Teams with pure defensive control outperformed those with more attacking output

[Queen uloma]

I think creating a balance in a team is more important, what are my talking about, Is not about having that solidity in defense alone, I think Spain have more balance in their team, both in the Goalkeeping department, and defense, midfield and attacking department, Spain was a very good team all throughout the World Cup, and when you see how Spain was playing, it was more about game possession, in football the best defense you can play is by having more of the ball, that gives you a chance and opportunity to have that solidity in all areas of the Football game.

Defense can’t justify the overall performance of the team, you have to compliment all positions in the pitch, everyone playing to be at their best, most importantly you have to score goals to have a chance of winning a game, a team that have that balance in all area of the pitch would be more equipped to have a successful season or a successful Tournament.

You're absolutely right, having a good defense would prevent a team from conceding too many goals but how about scoring cause conceding less and scoring is important if a team want to perform better and win a trophy. Let me use the last Champions league game between PSG and Arsenal as an example, Arsenal's defended very well but didn't have a stronger attacking force to score more and defeat PSG.
 That's why a balance is very important, Spain is balanced team that why their overall performance was better than Argentina's, they attacked, defended and controlled the game better.

A solid defense definitely helps but football is about the whole team working together, spain showed that throughout the tournament they controlled matches with possession, stayed organized and had quality in every position. When every department is doing it's job it becomes much safer to defensed, create chances and finish games that's the kind of balance that wins cups

You’re very correct, football isn’t all about to have a strong defense. If your midfield can control possession, your attackers can score chances and there’s a team work, it makes defending more easier. Spain shows that they didn’t only rely on defenders, the whole team work in hand to hand, recover ball quickly, keep possession and attack with purpose.

If every department is doing their work properly, the defenders won’t undergo unnecessary pressure.  But every champion still needs a solid defense because one little mistake can make them lose the trophy. The major key is to be balance, teamwork and strong defense etc is what differentiate champions from every other team. Spain has proven to us that if a team has balance, it will be very difficult to defeat them.

[nelson4lov]

If that was true, why did teams like Cape Verde and Paraguay lose out during the world cup when they were heavily focused on haramball? What wins is a well rounded team with good offense because you don't win games if all you do in 90 minutes is to defend. Spain won because even though they were a strong team defensively, they would relentlessly attack their opponents and that's one area that defensively minded teams miss out on. It's the same reason why Arsenal lost their first champions league final in decades. They scored in the first 20 minutes and went full defense and that cost them because they couldn't restart the offense when PSG equalized.

Offense is still going to be important for a defensive team no matter what.

[AmoreJaz]

If that was true, why did teams like Cape Verde and Paraguay lose out during the world cup when they were heavily focused on haramball? What wins is a well rounded team with good offense because you don't win games if all you do in 90 minutes is to defend. Spain won because even though they were a strong team defensively, they would relentlessly attack their opponents and that's one area that defensively minded teams miss out on. It's the same reason why Arsenal lost their first champions league final in decades. They scored in the first 20 minutes and went full defense and that cost them because they couldn't restart the offense when PSG equalized.

Offense is still going to be important for a defensive team no matter what.

We can say, both tactics are important in order for the team to have advantage inside the field. A defensive team should also be an offensive team and vice versa. It is not like a one-way street. They should be dynamic and can play in both angles. That's where they will become a versatile team where they can beat their opponent.
The athletes should not focus on one angle but as much as possible, should cover all angles inside the field so they can really come up with a strong team.

[moneystery]

People may have different opinions on this, but I believe that sometimes playing defensively can be the most reckless decision a team can make. Take the Netherlands vs. Morocco match, for example. The Netherlands took the initiative to defend throughout the match, but they failed to create any offensive moves. The result was their elimination from the World Cup, a dismal record.
Similarly, in England vs. Argentina, England played defensively after gaining the lead, allowing Argentina to attack freely, ultimately resulting in Argentina's victory.
So, a defensive strategy is only effective if the team is capable of defending, otherwise, they will simply be a laughing stock for the opposing team.

[Felicity_Tide]

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?
‎

I think the game in general has changed. So many people used to laugh at a certain club in England for relying too much on their defense, but they later went on to win a title with it. There's a football saying that say... 'defense wins you trophies, while attack wins you games', and that has been very true in most cases that I've monitored. So, whatever happened wasn't just in a situation of national team football, but it's already happening in club football, and a lot of teams are willing to adapt to such pattern just to prove a point.

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

From observations, I think that's exactly what's going on.
It's always difficult to balance both style of play for long, especially through out a very long season.

[Betwrong]

~
‎
‎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?

Amazing observation! I feel exactly the same way. You are talking about soccer, but I've noticed this in poker too. Aggressive players (Tom Dwan is a good example) don't stand a chance against defensive ones. And in some MMA fights, I've seen the same thing. I don't know, maybe it won't last forever, but for now it is definitely like you said in many sports, not only in football.

Even in NBA, as there was a saying, defense wins game. So in any sports, it's very important that you have to play good defense and not allow your opponents to score. Just like what Spain did against Argentina. Spain did a tremendous job on having a great defense all throughout the world cup that's why they are the champion.

Right, and that final match against Argentina is a great example. If you play against a stronger team, just be defensive during all the time of the game and then, if you are lucky, score a goal in extra time. Amazing strategy! I really admire it and I think following it can help us in real life too.

And what you have describe could be true as well in Poker, not just to read your opponents, but it's better to just fold early and not push and be aggressive.

Since I think this whole thing about "reading your opponents" is overly exaggerated, yeah, it's always better not to be aggressive.

[bakasabo]

I think that if both teams or everyone now starts to play defensive football, football will become less exciting quickly and that would leave mark on number of tickets sold and those who watch football on devices. It will decrease audience because football will turn boring. People want to see goal, than 1 goal in a game and team starts to hold ball and kill time. Club management will force players to change that strategy anyway, if merch/tickets sales starts to go down, and sponsors will start leaving or complaining. Even though strategy might be effective, people want action.

[danherbias07]

I think that if both teams or everyone now starts to play defensive football, football will become less exciting quickly and that would leave mark on number of tickets sold and those who watch football on devices. It will decrease audience because football will turn boring. People want to see goal, than 1 goal in a game and team starts to hold ball and kill time. Club management will force players to change that strategy anyway, if merch/tickets sales starts to go down, and sponsors will start leaving or complaining. Even though strategy might be effective, people want action.

It will not happen. Some teams still prefer the offensive team. Also, it can be both ways. A defensive team is just the stopper for the offensive opponent, while they can always substitute once they get the ball. It's a strategy that can be helpful in both ways.
It's not like they will just focus on defense. It's just more defensive-minded for offensive purposes. Like they always say in most sports, "Defense can turn to offense." Coaches will probably be the ones who will need to think about how to make it happen.