FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) has published its 2018 FIFA world Cup Russia report which includes a comprehensive statistics on the tournament and each individual match, team profile, and exclusive video footage to support the analysis.
The TSG at Russia 2018 was headed by Carlos Alberto Parrreira, who was joined by Marco Van Bastan (FIFA’s Chief Technical Development Officer), Emmanuel Amunike, Bora Miltunovic, Andy Roxburgh and Pascal Zuberbuhle, a goal keeping specialist in FIFA’s technical development department led by Branimir Ujevic.
Depending on the findings in the games, the team with the most average ball possession per match, Spain (69 percent) failed to progress from round 1, while champions France were 19th in overall possession ranking. On distances covered, Serbia were the hardest working team at the tournament covering an average distance of 113km per game whereas by contrast, France were 28th in this respect averaging 101km per match.
Furthermore, shooting efficiency from outside the penalty box has improved dramatically. The average strike rate was a goal per 29 long-range attempts compared to one in 24 at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, one in every 29 corners led to a goal whereas the figure was 61 in South Africa 2010 and 36 at Brazil 2014. This trend of superior effectiveness continued through the knockout stage in Russia, where teams scored from one in every 31 corners compared to one in every 41 Brazil.
According to the technical observation of TSG, they saw less of the so-called playmakers at this world cup, perhaps as a result of the way teams played. However, there were still some outstanding individuals in this area. Paul Pogba of France excelled, but Luka Modric stole the show.
“As mentioned during the recent FIFA Football Conference in London this is a new approach to the TSG report, which is a modern working tool providing relevant insights into where the game is going. It’s also another example of how FIFA is using technology to enhance football analysis,” FIFA Deputy Secretary General (Football) Zvonimir Boban explained.
The Full TSG report for the 2028 World Cup is accessible on FIFA website and has been distributed to FIFAs member associations.
In the reports foreword, Boban stated, “France was a worthy winner. Under the steady stewardship of Didier Deschamp who had a clear and precise vision of how to make the most of the players at his disposal and go all the way, they were the most settled and assured performers overall.”
The TSG report has been produced since the 1996 FIFA World Cup.
