[benztown]

Well, we've seen every team play once now, so it's still early but I think we now know enough to make a first assessment.

The international game has moved on since 2006. It has become faster and more intense.

The traditional creative offensive midfielder has completely vanished, as did the destroyer in the defensive mid.

Good examples in each group are teams like Portugal, Germany, Holland and Spain.

All those teams have a well balanced midfield where responsibility is shared equally. Players like Xavi, Ballack or Deco also work defensively, getting the ball in their own half many times.
At the same time, defenders like de Jong or Senna also open the game going forward by distributing the ball skillfully.

Kick and rush is completely gone. Long balls are only used diagonally in order to switch flanks.

The key to this system is the willingness to run for all positions. Fullbacks like Bosingwa or van Bronckhorst support the attack constantly, players in midfield are always changing positions and strikers are always able to evade to the midfield or on the flanks. This way, the player in possession of the ball always has several options, making the play less predictable. Many players run more than 10 kilometers during those 90 minutes, a lot of which in the form of sprints. The rule of thumb: Run a lot, run fast and run without the ball because the ball still runs faster than any player.

The difference between a good and a very good team is the ability to switch from defense to attack extremely fast.
So we see a lot more sprints than in the past, especially from players without the ball. There are less dribblings and vertical passes are made earlier and harder.

On the other hand, a team like France is suffering from its tight tactical specifications. Hardly any changes in position and every player sticks exactly to his position. This makes it hard for other teams to score against France, but it also makes the team very predictable going forward.