Day 7:-

Spain vs. Chile:-





It is probably quite fitting that, on the same day on which Spain's King Juan Carlos officially abdicated his throne, the 2010 WC champions decided to pass-on the crown!

Coach Vicente Del Bosque’s promised changes were in the shape of drafting in natural DM Javi Martínez into the CB position alongside Sergio Ramos, as well as including Pedro instead of Xavi as Spain looked to add an element of real pace and width to their play.

If Spain’s first game against the Netherlands was a close repeat of Barcelona’s 2013 CL semi-final against FC Bayern, then this game was a proper “encore” of this year’s CL quarter-final between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid!

The game began with Chile applying extreme amounts of pressure on Spain, often catching them off-guard with aggressiveness and real physical challenges (we spoke about that in our Spanish team profile!).

Chile’s high-press approach worked wonders as it really disrupted Spain’s passing rhythm; even if the Chileans weren’t holding onto the ball properly when regaining possession.

It didn’t take that long for Chile’s pressure to pay off as Xabi Alonso was forced to produce a sluggish backwards pass on which Chile capitalized quickly for Alexis Sánchez to quickly dart through Spain’s box and lay it on to Vargas who beautifully rounded off Casillas for a 1-0 lead.

That first goal did not stop Chile from continuing their pressure on Spain in almost all areas of the pitch; with the Spanish players not able to produce a sequence of more than 10 consecutive passes.

Spain were unable to hold onto possession for most of the first half, while Chile were committing to a highly disciplined tactical set-up where they limited open spaces as much as possible.

Chile’s second goal following a free-kick from just outside the box drew the curtain on the first half; Spain being pretty static in their play with no real urgency going forward and a proper lack of chemistry between all of their players as well as a poor passing rhythm. Chile’s high-press game was very impressive and their great positional play helped them take advantage of every Spanish mistake.

The second half saw Chile become more compact at the back and focus more on playing on the counter, while Spain began to apply more pressure way high up the pitch.

It mattered little as Chile’s aggressive manner limited Spain to very few chances on goal and saw the quality of their passing take a nose-dive. From there on in, Spain never looked like they were going to score a goal even if the game was extended for another 90 minutes!

Collectively AND individually, it was a pretty poor display of football from Spain; they were out of ideas, constantly wasting possession, devoid of any attacking threat and had almost no spirit. Chile, on the other hand, executed a great game plan and were superior technically and tactically! Their great defensive strategy and wonderful technique up front saw them send the WC holders back home.

Man of the match: Alexis Sánchez: He was the heartbeat of Chile’s attack, constantly running at Spanish defenders and creating all sorts of problems for them. A great performance all in all.

Day 6:-

Brazil vs. Mexico:-





Do NOT believe the nil-nil score-line! This match was probably one of THE most entertaining affairs at the WC so far…

Both coaches stuck with their tried-and-tested formations as they looked to build on the previous success they both enjoyed.

Mexico began the game by pressing Brazil and attempting to regain possession as soon as they lost the ball, which forced the Brazilians to struggle with finding the rhythm needed to match their free-flowing football tactics.

It didn’t take long for Brazil to become more in control of the game and begin launching attacks whenever they got the ball; however, there were numerous physical duels between both sets of players which often disrupted the tempo of the game.

Mexico were rather wasteful in possession during some parts of the 1st half and Brazil took every chance to press them back into their final third.

The rest of the half saw Mexcio later attacking with more flair and coming close with a thunderous Herrera shot; while Brazil had the best chance of the game to go forward with a wonderful Dani Alves cross to Neymar whose header was blocked by Mexico’s GK Ochoa.

A rather interesting first half from both sides, all in all, and Brazil were slightly more impressive with their play going forward than what they had offered against Croatia. Mexico did not just “talk the talk” with their pre-match intentions of taking the game to Brazil but they were lacking THAT final touch in front of goal.

The game’s tempo was certainly raised in the second half as both teams opted for bolder offensive approaches; with Brazil attempting to go all-out on attack from the beginning and Mexico unleashing one lethal shot from distance after another.

Brazil’s reluctance to be more aggressive when losing possession saw the Mexicans take more chances from outside the box. Whenever the Brazilians went on the attack though, they were lacking a certain element of presence in the opposition’s box and seemed somewhat laid-back in their forward play.

