World Cup 2018! Four teams left and its an all European affair!
2018 World Cup has been one of the most exciting tournaments ever: VAR, goals, late equalisers, drama, penalties, colourful fans, Russia fans, Global fans, and great football
It’s the 21st edition, and the first time ever that a World Cup has not had one of Brazil, Argentina or Germany in the semi final.
Still no African or Asian team in the business part of the World Cup, so are there any lessons we can learn from this and most especially, previous world cups?
What are the essential ingredients needed to go all the way?
What can we learn from the past winning teams, to be able to clone, or produce future winners?
THE STAR MAN?
In 1966, Pele was the star of the World Cup. As defending champions, Pele and Brazil arrived as clear favourites to win but crashed out at the group stage! Pele couldn’t achieve the impossible.
In 1982, Diego Maradona came to the World Cup as the rising star of the game, as defending champions Argentina were meant to be lifted to glory with the presence of Maradona. Unfortunately that never happened and shockingly, Maradona and Argentina crashed out at the group stage.
We have seen Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo (arguably the best three players of this generation) depart this tournament, so clearly its just not enough to have the best player in the world in your team, is it?
Cruyff in ’74 and ’78, Platini in ’86, (78-86) Rummenige, Puskas in ’54, Eusebio in ’66, Zico ’86 (’78 – ’82) were all great players, Baloon d’or winners, best players in the world in their time but who failed to win the World Cup.
So it’s not always about the Star Man and Messi and Ronaldo are not alone, even Pele and Diego had tournaments where it didn’t happen for them…
So what do you need?
If we went into a chamber to create future World Cup winners, what would we be looking to add as pre-requisites?
Let me share with you some things I have learnt;
- WORLD CLASS PLAYERS WIN IT, AND EVEN THE GENIUS NEEDS THEM AROUND HIM TO WIN IT.
Everybody still talks about Pele winning the World Cup for Brazil three times, but did he actually ‘win’ the three cups, solely for Brazil?
Was Pele the only one who won the cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970? If Pele wasn’t the only one, who did?
In 1958, Pele didn’t even play until the third game, although and didn’t get going until the quarter final.
In 1962, Pele only played two games before he got injured and watched his teammates go all the way.
In 1970 however, it was Pele’s show, and Pele’s world cup.
In 1970, Pele was the ‘icing on the cake’ that was Jairzinho, Tostao, Revelino, Gerson, Carlos Alberto (dubbed the captain of captains), Clodoaldo and Everaldo who were world class players around him
In 1962, Brazil didn’t need Pele (he was injured and taken off in the 2nd game) they had Garincha, Vava, Didi, Zagallo, Jair, Djalma Santos (only one of three players ever in 3 World Cup all star teams, Beckenbauer and Philip Lahm the other two) Amarildo, Nilton Santos, Mauro, Zito who were all world class players
In 1958 Pele was the ‘stand out’ performer in a star studded team of world greats Djalma Santos, Nilton Santos, Didi, Vava, Garincha, Zagallo, Bellini and Zito
Maradona with Argentina In 1986? he was the icing on the cake with Valdano, Burruchaga, Guisti, Passarella, Ruggeri, Cucuiffo, Olarticochea, Pumpido, Batista, Brown who were great assistants
What about Beckenbauer with Germany In 1974, the Kaiser was the general of generals that included Sepp Maier, Berti Vogts, Paul Breitner, Gunter Netzer, Jump Heynckes, Gerd Muller, Uli Hoeness, Rainer Bonhof, and Wolfgang Overath among others…. Wow! No wonder Johan Cruyff couldn’t inspire his team to beat Germany. This was a great team with the fuhrungs spieler being Beckenbauer
In 2002, Ronaldo and Brazil had Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, kaka, Cafu, Gilberto Silva, Lucio, Robert Carlos, Juninho, Kleberson
In 1998, France had Zidane, Desailly, Henry, Djorkaeff, Lizarazu, Deschamps, Blanc, Thierry Henry, Thuram, Petit, Viera, Pires, Lebouef, karembeu, Trezeguet, and Dugarry among others
In 1990, Germany was just too much for everyone else with Matthaus, Brehme, Kohler, Klinsmann, Then, Augenthaler, Littbarski, Moller, Hasler, Voller, Riedle, Kopke, Buchwald, Reuter. No wonder they saw off Diego Maradona.
