For Coaches, Managers, GMs and Players here are five ideas or lessons that could help your team going forward into your next match or season!
1) Every team that has been successful has a way of playing that is their own! Favored squad or not they have a way of playing that suits their team. This is not to say they only have one way of playing ,quite the contrary ,these teams have an A plan, a B plan and sometimes a C. So these teams can adapt within their own style.
2) Successful teams at the 2018 World Cup are good at set pieces! They work on attacking and defending set pieces! So far I have it at 38. This even means working on PKs. Teams that have missed these have paid the price. Creative and well worked offensively and tough and focused defensively!
3) Teams playing up to or beyond their potential have taken the field ready to compete! Whether they were favored or not they were ready with a plan to play as hard as they can from the opening whistle! The teams coming out on top also play all the way to the final whistle! Competing from beginning to end is what the teams reaching their ceiling are able to do thus far in this tournament.
4) Possession stats have meant almost nothing! Two good examples of this are Russia vs KSA and Mexico vs Germany with both the winning teams having much less possession. The teams doing well have been putting the ball into dangerous situations whether it be into the box or on the counterattack.
5) Those teams having a real team spirit have been able to get the most out of their squads! When every member of the team is bought in from superstar to journeyman, those teams have been their best and the most successful. Every teammate is willing to defend and work for the team.
At BDE we will be watching for more ideas and lessons along the way to help us become better at The Beautiful Game!
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