Data from Opta, combined from every World Cup game since 1966, shows football has not changed in a straight line. Each period had a new trend, which was born against the trend itself. From long-distance pitching lines to patient compounds in front of the low defensive block, the World Cup as a miniature strategy book of world football.
Longball Era
If the 1966 World Cup Final was reruns between England and West Germany, many present - day spectators may be surprised by the way the play was so different. At that time, 25% of the pass number of two teams was at least 18 m long. To compare, at the 2022 World Cup, only one match reached the same proportion.
Preliminary Brazilian Garrincha (middle) collides with French goalkeeper Claude Abbes, while the rear guard Raymond Kaelbel monitors the situation at the 1958 World Cup semi-finals in Stockholm on 24/6. Brazil won France 5-2 to win the right to the final. Image: AFP
The tactical thinking of the time was simple. The teams put the ball forward as quickly as possible, and passed it back very little. Statistics indicate that at the 1966 World Cup, the ball was passed up to the front seven times as high as the back pass. By 2022, the ratio was about three times.
The role of the guard is also quite different now. They often stand apart from the rest of the formation, performing the task of breaking the ball or stretching. The notions such as deploying the ball from the subline or the guard involved building the game are almost unexisting.
Brazil 1970 and Football of the Future
Between the long football era, Brazil World Cup Championship 1970 appeared as a team from the future. While the majority of the opponent still prefers to move the ball real fast up the front line, Brazil passes short, turn the ball around and patiently find the gap. Less than 10% of their passes are long balls. The passing rate advanced over the back pass was also significantly lower than the general level of the tournament.
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Brazil 4-1 Italy: World Cup Final 1970
The major World Cup finals playout 1970.
The Brazilian volleyball network that year had many familiar features with modern football. The quarterbacks were closely connected, rear-guarding such as Carlos Alberto and Everaldo engaged in the attack and the formations maintained a clear structure rather than split into separate pieces.
Although there were still tracks of the old age, such as 19 of the 27 finals came from outside the ban, Brazil 1970 was considered as the opening team for middle-line control.
The Revolution of Major Football
To World Cup 1974, the Netherlands of Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff brought the tactical revolution to a new height. If the World Cup heat map 1966 shows the midfield area was quite empty, by the end of the 1970s, much of the play was focused on the area. The teams are no longer constantly moving the ball from one place to another.
Johan Cruyff turned the ball through goalkeeper Daniel Carnevali before scoring in the Dutch victory over Argentina 4-0 in the 1974 World Cup second round at Gelsenkirchen, Germany on 26/6/1974. Cruyff set a double in this game. Image: AFP
A notable census is that the average time the player holds the ball before the pass has declined over the decades. That reflects the growing narrowness of the football space and the teams have to process it faster.
The Netherlands not only extends the role of quarterbacks, but pulls the guard like Arie Haan and Wim Rijsbergen into the process of building the ball. The passing lines in the line became more popular. From here, the idea of space control by the passing system began to spread across the world.
The Age of Defence and Prevailing Traps
As teams got better at middle lines control, defensive systems were also developed to cope.
During the 1980s, the stalwart trap became a popular tactical weapon. The liners rose high and narrowed the gap between the glands to choke the game space. The number of pretences increased to the extent that the FIFA had to correct the law in 1990, allowing the attacker to stand in the line of the rear guard that was ultimately counted as unspecified.
Duration3:44
10 Best World Cup goal 1990
10 Best World Cup goal 1990.
This is also a time when football becomes more practical. The teams regularly passed back to the goalkeeper, who was then allowed to catch the ball with his hand from the team pass. The 1990 World Cup only scored an average of 2,2 goals per game, significantly reduced to a 2.8 table of the 1982 league.
After this tournament, FIFA banned goalkeepers from catching the ball from the pass. Just one World Cup later, the number of passes on the goalkeeper dropped by about 70%.
Football turns state to throne
From 1994 to 2006, the World Cup entered the state transition period. There's no room for safe passes, the teams are forced to put the ball up front under the pressure that's growing from "pressing". One of the most influential people of this period was Arriego Sacchi with a regional defense system 4-4-2.
Unlike the traditional accompanying type, the formation blocks are well organized and synchronized. As a result, the exact rate at the World Cup fell from 888 in 1986 to 76% in 2002, the lowest since 1966.
The football of this period was also attached to high-speed counter-attacks and tosses from the border. At the 2002 World Cup, 32% of the winnings appear within three scenarios after a toad, the highest rate in the statistical data.
The Ronaldo Morrowio player of the Brazilian team celebrated after scoring his second goal on the German team net in the World Cup finals at Nissan Stadium in Midtown, Kanagawa County, Japan June 8,2002. Image: Reuters
The era of shadow control
The 2008-2012-stage Spanish team puts the ball control trend to the top. At World Cup 2010, they performed an average of 525 passes per game, belonging to the highest group in league history. Only 7.7% of the pass is long ball. The time between the two passes was only about 2.5 seconds, while the average length per pass was 15.3 m.
The important thing is not at the ball control rate. Spain passed much to pull the entire formation up to the opposing courtyard, while also facilitated counterpressing, which put pressure on the opponent immediately after losing the ball.
This is the period of the concept of "rest defence" - defensive structure in the attack - becoming popular. The teams not only think about how to score the goal, but prepare the plan to get it back as soon as they lose it.
Duration3:36
Top 10 Best World Cup 2010
Top 10 Best World Cup Table 2010.
The era of low-defensive Blocks
The 2022 World Cup shows football stepping back into a new developmental direction. Many teams use medium or low defense blocks with very high organizational properties. Morocco is an example when entering the semi-finals using a counter-disciplined defense game.
As a result, the attack teams were harder to break through the traffic. Only 16% of the pitchings to a third of the end of the yard took place through the central sector, the lowest of 15 World Cup periods being analyzed.
Little King of Qatar (left) dressed as a Muslim cloak on player Lionel Messi after the 2022 World Cup final on December 18th. Image: AFP
Instead, teams find their way to the border and then run back to the second line. The 2022 World Cup recorded an average of 2.3 opportunities per game created from these lines, the highest since 1978. A total of 22 goals stemmed from similar situations.
As a result, the average breakoff gap was reduced to 16.4 m, the lowest World Cup history. At the same time, 63% of the kicks were taken in the land ban, the highest level ever recorded.
What tactics will take place in the 2026 World Cup?
The 2022 World Cup takes place between the season, November and December, which helps the players to be more energized. This period has only 24% of the winnings coming from the dead ball, the lowest of the last 15 periods.
However, the 2026 World Cup will take place during the hot summer in North America. The team also supplements a variety of fixture experts. So, not eliminating the possibility that teams will try to make better use of dead balls.
This mark has appeared before the tournament. Coach Thomas Tuchel says the British recruits bring in multi-professional formations for different scripts, from maintaining the score to finding the goal when led first. The German coach also emphasized the goal of making the team strong in fixed situations and the circulation series.
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