With every passing minute, the match started to become more open for both sides; as Brazil were attempting to throw more bodies forward and Mexico looking increasingly effective on the counter.

The final stages of the match saw Coach Scolari throw Willian on for more depth and directness in Brazil’s offensive play but their overall lack of urgency saw them somewhat impotent in attack and couldn’t find that elusive winning goal.

It was a great open-end game from both teams; with Brazil clearly improving some aspects of their play from their 1st game and were unlucky to get at least a goal out of it; Fred’s incompetence in front of goal the biggest negative for them. Mexico executed their game plan pretty efficiently and should also count themselves unlucky not to have bagged a goal too!

Man of the match: Guillermo Ochoa: Excellent performance between the posts; showing flexibility and good reflexes to keep Brazil at bay.

Day 5:-

Germany vs. Portugal:-





What was supposed to be an epic European clash quickly turned into a one-sided German domination of a game.

Coach Joachim Löw ended up opting for a “false nine” formation with the team built around Mesut Özil’s creativity and dynamism in front of goal.

The game began with Germany not being able to hold onto possession for a proper amount of time; as Portugal were quickly pressing them to regain the ball and launch their own attacks.

The first signs of Portugal’s expected problems at the back dealing with Germany’s pace were soon displayed when Götze ran through the Portuguese defense only to be brought down by João Pereira for a penalty.

The goal gave Germany confidence and they went on to regain more control of the game, while Portugal were facing difficulties offensively as they were a tad impatient with their passing forward.

The Germans were displaying superior technical skills with Özil pulling defenders away from their central zones for other midfielders to run through the now-open spaces. Portugal were, meanwhile, chasing shadows mostly!

A classic set-piece goal due to some woeful defending and marking from Portugal only made things go from bad to worse for coach Paulo Bento's team from then on.

Pepe’s self-dismissal capped a horrible day for Portugal at the back and the Germans wasted no time in taking advantage of that; with Özil playing Lahm out wide, whose inwards cross was horribly cleared by Bruno Alves for Thomas Müller to capitalize and make it 3 to the good.

Portugal’s terrible defending let them down after a somewhat bright start and the Germans were on a far better technical level in a first half of extremely high tempo.

The second half saw Germany impose even more control on the match, neither rushing their play nor applying too much pressure on Portugal; while the Portuguese weren’t offering anything of notice in attack as they seemed out of ideas.

The game slowly “died” as Portugal pretty much threw in the towel and the Germans were content with passing the ball around and waiting to exploit spaces in Portugal’s defensive areas.

Germany outplayed Portugal further and added a fourth goal courtesy of an effective attack led by a wonderful pass from Höwedes from the half-line to André Schürrle on the right and the rest you know.

Germany were vastly superior both technically and tactically; however, their defense seemed error-prone at times and Coach Löw shouldn’t be too flattered with the score-line in terms of the effectiveness of the system he had deployed (only 2 goals came from open-play, both of which were due to bad defending on the other team’s behalf!).

Portugal played well up until the penalty; but they then significantly reduced their intensity going forward and were very poor in defense! Also, the less said about Ronaldo’s performance the better. Serious injuries to two key players, Pepe’s suspension and a Ronaldo who is clearly not even at 50% all raise BIG questions regarding Portugal’s hope of making it through to the next round.

Man of the match: Thomas Müller: A true “fox in the box” for the Germans, great classic center-forward play and a relentless work-rate!

Day 4:-

Argentina vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina:-





Looking to kick-start their WC campaign with a “bright” result, the Argentinians succumbed to the pre-match pressure and only just managed to scrape a win!

The first shock of the match was delivered even before it started when both coaches opted for quite unorthodox formations; with Coach Alejandro Sabella going for an unnecessary 3-5-2/5-3-2 variation, while Coach Safet Sušić chose a less-attacking 4-3-3/4-5-1 set-up.

Bosnia’s game plan was quickly disrupted by that rather unforetunate own goal; however, they rapidly bounced-back and recovered from that early disappointment by counter-pressing Argentina back into their own half and imposing themselves on the game.

They were quite literally “taking the game” to the Argentinians; constantly looking to play their attacks through with the aid of long balls behind Argentina’s 3-man defensive line and forcing them to play on the counter.

