WC-MOTD20-P1
Day 20: Part 1:-
France vs. Germany:-
The Quarter-Finals of the 2014 WC got off to a cracking start with a scintillating display of football from both teams!
On a tactical level, Coach Joachim Löw abandoned his “false nine” system, at last, in favor of a more suitable, effective and balanced formation; fielding Miro Klose as a main striker and opting to deploy Lahm in the RB position, where he would be most effective in a short-term tournament.
Meanwhile, France Coach Didier Deschamps decided to go with speed over physicality in his tactical set-up, as Griezmann and Valbuena manned the left and right flanks respectively; consciously leaving out Giroud as he looked to expose Germany’s lack of pace at the back.
The game began with the Germans practically owning ball possession for the first 5 minutes or so; trying to focus play out wide and avoiding central midfield battles.
France, on the other hand, were defending somewhat deep with almost 2 banks of 4; looking to launch quick counters.
It was Kroos’ brilliant ball delivery from that set-piece in midfield which saw Hummels get rid of Varane in the air, somewhat forcefully, and head the ball into the corner for a 1-0 German lead!
It was fully “game on” from that point, with France now pushing forward whenever they had possession and attempting to play long aerial balls in behind Germany’s defense. They were more aggressive after the first goal and did not hold anything back.
Germany were in a more comfortable situation after a rather tense start to the game; still looking to play the channels and attempt to penetrate France’s defense from wide areas.
The French were having difficulties getting a proper forward momentum going and were often losing possession in the opposition’s half; as their midfield became too crowded and their play lacked a real element of width.
France were somewhat subdued in attack for a short period as they became over-reliant on long balls and seemingly still unable to hold onto possession for long enough.
The Germans were playing better in midfield and attack; but they were unable to make the most of their chances in front of goal with Özil having to shift sides as Höwedes was not offering him enough support on the left flank.
All in all, it was a tense first half, with France beginning the game tactically well; defending relatively deep when off the ball and pressing the opposition properly when on it.
However, they perhaps focused too much on those long balls and were incapable of retaining possession in Germany’s own half, while Benzema was lacking real support from his wide players (just the kind of support a certain Franck Ribéry would have provided!!!).
Germany played fairly well all over the pitch, but their defense might have been somewhat too static at times when dealing with France’s long aerial play and they were sometimes unable to efficiently execute the offside trap they have been trying to play.
Apart from the apparent lack of link-up play on the left side, the Germans did not do too bad in offense; but they were clearly missing that final touch in the box and were unable to get into genuinely threatening attacking positions in front of goal.
It was a rather different affair in the second half, with France coming out with a different attitude; pressing the Germans high up the pitch and looking to catch them off-guard quickly.
The French were looking more likely to score as time passed by and were playing with real flair and vigor in Germany’s half. They were effectively using both sides of the pitch, with their midfielders going on explosive forward runs in between German defenders.
Germany were playing in a very passive fashion and were unable to promptly adapt to the game’s current rhythm. They seemed a shadow of their selves from the first half and were constantly losing possession cheaply!
France went all-out in attack as coach Deschamps switched to a 4-4-2 variation; but they were in need of more precision in the opposition’s box because they were wasting numerous chances.
The Germans were not urgent enough in their offensive approach and seemed powerless to properly build play from the back and hold onto possession for a sufficient amount of time.
As the game came to an end, Germany wasted several clear-cut opportunities at sealing the game as Schürrle twice horribly mishit the ball following two very effective German counters.
France threw bodies forward but were not able to get a proper passing rhythm going and lacked some real urgency in attack.
A different story in the second half in comparison to the first; as France clearly played better in attack and midfield. They showed real tenacity going forward and had some really good opportunities which they should have buried, had it not been for some ineffective finishing (and also some good goal-keeping from Neuer).
Karim Benzema seemed all alone in attack at times and their midfielders could have been more precise in their passing and ball delivery.
The Germans put in a rather indifferent performance in attack in the second half, but they were very solid and stable at the back. They had difficulties getting back into the game after the break and lost possession way too easily on numerous occasions. Their attackers should have taken more advantage of their counters and finished the game then and there.
Man of the match: It’s a toss-up between Philipp Lahm and Mats Hummels as they both displayed an excellent show in defense so we’ll leave you to decide on that one!
