Teams with pure defensive control outperformed those with more attacking output

[HelliumZ]

If a team's defense was not strong, it would not have been possible for that team to reach the final. I remember one thing in the match against Germany where Brazil conceded seven goals, Brazil's defense was broken in such a way that Brazil's weakness as a team was revealed the most. However, Brazil was not such a weak team in that World Cup. But in that match against Germany, Brazil's defense was severely disrupted.
Moreover in this World Cup, Cape Verde's defense was extremely strong and the goalkeeper's skills were very impressive. That's why they were able to draw almost all the matches in the group stage and reach the round of 32.
But if we compare Argentina's defense in the final, I can say that they could not organize their defense like in the final that day. Even Argentina could not use the forwards and midfielders with enough balancing. Due to which the match was a bad match that we did not expect from a team like Argentina.

[Findingnemo]

When you are already on the lead, then defense is a good strategy but we also need good defenders on the side to execute it properly, but with good defenders alone a team can't win because they need better players to take the lead and keep possession. That is why it is a game of team and at the end of the day, a better team wins among the two playing teams.

[Issa56]

When you are already on the lead, then defense is a good strategy but we also need good defenders on the side to execute it properly, but with good defenders alone a team can't win because they need better players to take the lead and keep possession. That is why it is a game of team and at the end of the day, a better team wins among the two playing teams.

If you are already winning, you can play a complete defensive game to block your opponent, but if you are playing draw, I don’t always encourage a team to play complete defensive game in a match, because it doesn’t always end well. When a team is playing defensive game, and their opponents is having a strong attack, their is always pressure on the team playing defensive game, and at the end mistake might happen in the defense, and they going to concede. Since the other team is playing defense game, they going to find it difficult to score back, and we have seen things like this happen in different matches. So as a team it’s better you balance things, make sure you defend and still attack.

[coinlary]

Spain has a more balance team structure than just defense , they have good defensive midfielders as well and they are good at attack with good wingers /attackers.  

If you watch most of their game closely, they shift their positions from back to almost the edge of the other half. There's  always a gap between the keeper  and  the defenders but in .most cases the midfield does most of the dirty job before even getting to the defenders who need to just make crucial safe.  

With defense & midfield so close in  on the other half already , it's so hard to break while they still have more chance to attack.

In short they don't  play defensively  but they attack  from time to time .

[Byebyebtc]

The only downside of this is that if the opposing team scores first they might get disorganized in order for them to get a goal, so personally I do feel that spain as a country is balanced they are not just defenseive they are also good in attacking, and talking about what made them survive the full world cup I will personally say it is their midfield, they have a very solid mid field and their passes are incredibly accurate the team overall is a good team

Another team might try to play defensive game and it will not work for them, so I feel its more about their overall capability than defense or attack

[Fortify]

‎The world cup has come and gone with Spain being the winner. While watching the match last night, I said to my friend that the first team to score first, would win the game, but he doubted me because clearly everyone thinks Argentina would score more goals as they have always come from behind in the final minutes to equalize and win all their matches so far.

‎What I noticed and have realized so far throughout this tournament is that, the teams who had the tactics of defense dominated those who had pure attacking output and this is exactly what Spain did right from holding the midfield and from the beginning of the tournament, that they only conceded one goal across 8 matches till they got to the final and won still.
‎
‎My question is, are we seeing a time where national teams have to concentrate more on defensive control rather than attacking, in order to dominate and win major tournaments?
‎
‎Is defensive play returning to dominate the pure attacking tactics of play?

Defensive play was arguably the downfall of the England team when they got one goal ahead in the semi final, afterwards it was heard (and you could also see with the restructured play style) that that coach had directed them to play more defensively, but it completely backfired. It might get you to a certain level of the tournament but the best teams keep the pressure on by attacking relentlessly, albeit with a strong defense when they lose possession of the ball. It's only really worth analyzing the last 4-10 games to see how the best teams perform, because they are the ones that really showcase what is needed to reach the highest levels and the defensive teams might just have been a bit above average.

[EluguHcman]

‎The world cup has come and gone with Spain being the winner. While watching the match last night, I said to my friend that the first team to score first, would win the game, but he doubted me because clearly everyone thinks Argentina would score more goals as they have always come from behind in the final minutes to equalize and win all their matches so far.

I am sure that your friend had every right to doubt your prediction because it is not certain that once a team scores the first goal means they will win.

You also failed to prove your point to be convince able. Using past data on teams performance and the activities of the key players might look nice actually but the outcomes does not always follow a tradition to be repeatative in concurrent.
I guess lot of bettors had lost their bets in the final match because much was really expected from the Argentina which was not accomplished. Instead they got beaten by Spain.