Argentina started to regain more control of the game with their ball possession and passing; with Messi dropping deep into his own half to collect the ball and dictate play from the center of the park. Bosnia, on the other hand, were having difficulties opening-up play in attack whenever they got hold of the ball and went forward.

The rest of the 1st half saw Argentina enjoying more and more possession but not creating anything worth of notice in attack; while Bosnia were lacking courage offensively.

It was a rather ineffective performance from Argentina in front of goal, lacking width and relying too much on Messi tracking back to initiate their attacks. Bosnia couldn’t find the right rhythm with their passing and Džeko was needing another force alongside him; however, they were unlucky to end the half without AT LEAST a draw.

The beginning of the second half saw coach Sabella revert to the normal, and more logical, approach by bringing on Gago and Higuaín to switch to a 4-3-3/4-4-2 formation and offer Argentina more options in attack and midfield.

It took a while for Argentina to offer proper chances up-front and a quick combination of passing between Messi and Higuaín saw the Barcelona star score one of his more classic goals amidst some chaotic Bosnian defending.

The goal seemed to draw all of Bosnia’s remaining energy levels; as they did not look ready to offer anything anymore in the way of real threats to Argentina’s goal.

A defensive lapse from Federico Fernández saw Lulić play substitute Ibišević (should have come on WAY earlier!) through, who slotted the ball between Romero’s legs to ensure a nervy finish to the match.

It was a rather disappointing display of football from Argentina in the 1st half; but they upped the tempo and quality of their play in the second and I do not think that coach Sabella will have MANY positives to draw from such a performance. All in all, Bosnia were quite unlucky to lose and the lack of chemistry between their players cost them the match in the end.

Man of the match: Lionel Messi: Good all-round performance as he was involved in most of Argentina’s attacks.

Day 3:-

England vs. Italy:-





6 months of build-up to this game were justified by every passing minute in Manaus tonight!

The match started out with England opting to play a high-press sort of game as was expected of them; taking a shot or two from distance whenever the chance presented itself. At the time, Italy were having difficulties adapting to the rhythm of the game and were showing signs of nervousness.

Coach Roy Hodgson set-up his team in a way that they were constantly lining almost two banks of players around Andrea Pirlo and it certainly seemed to suffocate Italy’s play going forward.

De Rossi spent a good part of the first half acting more of a sweeper than a natural DM and both teams were a tad cautious in their offensive and defensive approaches. It took a while for Italy to get into the game and England’s abundance of pace was causing the Italian back-line all sorts of problems; with Paletta clearly being the weakest link.

The final 10 minutes of the 1st half saw, firstly, Italy defy the run of play and go ahead through a Marchisio screamer that managed to find the back of the net due to England’s congestive defensive area blocking Hart’s path of view. Shortly afterwards, Sterling played Rooney through down the left, where Darmian was out of position, and the Manchester United man, in turn, fed Sturridge with a brilliant cross; with the Liverpool forward capitalizing to make it 1-1 heading into half-time.

It was a rather interesting first half (particularly from Hodgson’s side) and England were clearly the more potent side in attack; whereas Italy seemed somewhat toothless up-front and considerably vulnerable at the back.

It didn’t take quite long into the second half for Italy to go through courtesy of Candreva’s brilliant technique to find himself proper space before unleashing a near-perfect far-post cross which Balotelli calmly placed in the back of the net.

England were quick to press Italy back into their own half; launching numerous low crosses into the box and attempting to exploits the ever-apparent gaps in Italy’s defense.

Ross Barkley was introduced to try and offer England more dynamism in midfield and it would be an understatement to say that he did just that; proving to create a real buzz for the English in attack and carrying a real threat every time they went forward.

Coach Cesare Prandelli was happy to “shut up shop” at that point of the game, while England continued to properly press Italy back into their final third.

The last stages of the game saw fatigue really kick-in amidst Manaus’ utterly humid conditions and both sets of players were not offering much in terms of attacking vigor. Much of England’s play focused on set-piece deliveries from then on; as they seemed unable to create any real chances from open play through Italy’s midfield areas as the game faded-out.

All in all, England were quite convincing for large parts of both halves of the game and were somewhat unlucky to NOT finish the game with at least a draw for their brave and, sometimes, eye-catching efforts on goal. Their intensity dropped after conceding that second goal and fatigue was a big factor in the latter stages of the game.

