Defense - the key to winning the World Cup 2022?
The eight teams that reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup all possess top attacking stars. Perhaps the most impressive is Brazil, who brought nine strikers to Qatar, while Argentina has Lionel Messi and France is Kylian Mbappe.
However, the history of previous World Cups shows that, in order to accurately predict the winning team, it is necessary to look at the defense. Spain in the 2010 World Cup is a prime example when winning 1-0 in all knock-out matches. Four years ago, if the number of goals was a prerequisite for the championship, then Belgium was the winning team, not France. In the last six World Cups, the winning teams have kept 17 clean sheets in 24 knockout matches.
The level of organization and fighting spirit underpins the North African team's certainty. Although only three months of work, coach Walid Regragui deserves praise when the "Lion of Atlas" conceded only one goal in the eight matches he led. The certainty in the defense will give Morocco confidence when facing Portugal - the team that is scoring the most goals at the 2022 World Cup (12 goals, equal to England).
In theory, the Portuguese defense is a combination of the experience of Pepe and the class of Ruben Dias, with two capable full-backs Joao Cancelo and Raphael Guerreiro. Perhaps, the layout of Santos' squad, when using only one defensive midfielder Ruben Neves, made the Portuguese defense more fragile.
A remarkable point is that when winning at Euro 2016, Portugal also lost four goals in the group stage. But when they entered the knockout round, they did not let Croatia, Wales or host France concede a goal.
The performance of Gareth Southgate's teachers and students in Qatar was different from before, when only keeping a clean sheet in one of six matches before the World Cup. There have been worries for the "Three Lions" by the absence of two full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell. Southgate also controversially summoned two players who have not recovered from injuries Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker, and trusted Harry Maguire - who lost his starting position at Man Utd at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season.
However, three consecutive clean sheets against the US, Wales and Senegal prove that Southgate has a right to trust players who have proven their ability in his hands like Maguire, John Stones or Kieran Trippier. However, there is an opinion that England's opponents are not worthy and meeting France in the quarterfinals will test their ability.
However, with world-class defenders in the squad, France's uncertainty may be temporary. Four years ago, teachers and students Didier Deschamps kept clean sheets in both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals. Not only that, their two central defenders also scored important goals - Raphael Varane scored in the 2-0 win over Uruguay in the quarter-finals and Samuel Umtiti scored the only goal when France beat Belgium 1-0 in the semi-finals. Two full-backs Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez also played sublimely.
Brazil has suffered from injuries to defenders. They lost Danilo in the opening match, beat Serbia 2-0, and then Alex Sandro when they beat Switzerland 1-0. In the loss to Cameroon, Alex Telles was also injured and had to leave the World Cup. Danilo has recovered and started against Korea but Sandro is still not sure if he can play against Croatia.
Due to Tite bringing nine strikers to Qatar, Brazil's defense is relatively fragile. Entering the important matches in the knockout round, this gamble becomes even more risky for the South American team. One bright spot Brazil can count on is the form of goalkeeper Alisson, who has made five saves in three games.
Croatia proved the bravery of the 2018 World Cup runners-up, defeating Canada and eliminating Japan in the penalty shootout. Their achievement has a significant contribution from Josko Gvardiol, who according to coach Dalic is the best central defender in the world despite being only 20 years old. Gvardiol's save in front of Romelu Lukaku's boot in the final minutes of the match against Belgium is one of the most impressive moments so far at the 2022 World Cup.
In addition, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic shows that he is a worthy successor to senior Danijel Subasic in the wooden frame. Livakovic saved three of Japan's four penalties, helping Croatia win their third consecutive World Cup shootout.
In the quarterfinals, Scaloni is likely to still trust Romero, because the Netherlands is considered one of the best air combat teams in Europe. After winning 2-1 over Australia, despite being awarded the Player of the Match award, Lionel Messi rated two central defenders Otamendi and Romero as the biggest contributors. If Craig Goodwin's shot hadn't touched Enzo Fernandes and changed direction, perhaps Argentina would have entered the quarterfinals with three consecutive clean sheets.
The Netherlands conceded two goals, one in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador in the group stage and one against the US in the round of 16. Along with England, they are the team that won the most (three) and lost the least (0) after four matches. The confrontation between the Dutch defense and the Argentine attack is one of the most awaited things in the quarterfinals.
