioned Paraguay and their well-organised Latin American cousins Chile.
Indeed, from a neutral’s point of view it would be nice to see a new name taste success in this tournament, so it will be fascinating to see how Spain recovers from its shock first-up loss to Switzerland, when they take on Honduras in their next Group H encounter.
The free-flowing Spaniards were expected to be one of the real bright sparks, but they struggled to click into gear against a compact Swiss defence, and anything less than a comprehensive victory over Central American battlers Honduras will bring their early favouritism into serious doubt.
The lack of goals and a somewhat eerie atmosphere in the stands has made for a strange start to a World Cup, with the sight of empty seats greeting TV viewers for many kick-offs, while the unyielding drone of the vuvezela never alters its tone – no matter what is happening on the pitch.
Still, with several big guns looking to book their progression to the Round of 16, the final round of group-stage games should herald some much-needed fireworks and hopefully lift the standard of football in the process.
And there is still plenty of time for individual talents like Lionel Messi and Kaka to stamp their class on the tournament, or perhaps for one or two lesser lights to establish a name for themselves.
Here’s hoping that their coaches allow them to shine, rather than succumbing to the tactical caution and unadventurous football that has plagued some of the early matches, in what has been one of the dreariest starts to a World Cup in recent memory.