World Cup Preview Group E: Passing and controlling football becomes the main theme Desi Double Dragon Pearl

Group E is recognized as the "Group of the Dead" of the Qatar World Cup, with Germany and Spain showdown to be the only championship-level match in the group stage; The explosive growth of players in Europe has gradually left Japan behind the Asian powers, and Costa Rica has also experienced a major upset.

Whose passing and control skills are deeper is the biggest attraction of this group. Spain transplanted Barca's pass-control "hypnosis" tactics, which once led the trend of world football; Germany has started tactical changes since 2006, and its tough style of play has gradually been replaced by beautiful football and efficiency football, and after years of precipitation, it has already played the passing control perfectly; Japan perfectly blends samba football with its own characteristics of small and fast spirits. The three passing teams face Costa Rica, which is known for defensive counter-attacks, and it will be a real offensive and defensive showdown.

Germany and Spain have a strong tradition and have consistently performed consistently in continental competitions, while Japan and Costa Rica, despite their distinctive tactical characteristics, are not strong enough to stir up the overall situation of the two-man competition in this group.

The center striker became a fatal wound of the "Freund's Chariot"

Germany is one of the most solid and seasoned teams in World Cup history, qualifying for the finals 20 times, lifting the Hercules Cup four times, and winning one title, one runner-up and two third places in four World Cups between 2002 and 2014. The 2018 World Cup in Russia ended in the group stage as the defending champions, the team's worst World Cup record. Excellent mental quality, strict tactical discipline and steely will are the hallmarks of German football.

After a series of blows at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, Frick took over from Loew, who had been at the helm of the German team for 15 years, bringing Bayern's successful experience of completing the "treble" to the national team, and the slightly delayed positional warfare of the "Germanic chariot" has gradually transitioned to a fierce high positional press.

From the perspective of the lineup, Germany's defense is led by Neuer and Rudiger, Kimmich has grown into a midfielder all-rounder, the offensive end is still a pile of wingers, the lack of central strikers is an old problem, Sane and Gnabry are good players on the wing, and in recent years, new stars such as Musiara and Havertz have emerged, but the "central striker shortage" problem in the 2018 World Cup has not been solved. Germany have lacked a proficient centre-forward since Klose and Gomez, and now that this drawback is even more evident after Timo Werner's injury to the World Cup, Frick's second option is likely to use Bremen centre-forward Phil Kruger, who has performed well in the Bundesliga this season.

"Matador" starry newcomers stand alone

Spain qualified for the World Cup finals for the 16th time, dominating world football during the Aragonés and Bosque eras, winning the Hercules Cup twice between 2008 and 2012 in addition to lifting the Hercules Cup for the first time in 2010, but Bosque's blind reliance on the old in the years that followed led to the team's failure to complete the transition between the old and the new.

Since taking over the coaching whip in 2019, Enrique has inherited the traditional Spanish 433 formation and passing tactics, focusing more on the speed of advancement on the basis of the penetration of short passes in midfield. The current squad is characterized by the old and the new, not only experienced veterans such as Busquets and Alba, but also emerging stars such as Pedri, Garvey, Ferran Torres, especially Pedri has become the core of the "Matador". The 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder, with impeccable foot skills and ball control, has been dubbed Spain's "next Iniesta" by Barca boss Xavi.

While Morata's position as an offensive fulcrum in the center position is unassailable, poor shooting is the biggest obstacle to his path to the top centre. There are many functional players in Spain's midfield, but they are slightly dim compared to previous years, and lack a stable scoring point with a hammer, which will be infinitely magnified in the event of an "iron barrel formation" or a tough battle.

The European Legion of Japan's luxury brigade is comparable to the second-rate European team

Japan qualified for the World Cup finals for the seventh time, has not missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, and has reached the round of 16 three times in 2002, 2010 and 2018, making it the best Asian team in recent years on the world's top stage.

Japan took samba football in its early years, and gradually polished its own football style after years of forging. The explosion of players in Europe has allowed Japanese football to take off. In the 26-man roster released by Japanese coach Hoichi Mori, there are as many as 20 players in Europe, and almost every position is dominated by the five major leagues.

On the offensive end, Takumi Minamino on the left and Jun Ito on the right are also expected to fly on both wings, and the two are characterized by strong breakthrough ability and excellent foot skills, especially the latter's strong breakthrough has become Japan's offensive magic weapon. Daichi Kamata, with his wide-ranging vision, four-and-two-pound handling of the ball and high football IQ, has become the heart of Eintracht Frankfurt's midfield, while Kubo has also proved his prowess at Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, while Kaoru Mikasa, who plays for Brighton in the Premier League, is another rising star.

Defensively, Arsenal centre-back Kenhiro Tomiyasu is a mainstay, and he will take on the defensive responsibilities along with three veterans, Nagashima Eiji, Yuto Nagatomo and Maya Yoshida.

Japan's ability to compete with Europe's second-tier teams is the confidence for Morihoichi's quarter-final goal, and the team is capable of acting as a spoiler in Group E, but being trapped in the "death group" makes it more difficult to qualify.

Costa Rica was the first place in the "Group of Death"

Costa Rica qualified for the World Cup finals for the sixth time, with a best result being the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The "group of death" is not new to Costa Rica, they were in the same group as Italy, England and Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup, originally "reading with the prince" in the eyes of the outside world, but in the end they shocked fans around the world: they beat Uruguay 3-1 in the group stage, beat Italy 1-0, drew 0-0 with England, and finally qualified first with an unbeaten record of 2 wins and 1 draw, and eliminated Greece on penalties in the round of 16, even if they were out of the quarterfinals, they were fought until the penalty shootout to the Netherlands.

Since 2014, Costa Rica's squad has been young, talent has been disconnected, and young players have been a little younger. The current squad is dominated by players from local leagues and the Americas, with very few players playing in Europe's top five leagues, with 35-year-old Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Navas and 37-year-old midfielder Ruizz at the core.

In this civilian team, striker Joel Campbell, who used to play for Arsenal, will play the role of the finalist, and it is with his goal that Costa Rica eliminated New Zealand in the World Cup qualifying play-offs to catch the last train to the World Cup in Qatar. And the 18-year-old left winger Bennett, who plays for Championship side Sunderland, is fast and explosive and will be a sharp sword in Costa Rica's defensive tactics.

Although Costa Rica has had the experience of being upset in the "Death Group", there is a huge gap between its hard power and competition experience and the top three in the same group, and its defensive counterattack may not be useful, and its living space in Group E will be very limited.

Yangcheng Evening News reporter Chai Zhi

Source: Yangcheng Evening News