Defensive gambles pay off big-time in soccer. Here are the counterstriking artists who have legit shots at pulling upsets in Russia.
Analytics offers a basic recipe for winning soccer: Treat the game like it’s hockey, and play like you’re the Russians who brought the idea of puck control to the NHL in the ’90s. Dribble with discipline and make sharp passes and you will build possessions. The more touches you amass, the more shots you can take. And the more shots you take, the more goals you will score. Spanish clubs popularized a tiki-taka style of play rooted in these concepts a decade or so ago, and the formula led Germany to an undefeated World Cup in 2014. That German team had the second-largest possession percentage among all squads competing in Brazil—and the biggest goal differential.
But what if a team isn’t Germany or Barcelona or the old Red Wings? An underdog can’t hope to hog possession against superior clubs, so if you’re looking for big surprises in this summer’s World Cup, focus on teams that excel at defensive obstruction instead.
This story is from the June 18, 2018 edition of ESPN The Magazine.
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This story is from the June 18, 2018 edition of ESPN The Magazine.
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