“Qatar 2022 World Cup special report”
Original title: Replacement of new and old players, change of tactical trend, adjustment of game rules (quote)
In the World Cup, watch the changes in football (topic)
People’s DailyReporter Chen Chenxi Liu Shuoyang Tao Xiangan Wang Liang
After 29 days and 64 games, the World Cup in Qatar came to an end in the early morning of December 19th, Beijing time. As the Argentine player Lionel Messi lifted the Hercules Cup in the splendid fireworks, another good story was left in the football world.
The replacement of new and old players, changes in tactical trends, and adjustments to game rules have made the World Cup in Qatar full of topics and highlights. From the changes and trends on the field, we can see the future of football.
Both old and new generations of players performed brilliantly
The final between the Argentina team and the French team was more like a direct dialogue between the old and new generations of top football players. The 35-year-old Messi and the just-turned-24-year-old Mbappe, as high-profile players of the two teams, had the same inspiration on the field. Now decides the direction of the game.
In the end, Messi finally realized his championship dream on his fifth World Cup trip, and his performance exceeded all previous ones. In this World Cup, Messi scored 7 goals and contributed 3 assists, directly participated in 2/3 of Argentina’s goals, and won the World Cup Golden Globe after the game.
Messi’s performance was strong, and Mbappe’s performance was equally amazing: he knocked on the Argentine team’s goal three times in the final, becoming the first player to score 3 goals in a single game in a final since the 1966 World Cup. In the end, Mbappe won the World Cup’s top scorer with 8 goals. In two competitions, Mbappe won a championship and a runner-up in the World Cup stage, and personally scored 12 goals. With such achievements at a young age, his future is worth looking forward to.
The end of the World Cup also means the beginning of farewell. With Messi winning the cup, the “Melo Controversy” finally came to an end. People may not be able to see the two people show their skills in the World Cup again, but the competition between the two players can still be regarded as a good story in football. The 37-year-old Modric led the Croatian team to play 7 games again, and his statement that he will continue to represent the national team made the fans even more excited.
“Post-00 players” will also become a label of this World Cup. Many young players have completed their debut in the world‘s top football arena with wonderful performances. The 21-year-old Argentine teenager Enzo Fernandez won the best rookie trophy after the final. England’s Bellingham and Saka, Spain’s Garvey and Pedri, Germany’s Musiala and other post-2000 players They also play an important role in the team. Four years later, they may be able to achieve greater success in the World Cup.
Controlled football is not as effective as a pragmatic counterattack
According to FIFA statistics after the final, 172 goals were scored in this tournament, more than any previous World Cup. The previous highest number of goals scored was 171 goals in the 1998 and 2014 World Cups.
Do more goals make the game more exciting? The answer to this question varies. One point of view is that more and more teams choose to play defensively and counterattack, give up possession of the ball, and strive to be invincible with simple and pragmatic techniques and tactics. Among them, the Morocco team, which broke into the top four, is a typical representative. It is the team’s winning move to fight back through tough defense. European strong teams such as France, Croatia, and the Netherlands have also begun to no longer pursue to dominate the game with pass control, but to give more time to the opponent.
In this game, neither the Spanish team nor the German team, which insisted on pass-and-control play, could go further. In this regard, the well-known French coach Wenger said that it is not that pass control is outdated, but that modern football must take into account efficiency and speed. It should be noted that the delicate techniques such as stopping and catching the ball necessary for passing and controlling football are still the basis for future football development.
After winning the championship, the Argentine team became another World Cup champion team from South America since Brazil in 2002. Of the 26 players in the team, only the substitute goalkeeper Armani plays in his home league, and the rest play in the European league. Today, Europe is the region with the best popularity and development of football. Many talented players from other continents have received professional youth training in European clubs since childhood. In this context, the technical and tactical characteristics of teams from all continents are no longer distinct, but are evolving in an integrated direction. Almost every team that has entered the World Cup finals is like a well-functioning team that rarely makes mistakes. The machine, which also narrowed the distance between the participating teams to a certain extent.
At the moment when the balance of strength and weakness has changed, the AFC team has seized the opportunity to impress the world in this World Cup. Australia, Japan and South Korea advanced to the round of 16, and Iran and Saudi Arabia also defeated strong opponents in the group stage. This also proves that as long as the correct football development path is adhered to, it is entirely possible for AFC teams to compete with European and American teams.
Rule adjustments give birth to a new situation in football
In the final, the French team, which fell behind by two goals, made two substitutions in the first half. Thuram and Mouani, who came off the bench, both played an important role in the team’s equalization process. It should be said that the “five substitutions” rule allowed France coach Didier Deschamps to dare to make more risky adjustments in the final, which ultimately made the final more suspenseful.
In May 2020, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is responsible for formulating the rules of football games, announced that it would temporarily increase the number of substitutions per game for each team from 3 to 5. In June this year, IFAB approved the long-term retention of this rule. This competition is the first time that the “five substitutions” rule has been implemented in the World Cup.
From the effect point of view, each team has two more substitutions, which adds more uncertainty to the game. Teams with more attackers can play two offensive lineups in the game, while the defensive side can also increase the defensive intensity with targeted substitutions.
It is worth mentioning that this World Cup will be the last football event with 32 teams participating. Starting from the next session, the number of participating teams in the World Cup finals will be officially expanded to 48. This also means that under the new rules, a new situation will emerge in the World Cup. Africa with 9.5 qualifiers and Asia with 8.5 qualifiers will have more teams competing.