Of Workhorses & Dark Horses

The stage is set for another generation of players to write their names in history books. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED INDIA takes a look at the favourites, the playmakers and the fanfare.

- Govindan Kishwar

A LOT HAS CHANGED since 2014. Donald Trump became president of the U.S. (go figure), India launched 104 satellites into space in Sun-synchronous orbits (a record), North and South Korea came close to ending a 68-year-old war, electric cars have shown they’re here to stay, Prince Harry got married to Meghan Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge became a mother for a second and third time. But, as is the case every four years, for one month between June and July, all events of this nature will become redundant. For one month, all that will matter is Russia, its football pitches and the players that take to it. For one month, the World Cup will take precedence over everything.

Football has changed since Germany claimed their fourth title in Brazil four years ago. Since they thrashed Portugal 4–0 in their first game, handed the hosts that 1–7 in the semifinals or since Mario Götze scored one of the most beautiful goals that would win the World Cup against Argentina.

Gegenpressing, a style of football where a team immediately tries to win the ball back once they lose it, hoping for a quick counter-attack, has become the norm, not the oddity. Engineered to perfection in Germany’s Bundesliga, it’s the winning formula behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in England. Over in Spain, Real Madrid adapted their style of play to utilise gegenpressing and overcame opponents they would usually sit back against. The evolution of this style of play is what makes this year’s World Cup so intriguing. It allows teams that are supposedly weaker on paper to go toe-to-toe with superior opposition. Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final is a case in point. Their defence may be mediocre, but the team press as a unit when they lose possession, making it an arduous task for opponents to keep the ball.