FIFA has released the composition of the Technical Study Group that will provide analysis of all matches at the World Cup in Qatar.
It is led by FIFA’s head of global football development, former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, and will have former coach Alberto Zaccheroni (Italy) and former players Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany), Cha Du-ri (Korea of the South), Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria), Faryd Mondragon (Colombia) and Pascal Zuberbühler (Switzerland).
During the World Cup, FIFA will share metrics and performance data with the 32 participating teams and their players, who will have their actions on the field analyzed. More than 15 thousand data will be collected per game.
“Not only will we be collecting more data than before, but we will also be looking to find the right balance between technical knowledge and data. And we want to inform people about our technical observations during the tournament, not months later,” said Wenger.
The former coach said players should still take risks without thinking twice about how it might affect their metrics.
“We analyze what players do with and without the ball. For example, in the case of [croata] Luka Modric, if he doesn’t receive the ball enough in midfield, we analyze the reason”, he said. “Was he marked or did he not receive the ball from the defenders?”
“Game science should be used in a positive way to encourage players to take bold risks.”
The former Arsenal boss predicted that defensive line pressure at this World Cup will be higher on average than in Russia in 2018, when it was trending between teams.
“Pressing has become absolutely universal now. Teams all over the world press high and counter-press very quickly to push the defensive line,” Wenger said.
(With Reuters)
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