What Happened To Using The Wings?

By Gordon Fleetwood, writing from New York City

For many fans this World Cup has been disappointing up to this point. Some blame it on the Jabulani ball, which hasn’t lived up to its billing of providing more goals. Others blame it on the constant droning of the vuvuzuelas affecting communication on the field. However, there is one fact in which we are all in agreement, it is that the biggest letdown has been the ultra-defensive tactics on display in the first round of games.

The majority of teams have played one striker (or two strikers with one withdrawn), accompanied by a narrow midfield and a static defense. Strikingly, the obvious weapon to combat this has been ignored. When teams did get a chance to attack they were not utilizing the width of the pitch. There seemed to be a fear of committing too many players and being vulnerable to the counter-attack. Most full-backs have shown little interest in attacking on a regular basis. When they do, they do so in a dull fashion for the most part.