Italy got it right, to an extent, in the second half and surely Coach Prandelli has major issues to address in regards to his back-line in order to improve and build on what they have achieved tonight.


Man of the match (This is a pretty tough one! Though it would have been relatively easy had England tied or won):
Salvatore Sirigu: He had a lot of pressure on him to fill Buffon’s shoes on such short notice in such circumstances; but he came through rather well and put in a respectable performance.

Day 2:-

Spain vs. Netherlands:-





If there was ever a need in the near future to define “implosion” for world-class football teams, one need not look further than today’s match between the 2010 WC finalists.

The game began in a very cautious manner from both sides; Spain controlling the game with their possession, as expected, and the entire Netherlands squad playing behind the ball.

It didn’t take long until the Dutch gave Spain a first taste of their quick counter-attacking strategy on which coach Van Gaal has been working with his team over the last 4 weeks or so.

It was quite interesting to see how the Netherlands were adjusting smoothly to Spain’s pressure and passing rhythm; moving in lines together and shifting to the side of the ball as much as needed.

Spain were able to play more and more long balls in-behind the Dutch’s back-line; coming close more than twice and, finally, the class of Spain’s midfield finally prevailed when a Silva-Iniesta-Xavi-combo fed Costa through, which, eventually, lead to the 1-0 score-line shortly afterwards.

Towards the end of the first half, Netherlands started exerting more pressure, with their entire back-line shifting forwards; forcing 7 Spanish outfield players to remain in their final third and lose control of their possession-based game.

A quick exchange of passes in midfield, followed by an acute long through-ball from Daley Blind over Pique (who was out of position napping), saw Van Persie head to equalize and give the Dutch some much-needed confidence going into half-time.

It was a very tactically-orientated first half from both teams; but Spain were the better side all in all and should’ve been more composed at the back to hold that 1-0 lead.

It didn’t take long into the second half for Daley Blind to send another fine long through-ball behind Spain’s back-line; Pique all over the place at the time and Robben rounding him up with some great technique to give the Dutch a 2nd goal.

Spain were struggling to regain control of the game, while Holland were asserting themselves all over the pitch (we spoke about that when discussing how to beat Spain!); which saw Coach Del Bosque send Pedro on to try and widen Spain’s play.

The rest of the second half saw Spain IMPLODE and COLLAPSE at the back; Casillas, Ramos and Pique displaying probably one of THE worst performances of their careers in recent history. Holland destroyed Spain with their quick and well-executed counter-attacks to eventually make it 5-1.

It was literally a “game of two halves”; Van Gaal successfully triumphed tactically in the second half, opting to up the tempo and basically play in a very similar fashion to Bayern’s approach against Barcelona in the 2013 CL semi-final (again, we spoke about that…). Spain totally lost confidence and committed way too many errors in defense that might have JUST cost them their place in the round of 16.

Main man: Arjen Robben: He was simply brilliant throughout the entire game! A constant menace and real threat for the Netherlands going forward.

Brazil vs. Croatia:-




Well, well, well…That was a very insightful game to say the least! A very cagey open affair fitting the WC’s theme of uncertainty.

In the first stages of the game, everything was going according to expectations; with Croatia sitting deep and Brazil playing around with the ball.

Croatia fired their first warning with a classic counter-attack with Olić heading wide and less than 5 minutes later, the (to most people) unexpected happened when Olić sent a low cross from the right which Marcelo managed to place in the back of his own net.

From a tactical point of view, much of Croatia’s build-up to their goal was because of Dani Alves’ crazy decision to run all the way to the other end of the pitch chasing after the ball. He left a HUGE amount of space down the right side of Brazil’s defense which Olić utilized perfectly and the rest is history.

In our profiles, we spoke about the BIG question marks scattered over Brazil’s CB partnership and, today, there wasn’t a better demonstration of those weaknesses! Luiz was all over the place for large parts of the opening 20 minutes or so and the entire Brazilian back-line seemed like they were playing together for the first time.

The second part of the 1st half saw Brazil get into the rhythm of the game and gain a bit more control of it all; however, they were still lacking some real edge going forward. It wasn’t until Brazil’s midfield started exerting more pressure in Croatia’s midfield area that Oscar was able to steal the ball and feed Neymar who released a timid shot to make it 1-1.

