Articles
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A Difficult Start to the 2022 World Cup for Africa’s Five Teams
It was never going to be easy for the African teams in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the first round of games showed that. None of the five teams were able to get a win and the two games they did manage to get a point were both goalless draws. At face value, it’s…
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Tactical Analysis: South Korea 0-0 Uruguay
Whilst Portugal began their World Cup campaign with a 3-2 win against Ghana, their Group H rivals Uruguay were held to a 0-0 draw against South Korea. Despite having 57% possession and 10 shots to South Korea’s 7, only one shot on target was produced with La Celeste testing Kim Seung-gyu on one occasion. Diego…
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How Morocco Held Croatia to a Clean Sheet to Open Their World Cup
Four years after losing to France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, Croatia began their 2022 FIFA World Cup by taking on the Atlas Lions in their first group stage match. The match was in Al Khor, Qatar, but it could have just as easily been in Casablanca due to the large number of…
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Analyzing the Set-piece Patterns in the First Round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Matches
In the first round of World Cup matches, we saw various teams cause a major threat with set-pieces. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting and effective patterns that led to genuine chances from set-pieces over the first week of the tournament. Germany vs. Japan Japan had 3 zonal players, 2…
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Tactical Analysis: France 4-1 Australia
No Karim Benzema, no Christophe Nkunku, no N’Golo Kanté, no Paul Pogba…no problem. France turned around an early deficit and thrashed Australia 4-1 to open their 2022 FIFA World Cup with a victory. Let’s take a look at how Les Bleus defeated the Socceroos at Al Janoub Stadium. Australia’s Build-up Strategy Australia’s 2+3…
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Tactical Analysis: Croatia 0-0 Morocco
Morocco opened their 2022 World Cup campaign against the defending finalists in Croatia, with the Atlas Lions holding their own and securing a tense 0-0 draw at Al Bayt Stadium. This game was largely played in midfield with neither team willing to take many risks — Morocco did not create much in the way of…
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How Saudi Arabia’s Tactical Gamble Helped Them Stun Argentina
Saudi Arabia’s shock win over Argentina is one for the World Cup history books. A huge 48 places separate the two nations in the FIFA world rankings, yet Herve Renard’s side still delivered an upset for the ages in the opening Group C match in Qatar. Lionel Messi’s penalty opened the scoring as the…
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Gabriel Jesus’ Conversion Rate and the Foretelling of Fate
As a consequence to the sheer statistical significance that being the Premier League leaders at Christmas has historically proved, Arsenal fans have been given a substantial boost to their hopes of toppling Manchester City’s crown. The Gunners’ electric start puts them amongst illustrious company in the record books. They have become the eighth Premier League…
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Absence of Gambling Sponsors at NZ Football Clubs: The Reasons
Gambling corporations would support football clubs instead of a large advertising platform. As a result, gaming firms would exploit this enhanced brand recognition to engage and keep clients through targeted promotions. Contrary to popular belief, New Zealand Football does not have gambling sponsors. This is the regular pattern despite the fact that it is…
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Tactical Analysis: Denmark 0-0 Tunisia
Less than an hour after Saudi Arabia pulled off the shock of the tournament by beating Argentina, Tunisia pulled off a shock of their own by drawing 0-0 against Denmark. Tunisia would operate in a 3-4-3 formation, with Jalel Kadri eager to counteract the 3-5-2 of Danish manager Kasper Hjulmand. Tunisia’s Build-up Play…
