| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Jun 29 2002 : 10:21:10 AM
They are the three latest winning directors of football’s greatest show. Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, France’s Aimé Jacquet and Brazil’s Carlos Alberto Parreira sat down with FIFAworldcup.com to analyse the first Asian finals. The coaches, talk about technique, tactics and refereeing in the latest feature of the game’s greatest gathering.
Part 1
Which teams have surprised you during the tournament?
Franz Beckenbauer- The hosts, without a doubt. Korea, who had never got past the first round, made it through to the semi-finals, which will give them great impetus. It was quite an experience for me, seeing hundreds of thousands of fans dancing around the stadium and in the streets. Korea had never experienced anything like this. Japan also qualified for the second round for the first time, but you could see that they lacked a little experience for this kind of event. They made it to the last 16 before being knocked out by Turkey. Japan and Korea making it out of the group stage was good for the tournament, I thought, because if a host is knocked out early on, that takes some of the excitement out of a competition.
Aimé Jacquet - There have been several. Japan for one - this has been a breakthrough tournament for them. But the big surprise has been Korea Republic, with their dynamic and hugely spirited play. Then there are Turkey, a strong side who were fantastic in their semi-final with Brazil. They have all brought something new to the game, and football is all the better for them.
Carlos Alberto Parreira - Korea, but they didn’t rise suddenly. They have been a force since the 70s and have been to five consecutive World Cups. It just happens that at home with good preparation, good organization they have done well. Hiddink did a wonderful job and they also had the advantage of preparing for four years, not having so many players abroad. Nobody could keep up with them with their speed and energy. Senegal also impressed me, although they played their whole Africa Cup of Nations with their full team and they reached the final. Turkey too, although they were favoured by not having to face a big team until the semi-finals.
And the disappointments?
FB - The favourites going out so early. Title-holders France going out in the first round, without even scoring a single goal. That was obviously a real disappointment. Argentina, with all their stars, also went out early. Next it was Italy, then England – it was a pity to lose them all. The two organizing countries must have been very disappointed to lose so many of the top teams, but thank God, Korea and Japan made it through, which saved the tournament for them somewhat.
AJ - Again, there are several. The big boys, the favourites like Argentina, France and England, who all went out. Even Spain, who had quite a bit to say for themselves, and Italy.
CAP - France, Argentina, though not so much Spain because they reached the quarter-finals. I don’t think as they say in my country [Brazil] that the level has flattened or levelled out or gone down. I think it is because they had so many players abroad so they couldn’t prepare and train properly.
Why do you think the favourites failed so early in the tournament? Did conditions in the first Asian finals play a part?
FB - No, those factors are no different in Europe. I said before the tournament that the teams who had the best chance would be those which managed to acclimate the quickest and get used to the distance and the different culture. It is clearly quite an upheaval, and some obviously could not come to terms with it.
AJ - There are a number of reasons, including individual problems, physical setbacks and maybe a lack of unity. But the main thing you need to prosper at a World Cup is time to prepare, and I think they could all have done with an extra week before the tournament started. If they had had that, things might have been different. Certainly, that was the difference between these finals and France 98, which began ten days later.
CAP - Nobody can complain about the conditions, the hotels or the food. What really made a difference was preparation. Players like Vieira [Patrick], Zidane [Zinedine] and most of the French team were exhausted after playing until the 15th of May in very strong and very difficult games - the Champions League final, the semi-final and running for the Spanish championship. Also the number of friendlies before the tournament was a factor. When I was coach of Brazil before USA 94, I stopped the national team playing friendly games. All the other teams I was watching were playing warm-ups at home, abroad and all travelling. We stayed in Santa Clara for five weeks training and then we played matches in the last week to give them match fitness. The foundations were there.
Brazil and Germany were not expected to reach the final after problems in qualifying. Did you think the fact they were not favourites and had less pressure gave them an advantage?
FB - It’s a surprise, although as anyone will tell you, Brazil have always had a good team and one that always plays well on the big stage – after all, they have won the most World Cups. And everyone has always said that Germany is a team for big tournaments. With hindsight, and Rudi Völler also recognizes this, it was a good thing that they had to go through the play-offs to qualify. It was not until those two games against Ukraine that they found the right balance. Yet nobody expected them to be so strong at the World Cup.
The Germans weren’t among the favourites, but the Brazilians obviously were. And they have both grown into their role of favourites and deserve to be in the final. The Brazilians have won all of their games, Germany have won five and drawn one. The two best teams in the tournament will be in the final.
AJ - Brazil and Germany have come a long way from their positions as outsiders. But then they always seem to do well at the big tournaments. Both had their moments of doubt, yet it is in these difficult times that you come together as a team and grow. Take Rudi Völler for example. He lost key players to injury on the eve of the tournament, but out of that emerged a united group willing to work for one another, and they have just got better the longer the tournament has gone on.
Brazil were in a similar situation, though the difference with them is that they have the likes of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos and Cafu who can win a game for you at any moment. So for me, Germany are the ones that have improved with the tournament, as you might expect of a World Cup team. They have also had that winning mentality, which comes partly from having prepared so well.
CAP - In the Brazil team there is always pressure for a World Cup, that will not change. For the foreigners and the press they may think we are not the favourites, but in Brazil we know the qualities we have in the team. We were fortunate because we didn’t have to play strong teams until the quarter-finals. Turkey played well, but in the semi-finals last time we had Holland. Brazil are rising according to the moment and that’s why we are confident going into the final. I felt from the first two minutes of Brazil’s first game that they were in the tournament. The concentration, the speed, the attitude was different. And the same mentality will be in the final as well because we lost the last one. We cannot lose two finals in succession.