My prediction confidence in the game was that there will not be up to 3 goals total at the full time.

[Queen uloma]

Above all, Spain played a well coordinated game and they control the ball possession pretty well, if we compare them to how Argentina player's composure and pressure was in the world cup finals, Spain defense through put the world cup tournament is strong and considering the low goals conceded through the knockout and semi finals of the world cup, Spain defense absolutely paved the way for the successful attacking and midfielder they hard through out the world cup and eventually winning the world cup.

You’re very correct, Spain really play well as a team. Their coordination and ball possession make it difficult for opponents to control the game. One thing is that their defense was very organized. They didn’t give room for opponents to create many clear chances, and this defensive setup is what gave the midfield and attack confidence to play their normal game.

In football, it’s not only attackers who win trophies. A balance team that has a solid defense, clinical attack and creative midfield always has a good chance of going far in any tournament. If a team always concede few goals throughout the knockout stage, it shows that the defenders and goalkeepers are doing their job very well. So, just because Spain won the World Cup, isn’t because of the attackers alone but it’s a collective effort of all the teams.

[Miles2006]

I don’t agree with this though, judging base on Spain vs Argentina alone is not enough to raise an argument about defense and attack system although Spain won the match.
When a club is going all defensive it’s risky at some point mostly when the club is leading with just one goal difference, anything can happen reason why Spain also was at risk if only Argentina scored a goal which would have result to a penalty match. I agree defense system is much stronger but, should be use alongside a better strategy like we’ve watched several match for example Arsenal against PSG and other more club who thought they had much control after scoring a single goal and focusing more on defense well it’s not so easy still we can’t trust the defense with just one goal.

[Rubuchi]

Football is really about balance OP, any team that concentrates more on defense than attack will  also find it very difficult to net some goal.. So the goal isn't just to defend but also have attackers on the front who will be able to receive solid passes so as to score goal.. Assuming Spain gameplay was majorly defense, they would have been unable to score that 1 winning goal as well as the other goals that was cancelled..

you are not far from the truth but I will also add that it is better to have a more solid and detailed defensive system than to build on the offensive side without solidifying the defense. In most of the cases, a team with a stronger defense tend to thrive more than a team with strong attack and poor defense. I see the same with the Spanish team. They had a very strong defense with a pretty solid attack too but their defense seemed to be more unbreakable in reality than the attack it self. The likes of Lamine Yamal was not favored over other team players yet his respect was accorded to him with him remaining in the pitch in most of the time.

[Yablee0]

Football is really about balance OP, any team that concentrates more on defense than attack will  also find it very difficult to net some goal.. So the goal isn't just to defend but also have attackers on the front who will be able to receive solid passes so as to score goal.. Assuming Spain gameplay was majorly defense, they would have been unable to score that 1 winning goal as well as the other goals that was cancelled..

you are not far from the truth but I will also add that it is better to have a more solid and detailed defensive system than to build on the offensive side without solidifying the defense. In most of the cases, a team with a stronger defense tend to thrive more than a team with strong attack and poor defense. I see the same with the Spanish team. They had a very strong defense with a pretty solid attack too but their defense seemed to be more unbreakable in reality than the attack it self. The likes of Lamine Yamal was not favored over other team players yet his respect was accorded to him with him remaining in the pitch in most of the time.

The whole truth of the matter is that, for example  if the head being part of a body system is faulty it will definitely tell negatively on the other part of the body, the same thing if the other part of the body isn't ok that's how it will likely affect the head. So what I mean is that no wing in footfall game is less important, the both of them is needed to function perfectly. However, both having a solid defense and also having a great attacking system is also very necessary as long as foot games is as stake.  However, it'll be well perfect if everything is been balanced and normalize so that the opponent can't take advantage of  any available loophole.

[ZeroVinsonN]

When you are already on the lead, then defense is a good strategy but we also need good defenders on the side to execute it properly, but with good defenders alone a team can't win because they need better players to take the lead and keep possession. That is why it is a game of team and at the end of the day, a better team wins among the two playing teams.

It doesn't always pay to play the defensive when you are winning, it might seem like a smart idea and I'm sure it works most time but there are times when it's better to become even more offensive especially when you are leading with just one goal, the more goals you are leading with the better and going completely defensive will reduce your chances of scoring more goals, Egypt tried it and Argentina still beat them at the end.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

Sir Alex Ferguson once said “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”

He’s one of the most successful club managers in history so I guess he is a good person to listen to on this statement.

