Posts tagged “World Cup”
World Cup 2010: Brazil and Holland happy to borrow from each other
Brazil have been practising their own pressing game while the Netherlands have taken a leaf out of Dunga’s side and adopted a more pragmatic approach. There’s not been much talking between the Brazilian team and the country’s press. Dunga thinks they have it in for him and they…well, let’s just say they are only interested [...]
World Cup 2010: Has Rafael Marquez brought the sweeper role back to the modern game?
Mexico’s Rafael Marquez’s free role as the half defender/half midfielder exhibits the same traits as the classic sweeper. Back in Italia 1990, it was supposedly a player revolt which convinced England manager Bobby Robson to switch his side’s formation from the rigid 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 sweeper system. The Three Lions had just played out [...]
World Cup 2010: Miserly defences present the case for the goalpoacher
The classic goalscorer may be seen to part of a dying breed but as football has evolved, the World Cup may have presented a case for their increased deployment. Some people just don’t get Emile Heskey. He doesn’t score many goals (José Luis Chilavert, the former Paraguay goalkeeper has scored 8 international goals, one more than [...]
Spain fail to banish the demons of USA after Switzerland defeat
Switzerland emulated USA’s Confederation Cup tactics against Spain to shock the European champions. The statistics before the game were almost perfect; Spain had recorded 45 wins in 48 matches. In between, they have become the reigning champions of Europe, are joint favourites to hold aloft the 2010 World Cup and have achieved all this by [...]
Germany’s forward movement puts Australia in a defensive block
Germany’s central quartet, inspired by Mesut Özil tore apart Australia’s square defence by exhibiting great movement. Germany 4-0 Australia: Podolski 8, Klose 26, Muller 67, Cacau 70 For meticulous planning, look no forward than Germany. Despite the injury to Michael Ballack pre-tournament and the youngest squad they have ever taken to the World Cup (average age 24.7), [...]
South Africa 1-1 Mexico: Tshabalala’s central switch poses Marquez a different threat
Siphiwe Tshabalala’s clinical counter-attacking goal stemmed from the manager’s switch early in the second half to move him more central. Of all the South Afrcian players, it was probably Steven Pienaar who carried the hopes of his nation greatest before the game. Playing just off the central striker, he was given the task of orchestrating [...]
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