Iceland's bravery and team unity is a key reason for their success
Iceland's bravery and team unity is a key reason for their success

Alex Keble's tactical analysis from the World Cup's first week


Alex Keble looks back over the first round of World Cup fixtures with Mexico and Iceland praised for their tactical nous.

Following a thrilling opening round of fixtures in the 2018 World Cup, Alex Keble looks at some of the most interesting tactical strategies in the tournament so far and picks out the best performances.

Team of the round – Iceland

The most impressive all-round performance so far in the World Cup was Iceland's in their 1-1 draw with Argentina, in which a familiarly battling midfield performance squeezed Lionel Messi out of the game. Iceland sat in a deep, compressed defensive blockade that made it very difficult for Argentina to play quickly through the middle, and impressively swarmed Messi with three players whenever the Barcelona star received possession.

Argentina are far too reliant on Messi, and arguably it was the South Americans' poor attacking interplay that allowed Iceland to look so comfortable. Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano sat at the base of midfield with neither player making forward runs or attempting vertical passes; this meant Iceland were not stretched adequately.

However, their sluggishness was partly the result of Iceland's energetic yet disciplined performance. Gylfi Sigurdsson dropped back to make a 4-5-1 when Argentina had the ball but, crucially, he was quick to provide support to Alfred Finnbogason when long balls were fired forward. Iceland pressed high from Argentina's goal kicks (recognising Jorge Sampaoli's defenders aren't strong in possession) and won 50-50s all over the pitch.

Bravery, as well as tactical nous, won Iceland a point.

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All you need to know about Iceland ahead of the World Cup
Iceland's tactics play to their strengths

Coach of the round – Juan Carlos Osorio, Mexico

Mexico's counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 formation was among the most positive of any nation at the World Cup. They absorbed pressure from Germany for long periods, but ultimately were very courageous on the counter, piercing the German lines time and again in the first half; it was a richly-deserved victory.

Germany left themselves exposed at the back thanks to their ultra-high full-backs and a lack of support from Sami Khedira. With nobody in front of the centre-backs and the full-backs AWOL, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels couldn't deal with Mexico's bold attacking approach. Neither German defender is particularly quick, which explains why they frequently dropped back, further isolating themselves from the rest of the team.

Osorio saw this coming, which is why Mexico left three players up the pitch at Germany set-pieces and looked for quick interchanges between the front three, with Javier Hernandez frequently dropping off into the spaces left vacant by Khedira.

They could not have exposed the German defence without first limiting the world champions' efficiency in possession, which was achieved by constantly man-marking Toni Kroos, who pulls all the strings for Germany. Take him out of the game, and suddenly Joachim Low's side look flat. Osorio deserves the plaudits for a tactical master class.

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Juan Carlos Osorio
Juan Carlos Osorio

Partnership of the round – Isco, Iniesta, and Silva

Cristiano Ronaldo's heroics in Portugal's 3-3 draw with Spain stole headlines away from what was the most complete and compelling team performance of the first round. Spain were superb in possession, passing with the same tempo and intelligence that defined their excellent qualifying campaign under Julen Lopetegui. Spain's football was the only example of a high-pressing, Guardiola-esque tactical model seen so far in the World Cup.

Isco, Andres Iniesta, and David Silva were all outstanding, frequently converging into similar areas of central attacking midfield to exchange passes like old club team-mates. Jordi Alba's excellent overlapping runs down the left freed space for Isco (who drifted infield from that flank) while Iniesta did what Iniesta does – link the play with highly intelligent vertical movements from left to centre.

The game began to slip away from them in the second half, although Thiago added a calming influence at the base of midfield from the bench. Spain should be considered favourites to win the World Cup now... if only they can limit the number of counter-attacks against them. Sergio Busquets looks too slow to cut out the danger.

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Spain's midfield have impressed
Spain's midfield have impressed

Player of the round – Jose Gimenez

Obviously Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick makes him the standout player of the tournament so far, but his individual moments of brilliance did not necessarily fit the tactical pattern of Portugal's 3-3 draw with Spain. From a tactical perspective, the most influential player in carrying out their nation's strategy was Uruguay's Jose Gimenez.

Egypt's defensive 4-5-1 formation meant the African side had a man advantage in midfield, which helps to explain why Rodrigo Bentancur struggled to influence the game in Uruguay's 4-4-2. It was a stuttering game of football for the most part, but punctuated by the superb Gimenez. He consistently took the initiative in possession, boldly breaking through Egypt's first line and thus freeing up his team-mates to receive an incisive pass.

Gimenez scored the winning goal in the 89th minute to cap a magnificent performance from the Atletico Madrid man. He won four tackles, eight clearances, five headers – and made an astonishing nine interceptions.

Jose Gimenez scored Uruguay winner against Egypt
Jose Gimenez starred at bopth ends of the pitch in the first game

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