Is anti-football ruining the World Cup?

The World Cup is a celebration of football. 32 teams compete against each other for the title of being World Champions.

With nations from all corners of the globe battling for the title it’s normal to see a wide variety of tactics and formations used. From Spain’s tiki-taka to Brazil’s joga bonito the beautiful game can be seen at its best.

However, not every team can play such beautiful football. Teams have to adapt and play to their strengths which often comes to the detriment of the entertainment they provide.

Everyone loves to cheer on the underdog but this World Cup has seen a drastic rise in anti-football. At present we are yet to see a 0-0 at this World Cup but that doesn’t mean the goals are flying in.

As I write this article 23 games have been played, 10 of these have finished 0-1. As it stands this World Cup has the lowest average number of goals per game than any of the previous 20 editions of the competition.

It’s not just the underdogs who are playing this anti-football. Two time champions Uruguay for example have played pretty dour football. They were tested against Egypt in their opening game snatching a 1-0 win in injury time but they cannot say the same about their victory over Saudi Arabia.

Host nation Russia demolished Saudi Arabia 5-0 and let’s face it Russia are not a footballing superpower and do not boast the household names this Uruguay squad does. A strike duo of Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani on paper sounds mouth-watering but in reality they’ve been lacklustre.

Both players have created half chances but only have one goal between them – Suárez’s tap-in against the Saudis. Gifted the lead against a side who were fighting for their World Cup dreams you’d be forgiven for expecting the floodgates to open. But they didn’t.

Uruguay didn’t push to extend their advantage. That’s not to say they passed it around the back killing time but they really didn’t seem bothered once they got the three points.

There’s no onus on teams to entertain us spectators but surely there comes a point when a big nation such as Uruguay needs to move out of second gear and start to put Saudi Arabia under the koch.

Iceland and Iran are two of the underdogs who have gained big results through putrid football. Iceland earned a 1-1 draw against Argentina in their opening game. Deploying a 4-4-1-1 formation their tactic is simple. Two banks of four sit in front of Hannes Halldórsson’s goal with the two advanced players pressing in midfield.

Iceland use the sideline as an extra defender inviting teams onto the wing where their crosses into the box can easily be cleared.  Breaks on the counter attack are few and far between as are their chances in front of goal.

Iran’s World Cup campaign got off to a dream start when an 94th minute Moroccan own-goal gifted them three points. They’re up against it in a group featuring Spain and Portugal but pushed Spain all the way midweek.

Carlos Queiroz parked the bus. Simple as that. Spain struggled in the first half unable to pass their way through the banks of Iranian players. A darting run from Andres Iniesta, a sublime swivel from Diego Costa and a failed clearance saw the ball bounce off Costa’s knee into the Iranian net.

What happened next is why this style of play frustrates me. Iran stopped sitting back and attacked the Spaniards. They caused serious issues for Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos, hitting the side netting and eventually putting the ball beyond David de Gea. The goal was ruled out for offside but it had Spain sweating.

Spain escaped with three points but know it could have been a very different game.

Iran’s antics and tactics didn’t just annoy spectators, Spain right-back Dani Carvajal let rip saying “The team sits back and that is a tactical strategy that is part of the game,”

“But the injuries are simulated.

“This is not football, it is disloyal, but everyone there with their conscience.”

Not every underdog has used these tactics, Peru for example didn’t change a thing. A team built on raw pace and flair created a host of chances against Denmark and France losing both games 1-0. Their finishing let them down but at least they can go home with their heads held high knowing they played to their strengths and the best of their abilities.

Morocco are another team heading home after the group stage but the one word coming out of their camp in relation to their performances is pride. Being honest they were far better than Iran and deserved to win that game, a cruel own-goal unravelling their hopes.

They then faced Portugal knowing they needed to win. Poor defending allowed Portugal to take an early lead but Morocco dominated the rest of the game. They didn’t sit back they went all out. Exploiting the blistering pace of winger Nordin Amrabat they bombarded the Portuguese defence.

Once again they lacked the finishing touch in front of goal. Captain Medhi Benatia missed two glorious chances to bring them level but Portugal were made to work for the full 90 minutes.

Mexico were massive underdogs against Germany but they stayed true to their game plan. They hit Germany on the counter and didn’t sit back after taking the lead. Yes they had to defended prolonged German attacks but they could have easily scored another two goals if their final passes met their intended targets.

The World Cup celebrates all that is good about football. I don’t expect ten goal thrillers but I’d like to see the underdogs playing football in a way that allows them to actually try and win the game through scoring goals not holding out for a draw or taking the game to penalties.

Anti-football might be necessary at times but it doesn’t mean we should support it.