France vs. Germany:-
The Quarter-Finals of the 2014 WC got off to a cracking start with a scintillating display of football from both teams!
On a tactical level, Coach Joachim Löw abandoned his “false nine” system, at last, in favor of a more suitable, effective and balanced formation; fielding Miro Klose as a main striker and opting to deploy Lahm in the RB position, where he would be most effective in a short-term tournament.
Meanwhile, France Coach Didier Deschamps decided to go with speed over physicality in his tactical set-up, as Griezmann and Valbuena manned the left and right flanks respectively; consciously leaving out Giroud as he looked to expose Germany’s lack of pace at the back.
The game began with the Germans practically owning ball possession for the first 5 minutes or so; trying to focus play out wide and avoiding central midfield battles.
France, on the other hand, were defending somewhat deep with almost 2 banks of 4; looking to launch quick counters.
It was Kroos’ brilliant ball delivery from that set-piece in midfield which saw Hummels get rid of Varane in the air, somewhat forcefully, and head the ball into the corner for a 1-0 German lead!
It was fully “game on” from that point, with France now pushing forward whenever they had possession and attempting to play long aerial balls in behind Germany’s defense. They were more aggressive after the first goal and did not hold anything back.
Germany were in a more comfortable situation after a rather tense start to the game; still looking to play the channels and attempt to penetrate France’s defense from wide areas.
The French were having difficulties getting a proper forward momentum going and were often losing possession in the opposition’s half; as their midfield became too crowded and their play lacked a real element of width.
France were somewhat subdued in attack for a short period as they became over-reliant on long balls and seemingly still unable to hold onto possession for long enough.
The Germans were playing better in midfield and attack; but they were unable to make the most of their chances in front of goal with Özil having to shift sides as Höwedes was not offering him enough support on the left flank.
All in all, it was a tense first half, with France beginning the game tactically well; defending relatively deep when off the ball and pressing the opposition properly when on it.
However, they perhaps focused too much on those long balls and were incapable of retaining possession in Germany’s own half, while Benzema was lacking real support from his wide players (just the kind of support a certain Franck Ribéry would have provided!!!).
Germany played fairly well all over the pitch, but their defense might have been somewhat too static at times when dealing with France’s long aerial play and they were sometimes unable to efficiently execute the offside trap they have been trying to play.
Apart from the apparent lack of link-up play on the left side, the Germans did not do too bad in offense; but they were clearly missing that final touch in the box and were unable to get into genuinely threatening attacking positions in front of goal.
It was a rather different affair in the second half, with France coming out with a different attitude; pressing the Germans high up the pitch and looking to catch them off-guard quickly.
The French were looking more likely to score as time passed by and were playing with real flair and vigor in Germany’s half. They were effectively using both sides of the pitch, with their midfielders going on explosive forward runs in between German defenders.
Germany were playing in a very passive fashion and were unable to promptly adapt to the game’s current rhythm. They seemed a shadow of their selves from the first half and were constantly losing possession cheaply!
France went all-out in attack as coach Deschamps switched to a 4-4-2 variation; but they were in need of more precision in the opposition’s box because they were wasting numerous chances.
The Germans were not urgent enough in their offensive approach and seemed powerless to properly build play from the back and hold onto possession for a sufficient amount of time.
As the game came to an end, Germany wasted several clear-cut opportunities at sealing the game as Schürrle twice horribly mishit the ball following two very effective German counters.
France threw bodies forward but were not able to get a proper passing rhythm going and lacked some real urgency in attack.
A different story in the second half in comparison to the first; as France clearly played better in attack and midfield. They showed real tenacity going forward and had some really good opportunities which they should have buried, had it not been for some ineffective finishing (and also some good goal-keeping from Neuer).
Karim Benzema seemed all alone in attack at times and their midfielders could have been more precise in their passing and ball delivery.
The Germans put in a rather indifferent performance in attack in the second half, but they were very solid and stable at the back. They had difficulties getting back into the game after the break and lost possession way too easily on numerous occasions. Their attackers should have taken more advantage of their counters and finished the game then and there.
Man of the match: It’s a toss-up between Philipp Lahm and Mats Hummels as they both displayed an excellent show in defense so we’ll leave you to decide on that one!
Ahmad Al-Omar - 4. Jul, 23:04
