Ten Tactical Questions

I loved this posting by Tom Williams on his Football Further blog about the tactics questions that are on everyone's mind as we head into tomorrow's matches.

As Williams says in the introduction to his blog,

There is often little time for thinking about how the game works. Hence this blog. The purpose of Football Further is to understand football better. How do sides set themselves up tactically? Why do teams win and lose? What actually happens on the pitch?

Here are William's 10 questions; you'll want to read his post for his full thoughts and opinions about these topics:

• 1. Will freshness or preparedness prevail in Group A?


• 2. Will France's 4-3-3 work?


• 3. Can Capello get the best out of Rooney?


• 4. Will Maradona go with three at the back?


• 5. Will Dunga's vision for Brazil be vindicated?


• 6. How will Chile's 3-3-1-3 formation fare?


• 7. Can Spain get the balance right?


• 8. Will 4-2-3-1 continue to dominate?


• 9. How many three-man defenses will we see?


• 10. Will there be any innovation?

To his last question, I am certain the answer will be: yes!

Particularly here in the USA, where we have so little exposure to football at the highest levels, it's great to find people who are taking the time to try to educate the casual enthusiast (that is, me) about the game. The more you know, the more you can appreciate what is happening on the field.