Category Archives: Sports

General sports comments

7. Ghana

Psrhea, Sports,

What Went Right?  Arguably the fastest, strongest and most athletic side in the tournament. This was the linchpin for their entire playing philosophy and approach. Ghana played with a defense-first mentality, and then they counterattacked in a more direct, one-dimensional, east-west fashion. Used their strength and speed to take on players one-on-one as much as possible both in possession and not, rely on individual ability as much as they could. Neither attacked in numbers nor dropped back a lot of players in defense, indicating they transitioned from offense to defense quicker than anybody in this tournament. Scored most of their goals on penalties and opposition mistakes and mental lapse more than anybody in the tournament and was the primary reason they got this far, so this was a side you simply could not make a fatal error against. Good long-range shooting. Goalkeeping was outstanding. Ghana was one of four teams that was the recipient of a very favorable draw on their end of the playoff bracket.

What Went Wrong?  Lacked any sort of vision or creativity, which is why they had to settle for a very direct attack. Couldn’t control the midfield, orchestrated a concerted or sustained attack, or get into the box to save their lives. Had the athletes to take advantage of space and positioning but just didn’t. Very one-dimensional team that didn’t make effective use of the flanks and didn’t make diagonal runs. Through balls, crosses and service were more a result of defensive lapses and mistakes than by design. Ghana wasn’t very good at set pieces. Worst of all, they were the recipients of the cruelest way to exit the tournament, especially when you consider how favorable their draw was on their end of the playoff bracket.

Who Stepped Up To The Plate?  Asamoah Gyan, while not able to get into the box with regularity, made quality shots on target from long range and made a few of them, and other than that infamous miss against Uruguay was one of the better spot-kick specialists. Kevin Prince Boateng was arguably their best player, making things happen in the midfield and finding the forward players with regularity. Andre Ayew and Kwandwoi Asamoah  stepped up with their consistent passing in midfield. Anthony Annan had the most to live up to replacing all-world midfield orchestrator Michael Essien, out with an injury; he filled in capably. Isaac Vorsah and John Menseh seldom lost their shape and anticipation in the center of defense. Richard Kingson was just invaluable in goal; he saved their bacon on way too many occasions.

Who Didn’t Show Up?  Fullbacks Hans Sarpei and John Pantsil were virtually useless. I’m still not sure Prince Tagoe played on this team. The bench was a rumor. Why it is they couldn’t find  a place in the starting XI for Sulley Muntari, Jonathan Menseh and Matthew Amoah is beyond me. But by far the player they missed the most was Michael Essien, the best midfield distributor/orchestrator on the planet. His ability to control the midfield, linkup and service the forwards, trail into the box and get score with regularity were sorely missed and probably would have been the difference between crashing out in the quarters and getting to the semis.

How Was The Coaching?  About what I’ve come to expect from Serbian coaches, who tend to sacrifice any kind of creativity for more basic and simplistic approaches to football. Milovan Rajevac was no different. This side was tactically sound and played to their speedy and athletic strengths, but I suspect a more adventuresome coach offensively could have gotten this side to the semis under these favorable circumstances, Michael Essien notwithstanding. That said Rajevac’s strict and rigid tactics got them to the quarters, so I really can’t complain.

Did They Finish Where They Were Expected?  Well, somebody from the African continent had to make a run. I think most people thought it would be the Ivory Coast. I thought it would be Nigeria. We all were wrong.

Now What?  If they aren’t going to employ a Ghanaian coach, then Ghana might want to consider somebody west of eastern Europe. Or maybe from South America. Ghana has the talent to be a lot more than a one-dimensional team. A South American, western European or central European coach could probably get that out of them.

8. Paraguay

Psrhea, Sports,

What Went Right?  This side was all about DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE! Paraguay dropped a number of players back into their own half and with workmanlike organization closed it down. They were so good at compacting the center of their own end and maintaining their defensive rigidity that they gave their opponents hardly any space to get an attack through (there’s actually a certain genius to that). The players did such a fantastic job of playing within this disciplined system, subjugating their individual aspirations for the good of the, together conspiring to make every team they faced look like bumbling heavy-footed idiots with an almost pathological inability to complete a pass. Basically, they did nothing that hasn’t characterized this team for the better part of 15 years. They gave up a lot of possession but that was intended. The idea was to lure their opponents into a false sense of security in the back, and then – WHAM – hit them on the quick counterattack. Like every other defense-first team Paraguay of course relied heavily on opposition mistakes and mental lapses. Made extensive use of long passes and through balls. Definitely a different team as the game progresses; once they’ve frustrated their opponents with their ability to close down the back Paraguay gets a little more adventuresome in the last 15 to 20 minutes, actually sustaining some semblance of an attack and employing a mostly east-west approach to going forward. They were pretty decent at set pieces and corners, though. Most of all, not unlike Uruguay and Ghana, were the recipients of an obscene amount of good fortune with their draw; minnows Slovakia and New Zealand, an Italian side that was barely a shell of its former glory, and an upstart Japan side to face in the Round of 16.

What Went Wrong?  Counterattack was slipshod at best. Crosses, through balls, and long passes weren’t very good at all, which goes a long way towards explaining why the target men up front weren’t able to get on the end of them. Front players didn’t have the world’s greatest finishing skills. Midfield couldn’t create a thought, much less any kind of imaginative or sustained attack. The few times Paraguay did attack it was almost exclusively through the center, virtually ignoring the flanks altogether. Didn’t make diagonal runs or take advantage of space at all.

