Alex Keble picks out his star tactical performers from a thrilling Round of 16 at the World Cup.
The quarter-finals loom large. Eight nations remain in Russia and with Germany, Argentina, Spain and Portugal already eliminated there is a growing sense that anyone could lift the World Cup on July 15. The second round matches were, for the most part, thrilling to watch, with plenty of lessons learnt ahead of the last eight.
Belgium’s tactical switch puts them in a strong position, France discovered a new tactic against Argentina, and Harry Kane gave hope to England fans.
Manager of the round – Roberto Martinez
The Belgium manager is rightly blamed for his side going 2-0 down to Japan. His overly attacking team selection allowed Japan’s narrow, high-line 4-4-2 to easily cut off the passing lanes into the half spaces while sitting on top of Belgium’s two-man midfield, which caused the centre-backs to recycle the ball aimlessly in a U-shape. However, Roberto Martinez’s two bold substitutions turned the game on its head and proved that he is a considerably better reactive tactician than assumed.
Noting how difficult it was for Kevin de Bruyne and Alex Witsel to hold meaningful possession, he brought Maroune Fellaini and Nacer Chadli off the bench and switched to a lopsided 4-2-3-1 formation. Fellaini was essentially a right winger but mostly dropped infield, into a deeper area of the half-space channel to offer those Belgian defenders an out-ball. He was instrumental in receiving the ball, turning, and releasing Thomas Meunier, gradually causing Japan to retreat.
Chadli offered directness on the left, isolating the Japan right-back Hiroki Sakai and therefore indirectly freeing Eden Hazard on the inside. Together, the two substitutes found a way to negate Japan’s narrow 4-4-2 and drag Belgium back into the contest.
Team of the round – France
After two years of stumbling in the dark under Didier Deschamps France look like a team with a plan. Watching Kylian Mbappe hurtle forward on the counter-attack after long periods of conservative, resilient French defending, the 4-3 victory over Argentina finally answered the question: what is this France team trying to do?
Deschamps increasingly seems like a relic of the past, a too-cautious manager whose rigid approach was better suited to the days when France relied upon Dmitri Payet for inspiration. Now, with Ousmane Dembele, Thomas Lemar, and Mbappe coming through, the man who lifted the World Cup in 1998 needs a new plan. Argentina’s lacklustre defending and brittle midfield provided the blueprint.
France must embrace a low block counter-attacking model if they are to go all the way in Russia. The system against Argentina, with the full-backs staying deep and Paul Pogba instructed to stay close to N’Golo Kante, made France solid in defence. It also drew Argentina forward, creating huge open spaces on the counter that Mbappe could attack with purpose. What’s more, Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann is much better suited to reactive football, while Pogba is less free to wander aimlessly in this system. His clipped vertical passes are even more effective when France play on the break.
Player of the round – Harry Kane
In a contest defined by nerves, under-hand tactics, and gritty battles across the pitch, England’s captain deserves praise for his stoic performance. The penalties he scored soothed anxiety in the rest of the squad, both during the 90 minutes and the shootout, but more impressive was his all-round work as a lone striker.
England were comfortable for the first 70 minutes but struggled to deal with Colombia’s switch to a 3-5-2 formation. Eric Dier was particularly poor in midfield as the pressure increased on England; the South Americans eventually got their equaliser and, for an awfully long time after, it looked as though they would emerge victorious. It was during this period that Kane’s offensive work was vital; he plucked aimless clearances out of the sky and drew fouls on numerous occasions, relieving pressure and instilling a sense of stoicism in his team-mates.
Kane’s technical ability is crucial to England, but on Tuesday night it was his resilience, physical strength, and cool head from the spot that made the difference. Honourable mentions go to Harry Maguire for his 12 headed clearances and Kieran Trippier for once again dominating the right flank, but there is simply no way England – carrying the weight of the nation’s traumatic past – could have survived without Kane’s leadership.
Worst of the round – Spain’s pointless tiki-taka
It was a fitting way for Spain’s era of tiki-taka football - a phrase and tactical system that went out of favour at least four years ago – to end. Russia were scarcely troubled across 120 minutes by the Spanish in a bizarrely lacklustre performance that is reflected most starkly in one statistic: Isco played 132 passes throughout the match but just 12 of them went forwards.
The man who brought short-passing football back into the mainstream, Pep Guardiola, never preached playing football like Spain. “I hate tiki-taka,” he said in Marti Perarnau’s book Pep Confidential. “Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it's pointless.” The Vicente del Bosque era, of suffocation and 1-0 wins, had taken Guardiola’s model too far – and that was eight years ago. It is no surprise, then, that Spain failed in Russia.
Many pundits expected to see a more Real Madrid-esque Spain this summer, but instead they passed the ball without conviction, rarely taking risks, seeking overloads, or raising the tempo. Ultimately, losing Julen Lopetegui cost them dearly; a more experienced tactician than Fernando Hierro would surely have spotted the issues against Russia and changed things accordingly.
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