Defending is an art and it will have to be better than before, says Phelan

Japan scampered to the ‘Round-of-16’ through the disciplinary tie-breaker rule as it was level with Senegal on points, goal difference and goals scored after its 0-1 loss to Poland in its final group game. The Blue Samurai, which rose from its ruins and became the only Asian nation to book its berth in the knockout stages, pinned its hopes on the Colombians, who played 500 miles away against The Lions of Teranga in Samara.  

Talking about the introduction of the rule in the global event, Terry Phelan, panelist on the breakfast show “Kick Off” on Sony ESPN and Sony Ten 2 channels, opined, “That is how it works. Defending is an art all over the pitch. You can’t be rash here after and the coaches will have to put that in their plans. Defending will have to be better than before as it could hurt teams in a tournament like the WC.”  

Requiring only a stalemate to earn a spot in the next round, Aliou Cisse’s Senegal failed to put the ball in the back of the net the whole of Africa was craving for. By virtue of its loss, the African interest in the 32-nation tournament was over as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria had bowed out earlier. 

Asked if the quality of the Asian and African players is far behind in comparison to those in South America and Europe, the former Kerala Blasters coach asserted, “Players from American and European continents play in some of the top leagues in the world. But, it’s not the same with Asians and Africans. They are knocking on the doors and are not far away. It will be exciting to watch them play in the future. It’s not only about the individuals, but the team. Better player education, coach education, facilities and grassroot developmental programmes will definitely take them forward.”  

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and host Russia failed to break the Uruguayan deadlock in the group stages. When queried if Portugal’s talismanic goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo can make the net bulge against the two-time winner, the 51-year-old added, “Both their central defenders (Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez) play for Atletico Madrid and they know Ronaldo more than anybody. It will be a great challenge for Ronaldo. Godin is one of the best defenders in the world, if not the best defender in the world at 32. But with Ronaldo being Ronaldo, it only takes a second for him to score a goal. And hence, they will have to keep him away from the 18-yard-box and make sure he doesn’t get the ball in areas where he is threatening.” 

The former Republic of Ireland international felt the R16 match-up between Argentina and France would be a cliffhanger, with both teams fighting for supremacy. “It will certainly be a hard-fought battle. Argentina has been diabolical but its win against Nigeria should give it some confidence. If Messi is going to bring his A game, France is going to find it difficult. France has been equally poor but has got some brilliant individual talents like (Antoine) Griezmann, (Ousmane) Dembele and (Kylian) Mbappe. My head says France, my heart says Argentina and I really can’t pick one (laughs),” remarked Phelan.

The curse of the defending champions continued as title-holder Germany packed its bags after its shambolic 0-2 loss to South Korea, pushing it to the bottom of its group. A combination of factors led to its downfall, pointed out the defender.    

“I think they took the tournament too lightly. I actually believe they came into it and thought we can easily get out (qualify) of the group. They lost three important players in Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger from the title-winning campaign in 2014. They had no leadership on the pitch. In the system they played, the game was too slow and lethargic. You also cannot leave out one of the brightest young talents in world football, Leroy Sane, after the kind of season he had with City. He would have offered some pace on the wings which they lacked in this WC,” Phelan signed off.