At the top of the possession statistics for this World Cup sit Argentina, Germany and Spain. Those three teams have seen more of the ball, have dominated more of the possession, than any other at this tournament, at least on the basis of their average possession share per game. Despite this, these three teams have suffered an early exit from this summer’s World Cup.
That is no coincidence. This World Cup has signified the end of possession football as an effective philosophy at the elite level of the sport, reflected in the way teams like Germany and Spain in particular have flopped at this tournament. This isn’t just something that has happened in the international game, either. Football as a whole is moving away from being a sport dictated by those on the ball.
Of course, there were hints of this trend before this World Cup. Take Leicester City, for instance. They rode to a famous Premier League triumph on the back of a counter-attacking approach, sitting deep to absorb pressure before hitting out on the break. Portugal did something similar in winning the European Championships two years ago.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City offer something of a rebuttal to the argument that possession football is dead, but the Catalan coach has adapted and tailored his trademark style over the years. City play in a much more dynamic, varied way than Guardiola’s great Barcelona side ever did. They are capable of going direct or down the channels and that has kept Guardiola at the top of the game. His coaching ideology has evolved over time.
Indeed, this World Cup doesn’t show that it’s better to be out of possession than on it. Instead, it signifies how the pure ‘tiki-taka’ style that came to define the zeitgeist for the best part of a decade is no longer enough to success at the top level. Spain, for instance, attempted to pass Russia to death. There was very little variety to their play. They waited and waited for a mistake from the opposition that never came. That’s not a strong enough game plan for this level.
This is where teams like Belgium, Brazil and even England have the advantage at this World Cup. They are capable of holding the ball, but their strength comes in what they do in the moments after they win possession. They have players who can stretch the pitch in a matter of seconds, opening up space in the final third. This is where Argentina, Germany and Spain failed. This is where the zeitgeist has shifted at the elite level of the sport. What we have seen at the World Cup illustrates this.