It was a “so-so” first half from Brazil; a lot of possession with no real penetration. Luiz Gustavo’s stability and Oscar’s free-style approach were the only good things about which coach Scolari could be proud. Croatia, on the other hand, put in a respectable performance and were unlucky to concede a goal.

The second half saw Croatia playing with more flair offensively and Brazil still not being able to create any proper chances in attack given the considerable amount of possession they had.

Evidently, the Olić-Jelavić partnership was clearly not as effective as Coach Niko Kovač had hoped; both seemingly not being able to form a proper understanding when going forward.

Brazil’s passing in the second half took a nose dive in terms of quality and precision and it wasn’t until Hernanes AND Bernard came on that Brazil started to form a more harmonious and consistent passing rhythm. Hernanes offering Brazil extremely high dimensions with his dynamism and total control in midfield.

After Brazil went ahead (the less said about that “penalty” the better), Croatia tried to impose more pressure on them and force more bodies forward; opening up play in all areas of the pitch. However, the inexperience of substitutes Rebić and Brozović only hampered their chances of getting an equalizer.

The question at the end of it all is: Did we all just witness a WC-WINNING team in Brazil today? Personally, I would say no…

Man of the match: It was a toss-up between Gustavo and Oscar: But the Chelsea man slightly edges the DM for this one; due to his excellent all-round play in attack and the fact that he was involved in all of Brazil’s 3 goals. Great positional play and a wonderful performance all in all!

Food for thought: Uruguay’s tactical options:-

Coach Óscar Tabárez’s 8 consecutive years coaching Uruguay is a pretty long period of time in today’s managerial merry-go-round-world of football; but, it is by no means a small feat considering the fact that he has been able to properly mold the team together; displaying consistently positive performances on the big stage (4th place at the 2007 Copa America & the 2010 WC, 2011 South American Champions & 4th place at the 2013 Confederations cup).

The main issue that coach Tabárez has to address prior to Uruguay playing their first match would be the team’s formation and tactical set-up. His choices are limited to be honest and he hasn’t really gone beyond switching between a 4-4-2 lay-out and a 4-3-3 one.

Both could be combined together during the actual course of games by shunting one of their 2 strikers out wide and pushing one of their offensive midfielders, or perhaps center forward, further up-front on the other side of the pitch. However, such flexibility of play and the ability to quickly adapt requires extremely technical players who have immense tactical awareness. Therefore, given the current Uruguay squad, it would be rather counter-productive to go down that road and coach Tabárez’s best bet is, then, to firmly fixate his mind on EITHER one of those formations.

In the case of a 4-4-2 variation, Uruguay would have higher dimensions in terms of fully utilizing their strikers’ potentials and causing opposition defenders major headaches by forcing them to have to mark those 2 strikers; which would, consequently, leave extra space for their ongoing attacking midfielders. However, the drawback would be that their play would be more vertical and direct in terms of creating chances and/or looking to deliver aerial balls.

A 4-3-3 set-up would, in Uruguay’s case, widen play on the flanks and allow their main striker much more freedom in between the opposition’s defensive lines. Also, it would provide their midfielders an increased sense of freedom in the middle of the park in the build-up to their attacks; as they could then take their time when trying to figure out to whom to pass the ball. The disadvantage here, obviously, would be that at least one of their strikers-turned-wingers would have to be shifted to the side and run the channel from there; limiting his options in attack and depriving him of a clearer path forwards.

Coach Tabárez’s final decision before each game will probably depend on the form and fitness of his favorite attacking trio of Luis Suárez, Edison Cavani and Diego Forlán (yes he is still alive :P); but the degree to which they will all be effective together also relies heavily on the chemistry and understanding between them (the recurring theme within Uruguay’s squad!).

Uruguay:-

“Los Charrúas” certainly have most of the elements required to try and emulate (if not better!) their run from the 2010 WC. However, their dismal qualifying campaign should remind them that it won’t be at all easy!

Starting from the back, Diego Lugano’s experience is vital for Uruguay’s defensive stability; however, his age (33) has slowed him down over the years and has caused them problems many times. While Diego Godín has certainly taken his game to a completely new level ever since the 2010 WC, he does not seem to have formed a harmonious relationship with Lugano at the heart of their defense.