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Part 2
The finals have seen little individual brilliance. Is this a sign that athleticism in football is taking over from skill and technique?
Franz Beckenbauer - I don’t think so. We’ve seen some technically attractive football. It’s just a pity that stars such as Zidane [Zinedine], Henry [Thierry], Trezeguet [David] and the rest were knocked out so early on. It’s a shame for Argentina too, with their array of superstars, because fans want to see them throughout the tournament, so we are obviously all a little disappointed. There might be a greater cause for concern, though. What is the point of such long seasons, with the Champions League, other competitions and qualifying matches which really take it out of players? In South America, teams play 18 qualifying matches, which can’t be a good thing. This all takes its toll on players’ health, and something really needs to be done about it.
Aimé Jacquet - Physical strength is more important than technical, but only because when players are fit they are more confident and much brighter in their approach. It is the same in life - when you are healthy you are more positive in what you do. So when footballers do not get the time to recover between matches, they fall out of condition. It was the reverse situation with Korea Republic and the United States. Because they had had time to prepare, they were so much more positive about their game and felt good about themselves. The results were there to see.
Carlos Alberto Parreira - Never, never. If it was important, Korea would be in the final, Japan would be in the final and they are not. Football always will be a game of technique and skill, thank God! Of course better physical condition will be important along with speed, but it’s a game of technique. Skill always has to outweigh physical fitness. A team with fitness alone can never win the World Cup. When you win, it’s because you have quality.
Did you observe any new tactics in this World Cup?
FB - No. The combinations have been exhausted in terms of tactics and formations. They are not what win a game – the better team wins.
AJ - No, only the confirmation of a trend - football really is a team game now. Before, coaches would talk about their forwards being the first line of defence. Now, their defenders are the first line of attack. What we are seeing is total football. Players have to be able to tackle as well as pass, move and shoot. The teams that understood this best were the ones that enjoyed success. Of course, you also need to have talent, but that is a pre-requisite of any qualifier.
CAP - No, nothing new. We still have half of the teams playing 4-4-2 or some variation of that like 4-4-1-1, 3-5-2, 5-3-2 sometimes 4-5-1. The Korean team, which plays the Holland way, 3-4-3 is not new. It is something that has been used for many years.
Which coach has particularly impressed you?
FB - Guus Hiddink is the name which springs to mind. Coaching in a foreign culture and taking a team with limited resources to the semi-final – he could not have done any more, and the recognition he is getting is fully deserved. Rudi Völler has also been impressive. Taking a team to the final in your first tournament is quite an achievement.
AJ - It would have to be Guus Hiddink. If I had a cap I would tip it, because he has achieved a small miracle with his team. It has taken a lot of hard work, but what he has done is to get his players to gel in a short space of time. Now they are enjoying their football and they look happy to be together. That is a rare quality and it has made all the difference - as it did with the French team four years ago.
CAP - Guus Hiddink did a very good job. Turkish coach [Senol Gunes] did very well to get to the semi-final. But the coaches cannot be blamed for the favoured teams failing. Like Trapattoni [Giovanni, Italy] and Bielsa [Marcelo, Argentina] for example, because they didn’t get the right preparation. Lemerre [Roger, France] lost Pires [Robert] and Zidane so you cannot judge a coach by the team’s performances.
Are the problems, questions about refereeing new or more serious than before?
FB - These mistakes could have been avoided. If you have a referee and two assistants from three different continents, then it cannot possibly work, as all three have different ways of refereeing a game. This could have been anticipated, so it is little wonder that there have been problems. Things should be done differently at the next World Cup.
AJ - You have to stay positive and avoid blaming individuals. What I would say, however, is that the game is getting faster, the players are getting better, and better too at conning referees. So we have to help the match officials keep the game clean. This should be done through dialogue, not conflict. Mistakes have always been made, and they are part of the game's appeal, but we do have to look at ways of cutting them out where possible.
I actually think the standard of refereeing has been very good at this World Cup. But the referee cannot see everything that goes on out there, and I think if you had two referees on the pitch it would make things easier. Then there is the use of video evidence to consider, though not during the game as I don't think it would help. If you use it afterwards, you can see what really went on and punish the guilty parties.
CAP - Third-world country referees are not exposed to the pressure of the game as it is in say Italy, in Argentina, in Brazil, in France or England. As good as they are, they don’t have this experience in big matches so the problem was too many were working in the latter stages. It’s a question of selecting the best ones for the final games.
What are your hopes for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany?
FB - I have a positive overall impression. The downside was the tickets which arrived too late for fans to pick them up (whoever’s fault that was), so we will have to make sure they are delivered on time.
AJ - I think the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany will be a great occasion. Between now and then we need to take time to think about why the game turns into stalemate sometimes, and why defences tend to have the last word. We need to encourage the teams that take risks - therein lies the future of football.
CAP - I was in Germany for the 1974 World Cup so for sure we are going to see a well-organized tournament with the best teams there. The only thing we can hope for is that the teams will be awarded more time for preparation. It’s going to be difficult to reduce the number of competitions but let’s give to the teams three or four weeks preparation. This has to be done.
Karl
Edited by - Karl on Jun 29 2002 10:26:34 |
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