Tactical discipline can tide over gulf in skill

With the tournament more than halfway through, those fears have been generally found to be unrealistic. While the odd mismatch and big scoreline cannot be avoided even in a field of fewer teams, the underdogs have more than held their own in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Curacao, a small island in the Caribbean Sea that is not even a sovereign country, was thrashed 7-1 by Germany, but they did have the thrill of levelling for 1-1 against the four-time champions for a few minutes. They bounced back to hold Ecuador — who had an impressive qualifying campaign in South America and subsequently beat the Germans in Group E – to a goalless draw, a more than creditable achievement for a nation of little more than 150,000 people spread over an area of 171 square miles. They had their goalkeeper Eloy Room to thank for a record 15 saves that got them their first World Cup point.

Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa. But that didn’t prevent them from capturing the sporting world’s imagination by holding 2010 world champions and reigning European champions Spain to a goalless draw and achieving a 2-2 draw with two-time world champions Uruguay. Their tally of three points from the group stage in their debut World Cup was enough for passage to the knockout rounds, a remarkable achievement for a nation that many football fans wouldn’t even have heard of a few months ago, considering that they finished second in Group H ahead of a pedigreed team like Uruguay. They will now face defending champions Argentina, helmed by none other than Lionel Messi, in the Round of 32, a sporting fairytale come true.

World Cup debutants Uzbekistan were thrashed 5-0 by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, but most of the other big-margin defeats have been suffered by countries that have been coming to the World Cup for several decades now, Sweden being thrashed 1-5 by the Netherlands being a case in point. Iraq, reduced to 10 men against Senegal as early as the 13^th minute, kept the score at 0-1 till more than 10 minutes into the second half.

Closer contest

In contrast to a team sport like cricket, where the difference in skill levels can often have a huge impact on the result of the game, discipline, tactics, fighting spirit and one or more players from the underdog having an inspired day can well be enough to get a result. In the way these factors level the field between favourites and commoners, football is well and truly the global game.

But apart from the romance of unfancied teams frustrating ‘big’ teams, and sometimes giving them a bloody nose, there’s the tactical aspect of smaller sides punching above their weight.

Some may derisively describe such tactics as ‘parking the bus’, but there isn’t just one way to play this game, and smaller sides are under no obligation to play an expansive style of game, making things easier for the favourites. Often it needs the defence, and specifically the goalkeeper, to have a special day to get a memorable result, and this World Cup has seen several custodians from smaller teams etching their names in history.

When Cape Verde took on the might of Spain, they set up to deny them much space to work with between their midfield and defence. The 4-5-1 formation employed by coach Pedro Leitao Brito, commonly known as Bubista, was designed to keep a clean sheet and was successful, even though hardly anyone would have given them a chance before kickoff.

When Spain, normally a high-possession side, passed the ball among themselves and even backwards, hoping to draw Cape Verde players towards themselves to engineer gaps in their formation, they held their positions and didn’t take the bait. It forced the Spaniards to try to work around or over the heads of their opposition, but Cape Verde were good enough to thwart that challenge. Of course, it needed their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, to make seven quality saves, six from inside the penalty area, to keep them afloat.

England were similarly kept at bay by Ghana. Jordan Ayew was left high up the pitch, but the other outfield players were set up in two compact lines just outside their penalty area, giving next to no room to Thomas Tuchel’s team. They didn’t break their formation and were content to let England have possession in areas where they couldn’t threaten.

The 0-0 draw and the crucial point was well worth it and could even have been better had Ghana got a late penalty, which most observers opine would have been the correct decision.

Keep the shape

The key element in both games was the tactical discipline by the underdogs in not being sucked towards the ball, whether in midfield or on the wings, even when it’s switched around the field quickly. The footballing jargon of the low block may be derided in some circles, but when done well could be highly effective and frustrating for a fancied opponent. In essence, it emphasises the important role good and effective coaching plays in tournament football.

Conversely, when this is not done well, the danger from the low, hard cross to the six-yard box from an unimpeded attacker on the wings could create havoc in the defensive line, as Sweden and Saudi Arabia found to their cost.

Teams that don’t possess many creative players and don’t have the ball for long also need to offer some kind of danger to fancied opponents. They generally do that through the long ball over the top, which can be particularly effective on the counter when the other team has committed a lot of players to the attack. The sole forward can pressurise the defence in a one-on-one situation, especially when the ball is bouncing.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat. The World Cup is a stage for teams of varying strengths to pit their skills, minds and tactics against each other. Seeing an underdog give a fancied side a run for their money is one of the most satisfying experiences in sport.