It is this lack of chemistry and proper understanding between the 2 CBs that has seen Uruguay ship-in 37 goals from a total of 29 games over the last 2 years or so; and, excluding friendlies, their GCPG ratio increases to 1.5!

Let’s take that number into perspective a little bit:-


Q: How many teams have been able to win the WC with an average GCPG ratio of 1.5 or higher?

A: Only one! Namely, West Germany in 1954 (GCPG 2.4); HOWEVER, that is mainly because:-

They lost by 8-3 in their second group-stage match against Ferenc Puskás’ and Sándor Kocsis’ Hungary side; who, incidentally, STILL hold the record for the most goals scored (27), highest average GSPG (5.4), highest goal difference (+17) AND highest average GDPG (3.2) in ONE single WC tournament.


Therefore, it is safe to say that it is almost impossible for ANY team to win the WC all the while shipping-in AT LEAST more than one goal in every match they play. Which is why Uruguay’s entire backline (especially the CBs) have to “up” their game considerably and Coach Óscar Tabárez MUST enforce a higher sense of commitment among them.

Uruguay’s SBs are very much similar to Spain’s ones in their tendency to surge forward and offer their wide men support on the flanks; therefore, the remaining CBs and the DMs must make sure that they cover any gaps left on those sides of the pitch.

Midfield-wise, coach Tabárez favors a pivot of 2 defensive midfielders lined-up behind one central/offensive midfield player who would “run the show” when given the ball. Uruguay have no shortage in talent and/or experience in midfield; but, again, the lack of understanding between them often causes them problems when attempting to go forward (collectively).

In terms of Uruguay’s attacking approach, coach Tabárez is an ardent fan of proper counter-attacking football, and given the sheer strength and pace his offensive players possess, it is hard to argue against opting for such a strategy. The balance starts from the back (hence the aforementioned pivot!), where the defenders and their fellow DMs will look to sit back and invite the opposition into their own half before attempting to retain possession and “let loose” their wide men on ultra-fast counters.

Individually speaking, Uruguay boast one of THE best (in terms of talent, experience and footballing attributes) squads in regards to most areas of the pitch; however, as a team, they have not found the right rhythm over the last 2 years and much of their WC success will depend on reversing that fact!


Main man: Luis Suárez: Love him or hate him, Suarez’s mere presence on the pitch elevates Uruguay’s game to a much higher level! His incredible technique, one-of-a-kind eye for goal, unbelievable power and general all-round play all make him THE top candidate to take Uruguay far into this competition!

Odds (average from top 24 betting firms): 28.73913

United States:-

The “Yanks” have a mighty task ahead of them at this WC; for they must truly defy the odds and produce some stellar “soccer” if they are to even come close to qualifying to the round of 16!

In defense, both of coach Klinsmann’s “favorite” CBs have, more or less, ZERO top-level “soccer” experience; as they have never really plied their trade outside the recently-ever-more-popular MLS.

Their inexperience and lack of true defensive grit and/or proper abilities at the back is highlighted by the fact that Team USA have averaged a GCPG ratio of 1.0 (0.8 excluding friendlies) over the course of the last ca. 2 years in which they played 39 games (22 excluding friendlies). If one were to omit matches against the so-called “smaller” teams, that ratio would then jump to a staggering 1.8!

So unless those 2 CBs have been hiding their true potential all this time (combined age of 52), it is hard to imagine that a team with a CB-pair whose TOTAL market value is around a meagre 1 Million Euros can be the foundation on which WC success is built.

Therefore, it is without doubt a matter of, somehow, trying to minimize the damage those CBs will cause by providing them with enough cover (DM+CM, SBs and even wingers) from all areas and trying to swiftly extinguish any “fires” the opposition might start in their defensive zones.

Another issue for coach Klinsmann in defense (yes we haven’t finished :P) is his squad’s lack of a true LB defender; forcing him to, most probably, switch one of his more-established RBs (who are actually pretty good compared to the CBs) to the other side of the pitch. The only other option would be to push natural-winger Beasley all the way back to an LB role; where his experience might just be what Team USA’s backline really need!

