By Tom Bason
July 12 2010

I hope Mick McCarthy had a nice South African holiday, while leaving the hard work of signing players to be done by Jez Moxey. While he was out there, lets hope he's been taking notes on some of the tactics of the World's finest managers

First of all, a disclaimer. International teams tend to lag behind club teams tactically. This is because the tactics most international teams use were decided at the start of the qualifying period, two years ago. The predominant tactic throughout the world cup was a variation of 4-2-3-1, yet the likes of Barcelona and Inter have already evolved this into a 4-2-1-3 type formation. This doesn't mean we can discount what we've seen over the past month though, as trends can be set- see the widespread use of 3-5-2 throughout the early Premier League years following the success of Argentina in 1986.

1. Playing a solo striker doesn't have to be a defensive tactic
Germany were arguably the most entertaining team in the tournament (I'd argue against that, but everyone else seems to like them), yet played with one striker (Miroslav Klose). What they did very well was get their midfield (Podolski, Ozil, Kadira, Muller and Schweinsteiger) upto and beyond Klose, meaning they often had six or seven players attacking at any one time, with Klose almost playing as a 'false 9'. This is definitely an area we can improve on in the next 12 months, as far too often last season, Kevin Doyle was stranded upfront alone

2. Defence wins out
It seems strange to think that Spain's victory wasn't based on their attacking ability, more on their defence. In becoming European and World Champions, Spain didn't concede a single goal in seven knock-out matches. They scored just eight goals over the course of the tournament, the lowest amount ever by a World Cup Winner. Ironically though, their defensive strength comes from their ability to attack. When Spain have the ball, they keep it. It was noticeable in the Semi-Final that when Germany eventually won the ball back, they were so tired from chasing Spanish shadows that they weren't able to create anything of note themselves. Spain also work extremely hard, aiming to win the ball back as far up the pitch as possible. They limit the opposition's possession in all parts of the pitch, quite often forcing them to relinquish the ball without actually having to make a tackle

3. The Premier League is as tough as any other League in the world, if not the toughest
Name a Premier League player who had a good tournament. Dirk Kuyt and John Heitinga reached the Final without ever really shining, Kevin Prince Boateng and Carlos Tevez shone in flashes and that's about it. Now compare that to the number of Bundesliga or La Liga players who have impressed? It's noticeable that none of the players nominated for the Golden Ball are based in England. The number of foreign players in the Premier League is perhaps one of the reasons for England's poor performances, but this can't be the reason for so many of the Premier League's stars going into the tournament with injuries. This a tough League, and rotation is far more important in keeping the players fresh than it's ever been.

4. 4-4-2 isn't dead just yet
With 4-2-3-1 being the dominant formation throughout the tournament, just one of the top teams played an old fashioned, English 4-4-2. England. And that went well didn't it? England's two-man central midfield were thoroughly outplayed by Germany's three. I actually felt sorry for Lampard and Barry as they had no hope whatsoever of getting a grip on the game. Our flat midfield -four struggled to get to grips with the German midfielders who played between the lines. This doesn't mean that 4-4-2 can't work though. USA played two defensive midfielders, and two more attacking midfielders, playing between the lines. It was very similar to the 'magic quadrilateral' used by Brazil in 1982. Despite slip ups against footballing minnows Slovenia and England, USA were very close to reaching the Quarter Finals using a loose 4-4-2.

5. Just throwing on your best players doesn't work
In 1970, Brazil threw their best players on the pitch and stormed to the World Cup. In 1982, they tried the same again and failed. Given the way teams are now organised, it's unlikely to be a successful tactic again. Spain had a system, and were able to tweak it. The likes of Fabregas, Torres, Mata and Navas would probably starters for every other country in the world, but because they don't fit the system, they do not necessarily play. Argentina have four of the best forward players in the world, but couldn't find a system to fit them all in. In the Quarter Final v Germany, Leo Messi was forced to play very deep, partly because Tevez took up the positions he wanted to be in, and partly because of the lack of a midfield behind him. As a result, he struggled to influence the game in the way that regular La Liga watchers have seen him do on numerous occasions. Argentina finished that match with Germany with Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Aguero, Pastore and Maxi Rodriguez on the pitch, but failed to create a chance of note.

6. Defensive midfielders don't have to be tough tacklers
For a long time, clubs have been searching for the heir to Claude Makelele. Unfortunately, they've been searching for tough tackling midfielders, when Makelele's greatest attribute was his positioning. The Final had two teams, both playing two defensive midfielders, yet the way they play are poles apart. Neither Sergio Busquets or Xabi Alonso are particularly tough tacklers, both aim to win the ball back through pressing and positioning themselves to pick off the passes. On the other hand, Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong aim to win the ball through force, and give it simply to the more creative players. Both players were arguably lucky to still be on the pitch at half time. Having two defensive midfielders who are both comfortable on the ball helps the team keep possession, and allows the fullbacks to push forward, safe in the knowledge that the ball won't be lost behind them, thus leaving them stuck out of position.