In 1982, Italy came with Paolo Rossi, Dino Zoff, Baresi, Berghomi, Gentile, Antognioni, Tardelli, Conti, Altobelli, Collovati
England took Football home in 1966 with Bobby Charlton, Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Jack Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Nobby Stiles, Alf Ramsay, Jimmy Greaves, Ray Wilson, Bonetti, Roger Hunt and Alan Ball
In 2014 Germany had Phillip Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Muller, Neuer, Klose, Podolski, Hummels, Khedira, Boateng, Mertesacker
- YOU NEED A GREAT GOAL SCORER OR A SUPERB GOAL KEEPER, OR A FUHRUNGS SPIELER OR A COMBINATION OF ALL
2014 Manuel Neuhrer, 2010 Casillas, David Villa (Spain scored only 8 goals and Villa netted 5 of them), Iniesta and Xavi, 2006 Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Pirlo, 2002 Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo. 1998 Zinedine Zidane, Fabian Barthez. 1994 Romario, Bebeto and Taffarrel. 1990 Bodo Illnger, Matthaus, Klinsmann, Voller. 1986 Diego Maradona. 1982 Paolo Rossi and Dino Zoff. 1978 Mario Kempes, Ardilles and Fillol. 1974 Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier and Franz Beckenbauer. 1970 Pele and Jairzinho. 1966 Gordon Banks and Bobby Charlton. 1962 Garincha, Vava, Zagallo. 1958 Garincha, Pele, Vava. 1954 four German players scored 18 goals; Max Morlock, Helmut Rahn, Hans Schafer and Ottmar Walter. 1950 Oscar Miguez, Schiaffino.
- TACTICAL INNOVATION WINS
1970: Brazil wrestled the World Cup from the others several times with Jogar-Bonito, but in 1970, Brazil changed football with the 4-2-4 attacking formation and they also responded to European physicality by adopting power, strength and fitness to flair and went on to lift the cup on that innovation.
In 2010, Spain came with Tiki-Taka, playing at times with a false number nine, creating problems for the opposition centre halves who didn’t know who to mark, but at same time overloading the middle of the park, dominating possession in the process and tiring out the opposition. Spain won the World Cup with one of the fewest number of goals scored by any winning team ever.
In 1990, Germany birthed the libero and the wing back system to devastating effect under Coach Beckenbauer who had played and won the World Cup as a playmaker in a back four sixteen years earlier. In 1990, Germany played with more than one playmaker.
Italy dominated with the Catenaccio for several years, and still won in 2006 playing a modern catenaccio , the chain or doorbolt defensive system ; a highly organised and effective backline defence focused on nullifying opponents’ attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities.
Other winners had different innovations too: Uruguay were just too powerful and athletic in the 1930s with the traditional outside left, outside right, inside left and inside right and centre forward tactic, five upfront. As Olympic champions they dominated for long and perhaps the world wars denied them more World Cup triumphs.
The Germans were the turnier maanschaft and the masters of zweikampfe mit erfolg (duels with success)
Argentina always won with South American flair, non compromising defence and and power.
Brazil in ’94 tweaked the jogar bonito and introduced some steel into their play (again as Beckenbauer repeated in 1990 what he did as a player in ’74, Zagallo too repeated the 1970 win as a player in ’94 by repeating what worked: nullifying European physicality with Brazilian physicality making Brazil impossible to stop with Mauro Silva and Dunga in the middle of the park.
In 2014, Germany introduced flair into their game – an innovation and a deviation from the traditional way of the Maanschaft – and this introduction of flair, skill and technical prowess, combined with the perfect abwher and German steel, won Germany the World Cup in Brazil.
- THE OTHER INGREDIENTS AND VARIABLES
INTERNATIONAL CLASS vs WORLD CLASS vs GENIUS : So what happens when there are several superior teams and a team with a genius?
Well what I have noticed is that the total sum of all equal parts would always prevail. If a team has World class players in abundance and much more than the team with a genius, more often than not, the team prevails against the genius. If the genius has several world class players around him however they give him a platform to rise and win the World Cup. If the genius has only international class players around him or average players, I am yet to see him win the World Cup unfortunately.
Going back in time, and studying countries that have won the World Cup in the past, these are the core factors that either singularly make a country world champions, or as part of a whole other factors, crown them World Cup winners.
But is that all? Of course not.
So what other ingredients are needed, or would assist those above to turn a country into world champions?
I’ll be back….