[TopTort777]

Was really a defensive strategy or teams were just not able to score? I just cant imagine a defensive strategy in football. Each team have always 1 or 2 speedy strikers that try to run away after a long pass. Or they play ball pass until find 1 moment to score. If they just pass ball from player to player, is this really a defensive strategy to kill time, or they are trying to find opportunity to score? Football in general isnt the sport with a lot of goals in one game. 1:0 is a very common score, and rest 90+ minutes players just kick ball to their teammates.

[Sticky Bomb]

‎The world cup has come and gone with Spain being the winner. While watching the match last night, I said to my friend that the first team to score first, would win the game, but he doubted me because clearly everyone thinks Argentina would score more goals as they have always come from behind in the final minutes to equalize and win all their matches so far.

I had this same belief, in fact I was expecting Spain to score in the extra-time, especially as Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the additional time of normal play

‎Is defensive play returning to dominate the pure attacking tactics of play?

Having a strong defense is a huge plus and this is not only about the back defense, but central defense as well. If the defense is solid, the attackers can be more focused on doing their job to perfection, but when the defense is weak, the attackers would still be taking the roles of false defenders and limiting their efficiency. A weak defense is easily overrun and concede goals(This is the main problem with Bayern and why PSG removed them in UCL semi-finals), but if your backline and central defense can hold off threats to a good margin, it places the team at a greater possibility of winning matches.

[Kelward]

Sir Alex Ferguson once said “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”

He’s one of the most successful club managers in history so I guess he is a good person to listen to on this statement.

Defense is the stronghold of a team, if a team focus on attack and leave their defense to be vulnerable it means that if their opponent is able to beat their attack they will easily manoeuvre a weak defense and score a lot of goals. Although a team can hardly score goals if their strategy is focused on defense and that is why their is need for balance depending on the strength of your opponent and if you need a win or draw in the game to go ahead. If your team is playing with another team that have top scorers it means that your best option is to go defensive inorder not to conceive many goals but if the opponent is an average or weak  team your team can relax on defense and focus on attack to get many goals.

[Somto9Light]

You’re very correct, Spain really play well as a team. Their coordination and ball possession make it difficult for opponents to control the game. One thing is that their defense was very organized. They didn’t give room for opponents to create many clear chances, and this defensive setup is what gave the midfield and attack confidence to play their normal game.

In football, it’s not only attackers who win trophies. A balance team that has a solid defense, clinical attack and creative midfield always has a good chance of going far in any tournament. If a team always concede few goals throughout the knockout stage, it shows that the defenders and goalkeepers are doing their job very well. So, just because Spain won the World Cup, isn’t because of the attackers alone but it’s a collective effort of all the teams.

Totally agreed, Spain really outperformed those teams that thought they are strong and defensive enough to win the tournament, but Spain possessed their best to make ensure their opponents doesn't pull them out of  the ball, because if their opponents got the ball, they won't be able to score and this make them not to show any sign of weakness as they don't want to take any chances and that mindset keeps them to the top.

[POPOLUV]

When you are already on the lead, then defense is a good strategy but we also need good defenders on the side to execute it properly, but with good defenders alone a team can't win because they need better players to take the lead and keep possession. That is why it is a game of team and at the end of the day, a better team wins among the two playing teams.

I secerely agree with you that having only a strong defense doesn't guarantee wining and that is to say, for a team to be completely sound when they are called upon to play their opponents, such teams should be able to have a strong defense, midfielders and a striker that will be able to deliver the team when ever the ball is passed across to him to score against their opponents, once a team is able to have a strong players occupying those important areas in the field, other opennent will be finding it difficult to be penetrate through to score because when it comes to defense, midfielders striker they are all good.

[YellowSwap]

When you are leading already what do you think will be the best strategy to keep the lead alive? Defense, it doesn't take a lot to know that this is the solution, many people on here knows only how to talk, they can't play with the weakest team member from either countries.

I am not that person that judge when I can't even perform the same way as they did, I know how to play football but I am not on same league with these players, why should I tell them what I think it's best?

Football fans are generally known for this habit, it's easier said than done.

[l99l]

When you are already on the lead, then defense is a good strategy but we also need good defenders on the side to execute it properly, but with good defenders alone a team can't win because they need better players to take the lead and keep possession. That is why it is a game of team and at the end of the day, a better team wins among the two playing teams.

For a balanced game, you need good players in attack, defense, and the center. If there are deficiencies in certain positions, the coach can still adjust the strategy accordingly.
Defending is easier, I wouldn't say it's simpler, but it's easier than attacking and building up play, which is why weaker teams generally play defensively.
If your defense is poor, that's a problem, but it's easier to find players who can defend well.