The German arena in 2006 seemed to be the last cup with a number of midfield masters, they were the kind of rhythm masters who were good at grasping the course of the game, not necessarily directly scoring goals or direct assists, but everywhere on the field, slowly and slowly constantly creating killing machines, like a rhythmic leader.
The ultimate classical Riquelme
In Argentina's Peckerman 4312 system, all midfielders serve Riquelme, behind him are Mascherano and Cambiasso (Lucho Gonzalez) two backs, the nominal right forward Maxi can be left and right, specifically responsible for making up for Riquelme's position when Riquelme changes, snatching the ball, and then handing it to Riquelme, which is the task of the Argentine midfielders. Heathfield once lamented: "There is no longer a classical front like Riquelme, it doesn't matter, it is enough to have a Riquelme at the peak, he can bring people the enjoyment of art football." ”
In Argentina's 6-0 victory over Seihe, for example, too much starlight shines in front of us, but the greatest stars hide themselves. Riquelme, who did not appear in the scoring footage, silently used his pass to mobilize the whole team's attack – outside the spotlight.
That's the power of a great player who doesn't seem to exist, but who controls every corner of the field. But he still can't escape the eyes of professionals. After the match, FIFA awarded Riquelme the honor of the best player of the game, commenting: "He is always demanding possession, passing, dominating the game with his own rhythm and broad vision." "Throughout the game, Riquelme passed a staggering 111 passes.
In the quarter-final against Germany, Riquelme contributed an assist. Despite eventually losing the game, Romi was a winner personally, as the German team was played by him until he came off the field. He's playing entirely on his own talent, whether it's personal possession or control of the game, Riquelme's sense of rhythm is wonderful.
Pirlo, the soul of the Blues
The tradition of Italian football is to have a near-perfect defensive force, but due to the lack of excellent organization of midfield connections, it is always controlled by the opponent in the big game, and the playing style seems to be "resigned". But in Germany, Pirlo changed the fate of Italy, he always calmly read the game, in the course of the game, will see the opponent's loopholes and the position of his companions, and send the ball to a reasonable position.
That Italian team, there were six midfielders in Pirlo, Gattuso, De Rossi, Perotta, Camoranesi and Barone (Totti was pushed to the forward line later), and Pirlo was the number one of these six and the brain of the whole team. His skills in possession and organisation are in full swing, as well as his vision and creativity, he has played the role of a deep-seated organizer for both the Italian national team and Milan, directing the team and controlling the rhythm of the game. However, due to the lack of interception ability and speed, this style of play requires enough support from his teammates, and he is active in AC Milan and the Italian national team, and the fierce Gattuso is his partner. At the same time, a player similar to the number nine and a half in the front court can make Pirlo play a better role, in the Brescia team, the beautiful baggio is his teammate, in AC Milan is the offensive axis composed of Kaka, who has a strong vertical breakthrough ability, and in the Italian national team, it is replaced by a more domineering and more skilled shooting Totti.
Pirlo's strategy also escorted Italy all the way through the barriers, and once again lifted the Hercules Cup after 24 years.
Matador Brain Harvey
The shortest, but with the height of looking at the overall situation, this is the core of the Spanish midfield Xavi. If Raul is the spiritual leader of the matador, the 26-year-old Harvey is the brain on the field. In the 4-0 win over Ukraine, Harvey played a role to the fullest, he was the initiator of the attack, passing the ball to all kinds of vacancies, and keeping the midfield in good order.
Spain boss Aragonés envisioned Xavi in midfield, supported by Alonso and Senna on either side, providing ammunition for García, Torres and Villa in the forward line. Harvey's absolute speed is not top notch, but the flexibility and balance are superior, and his super ability to protect the ball has also earned him longer time to handle the ball. Harvey is very good at using his body for cover during the ball protection process, which makes it difficult for opponents to grab the ball directly from Harvey's feet.
Although Xavi and Spain did not achieve too good results in that World Cup, they laid a strong foundation for the domination of pass-control football.
Portuguese eukaryotic Deco
Deco's style of football is unpretentious and practical, his dribbling, passing, running position and vision are all world-class, scalpel-like passes can often create scoring opportunities for his companions, and mysterious long-range shots can always knock on the opponent's door at key moments.
At the World Cup in Germany, Deco was the absolute midfield core, and he revitalized Portugal's midfield with excellent passing and reception. In the group stage against Iran, Portugal could not attack for a long time, Deco received a pass from Figo and shot into the dead corner, breaking the deadlock, goalkeeper Mirzapur did not react.
Portugal, who reached the knockout rounds, also played well, eliminating the Netherlands and England in the semi-finals in a row, only to be eliminated by Zidane's penalty. In the match with the Netherlands, the scene of Deco exchanging tactics with club teammate Van Bronckhorst off the field when he was sent off the field was talked about.
Commander of France, Tazidane
Frankly, zidane played extremely average in the group stage of the World Cup in Germany, and suffered a suspension for accumulating yellow cards in the final round. But goals from Vieira and Thierry during the game against Togo allowed France to complete the breakout, which gave Zidane the chance to complete the "redemption" in the knockout rounds.
As a result, Qi Zu, who is old and strong, played his best performance in the Previous World Cup.
Defeating Spain, he scored a goal that locked the win; eliminated Brazil, his dribbling and passing made Luo and Kaka shame and gave Henry a killing assist; then in the semi-finals and finals, Zidane scored a "super" penalty, against Portugal, facing ricardo, the goalkeeper who had previously saved three penalties from England, Zidane ran directly into the door without assistance, and the ball went straight into the dead corner; the next game single-handed Buffon, France No. 10 sent a four-two-pound spoon penalty. It shows its super psychological quality and calm sense of playing.
In extra time, he grabbed a goal in front of the goal and almost knocked on the Italian goal again.
However, it is a pity that the conflict with Materazzi made Zidane regret the game, although he sent away three club teammates along the way, he could not lift the Hercules Cup in the farewell battle of his career, which has to be said to be a pity.