Who Stepped Up To The Plate?  The one big mistake aside, Justo Villar was pretty steady in goal. The backline of Antolin Alcaraz, Paulo da Silva, Claudio Morel Rodriquez and Dario Veron were as disciplined and reliable as they come. Victor Caceres was pretty good starting the break. Oscar Cardoza and Nelson Valdez got on the end of quick service and got some quality shots off. Good attacking energy when Enrique Vera came into a game off the bench

Who Didn’t Show Up?  Cristian Riveros was just a statue in the midfield; good on defense but a stop sign in possession. Edgar Baretto and Jonathan Santana were sad excuses as wingers; I’m still trying to figure out what their purpose was. Outside of Vera the reserves were pretty useless. It’s time for Roque Santa Cruz to go; he just hasn’t done anything to justify his inclusion on the side for years.

How Was The Coaching?  Paraguay executed the unwavering, inflexible system Gerardo Martino employed, so I guess Martino did a pretty good job. It wasn’t very pleasing to watch, but damned if it didn’t get them to the quarterfinals. I hear that Martino tried to install an attacking system two years ago in qualifying but got some really bad results. Sorry it didn’t work.

Did They Finish Where They Were Expected?  No, they finished much better than expected. Most of us surmised before the World Cup that Paraguay would get out of their group. We were just hoping there would be somebody with a little more football oomph than Japan waiting to take them out and save the rest of us the torture of having to watch them any further.

Now What?  Unfortunately for Paraguay this 8th place finish is probably going to convince them that they should keep doing what they are doing at the expense of playing more attack-minded, positive football, instead of realizing that an obscenely favorable draw is what got them this far. If so then this is as good as it’s going to get for Paraguay for the foreseeable future. That’s really too bad…

9. Japan

Psrhea, Sports,

What Went Right?  Executed a surprisingly positive, cohesive and attractive football approach very well. Stayed very disciplined in the back and compacted the box well without having to defend in numbers, yet used their quickness to get forward and attack with consistency. Japan varied their attack very well, mixing effective counterattacks with concerted, orchestrated attack buildup. A team that played set pieces and 50-50 balls very well even though they weren’t very big or tall. Showed a surprising ability to strike from long distance. Japan’s attack got into the box with regularity and kept opposition defenses on their heels by frequently getting players behind the backline. By far the best team in the tournament at direct free kicks. Never played it safe, choosing to attack early, late and often, and that got them lots of fans. Showed a surprising ability to take players on one-on-one both in possession and not. Played very clean football, never fouling too much and never getting caught up in theatrical gamesmanship. They may not have been the most creative or technically gifted team but they sure played with a confidence never before exhibited. Their last group game against Denmark was Japan at it’s very best; the Blue Samurai just thoroughly dismantled them in all phases of the game.

What Went Wrong?  Ran into a Paraguay side in the knockout round that was just stifling. They had to play good defense in their third of the pitch and good offense in the final third because they were inept at controlling the middle third. As a result, even teams with mediocre attacks (like Paraguay) got through their midfield with ease and took lots of shots on them. Didn’t have the most refined finishing skills inside the box, choosing instead to take their more quality shots on goal from long distance and on direct free kicks. There were several stretches where they had possession and looked passing the ball around but they just weren’t going anywhere, and they easily and frequently got dispossessed.

Who Stepped Up To The Plate?  The backline from left to right of Yuto Nagatoma, Marcus Tanaka, Yuji Nakazawa and Yiuchi Komano were simply a wall, allowing only two goals in four games, with Nagatomo showing great flair and attacking quality by creating his own shots on goal and getting on the scoreboard. Yasuhio Endo and Keisuke Honda were among the best midfield orchestrators and playmakers in the tournament and take a back seat to no one. Daisuke Matsui didn’t score but was marvelous at getting behind defenses, getting on the end of service in the box, and holding up play and finding Endo or Honda trailing into the box. Junichi Inamoto was the best midfield disruptor they had; why he was only a substitute and not on the pitch for a lion’s share of every fixture is beyond me. Shinji Okazaki was immediate offense up front off the bench.

Who Didn’t Show Up?  Defensive midfielder Yuki Abe and Makoto Hasebe were capable orchestrators but as the two players situated just in front of the backline shirked their defensive responsibilities altogether. Yoshito Okubo just kind of flew around without any rhyme or reason, not really contributing anything and giving away a lot of the Japanese possession, but hey, he looked good doing it. Glad to hear the Shunsuke Nakamura retired from international duty after South Africa, but he’d have been a lot more helpful if he had done that before the tournament.

How Was The Coaching?  Takeshi Okada got this side to play with confidence and discipline, and unlike his last stint as Japan’s coach 12 years ago, installed an attractive, attacking scheme that got them further than they’ve ever gotten away from home soil. He took a lot of heat for choosing less-known players who were hungry instead of the more well-known established ones, but in the end he was right. Keeping Nakamura out of the starting XI was clearly the right thing to do.

Did They Finish Where They Were Expected?  Actually they did better, getting to the knockout round out of a pretty tough group and winning games convincingly against two teams, Denmark and Cameroon, with much more of an international pedigree. This was a very successful World Cup for Japan.

Now What?  Here’s hoping that Japan keeps up the positive, open, attacking football while maintaining tactical discipline. They might want to consider getting defensive midfielders who actually defend some.