In the middle of the park, things start to look a little more “rosy”; as the mixture of youth, talent and experience at their disposal could prove to be a good asset for them going forward. Much of the hard work of dictating play will fall in the hands (more like feet) of Michael Bradley and his backbone-of-a-DM Jermaine Jones.

Those two midfield players will have a large say as to how, when and where Team USA’s attacks all begin; for they will be solely responsible for making sure that they retain possession and pass play forward.

The US’ playing strategy is based on a rather extensively offensive approach, with great physicality about their all-round game and tactical set-up. In addition, most of their players’ commanding strength and solid presence naturally leads to straight-forward aerial play and ball deliveries from across all areas of the pitch. Hence, the need to be near-perfect at executing set-pieces and making the most out of them is absolutely crucial.

Team USA’s biggest glimmer of hope amidst a sea of things to which they do not look forward is their striker-duo of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. They have been the true heroes behind their respectable and consistent ca. 2.0 GSPG ratio (even against “big” teams!) over the last 2 years or so, and much of any possible success for coach Klinsmann’s squad will depend on those 2 men’s performances.


Main man (it has to be him!): Clint Dempsey: An incredible knack for scoring goals, true versatility in between the lines and superior technical skills all contribute to his perfect embodiment of a “classic” center forward. With a bit of luck, if some of the US’ opponents have “off moments”, Dempsey could prove to be the key to an unlikely US group-stage triumph!

Odds (average from top 24 betting firms): 239.91304

Switzerland:-

“Schweizer Nati“ or “La Nati” or “Squadra nazionale” (:P) are in their third successive WC and hope to give legendary coach Ottmar Hitzfeld a proper retirement gift by displaying some respectable performances!

Coach Hitzfeld might have some reason to worry about his defense given the poor season Johan Djourou has endured with Hamburg. However, Djourou seems to be able to put his club performances behind him every time he puts on the Swiss shirt and lines-up alongside Steve von Bergen in defense; a fact highlighted by Switzerland’s GCPG ratio of 0.6 (0.8 including friendlies) over the last 2 years almost.

The areas requiring more attention for Switzerland are their wide defensive zones; as Ricardo Rodríguez’s inexperience coupled with Stephan Lichtsteiner’s (who’s more of an RM/RWB) surging forward runs might leave big holes either sides of their defense and allow the opposition acres of space from which to launch attacks.

Coach Hitzfeld likes to play with a pure counter-attacking strategy to best complement Switzerland’s solid defensive CB-pair, an experienced DM-pivot and their extremely fast and technical wingers.

The Swiss team is set-up in such a way that they look to spend a considerable amount of time embracing the opposition’s attacking press and launching their counter-attacks when retaining possession through the middle; which is where the most-likely trio of Xhaka, Behrami and Inler come into play.

The latter two midfielders’ experience and vision alongside Xhaka’s dynamic style and explosive form of attacking football provide a good balance for the Swiss team going forward. The only drawback to such a lay-out could be Xhaka’s lack of experience at the top-levels of football and might force him into one or two errors of judgment at vital moments during their games.

Their SBs’ role in going forward and assisting their wide men will surely not go unnoticed by opposition teams; however, Switzerland’s actual wingers will be the players causing most of the damage to opposing defenders on the flanks. Their quick pace and physical presence provides many dimensions to Switzerland’s attacking strategy and it will be a tough task for defenders to deal with them over the course of 90 minutes.

A relatively big chunk of goal-scoring responsibility will fall solely on their main striker’s shoulders. Consequently, it is vital that he should constantly be in complete sync with the ongoing play around him in order to correctly position himself according to the movement of the ball (no secret, their attackers will be delivering the ball to him over and over again!).

Another important aspect which Switzerland’s opposition MUST take into consideration is the fact that, practically, the entire Swiss team possess unbelievable shooting abilities and are more than able (and willing!) to take their chances from distance, given the proper space and time.

It is definitely sad for the football world to have to say farewell to coach Hitzfeld and here’s hoping that Switzerland go a long way in this WC to give him one more proud moment in his football career!


Main man: Gökhan Inler: Inler’s acute vision, brilliant passing, lethal shot and commanding physical presence in the middle of the park form the beating heart of Switzerland’s play. He will be looking to lead his team to glory and earn the credit which he truly deserves.

Odds (average from top 24 betting firms): 111