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Why World Cup 2014 Could Be the Attacking Feast Brazil’s Reputation Demands
Published: March 27, 2013
The average goals-per-game number has fallen from 2.67 to 2.27 in that period (according to FIFA). In South Africa we saw the second-lowest goals-per-game average in World Cup history—only Italia '90 delivered less value, coming in at 2.21 (via The Guardian), though it still managed to captivate us in a way South Africa could not.
The 2010 winners, Spain, lifted the trophy having scored just eight goals in seven games, at a meagre average of 1.14. France scored 15 in '98 (2.14); Brazil 18 in 2002 (2.57); even the traditionally defensive-minded Italians managed 12 on the road to triumph in 2006 (1.71).
Tactically speaking, 2010 witnessed a prevailing mindset that put the onus on suffocating opponents to death by keeping possession, rather than shooting them down in a hail of bullets. Spain were magnificent in their cautious execution and will be remembered as one of the great teams, but nobody can deny their modus operandi was to grind teams down.
In a 2010 poll run by The Guardian, 58 percent of readers supported the notion that Spain were "boring." After the first round of group matches in South Africa, which yielded a record low for goals, BBC sports editor David Bond came out with what everybody was thinking. "It's official - this is the most boring World Cup in history," Bond wrote.
Looking back, B/R's tactical analyst, Sam Tighe, believes Jose Mourinho was partly responsible:
Only a few teams really went for it at World Cup 2010. It was the birth of 4-2-3-1 and that can be attributed to Jose Mourinho's successes with Inter Milan (Inter won the Treble in 2010). There were also a lot tired players playing within themselves after long domestic ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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