Champions defied poor stats at World Cup, says Fifa report

LAUSANNE: Passing, running and ball possession were not key in producing victories at the 2018 World Cup, but accurate shooting and clear tactics were, according to a Fifa report released on Tuesday.

It showed that champions France were only 19th among the 32 teams in possession percentage, 16th in total number of passes completed and 28th in distance covered per game, but were second, behind only hosts Russia, in the percentage of shots that scored.

“France did not win the trophy on the back of one performance: they won it over seven matches,” said the report by Fifa’s sevenman Technical Study Group, including Dutch great Marco van Basten and Brazilian World Cupwinning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

“France did not rely on ball possession, but rather focused on getting into the opposition’s half as fast as they could. And they had the players to do just that.”

“The successful teams had a distinct way of playing based on their players and coaching philosophy,” Parreira, who led Brazil to victory in the 1994 tournament, said of the four semi-finalists. “They had a game plan and believed in it.”

The report also said that the World Cup was short of classic playmakers, but the two who caught the eye both reached the final.

“We saw less of the so-called playmakers at this World Cup, perhaps as a result of the way teams played,” the report said. “However, there were still some outstanding individuals in this area, Paul Pogba of France excelled, but Luka Modric stole the show.”

“Playmakers can impose themselves on games, speed up or slow down the tempo, switch play, create and make things happen,” Parreira.

For many teams turning possession or passes into victories was a struggle.

“The team with the most average ball possession per match, Spain (69 per cent), failed to progress from the round of 16,” pointed out the report.

“Serbia were the hardest-running team at the tournament, covering an average of 113 km per game,” said the report. “By contrast, France were 28th in this respect, averaging 101 km per match.”

Russia scored a goal from every 4.5 shots, France were second with a goal from every six attempts.