DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Arsène Wenger, a FIFA official, had a shot at the World Cup teams that attempted to make political statements in Qatar, saying on Sunday that they lacked concentration for their first games.
Wenger said teams that had a good opening game were mentally ready to focus on the competition and “not political display.” The former Arsenal manager did not specify which teams he was talking about as he spoke during an analysis of group stage matches at a media event hosted by FIFA as Head of Global Football Development.
Denmark and Germany both underperformed in their first games. The Danes drew 0-0 with Tunisia and the Germans lost to Japan 2-1.
They were among seven European soccer federations at the World Cup that wanted their captains to wear an armband as part of a Dutch campaign against diversity and discrimination to expose the host nation’s poor human rights record.
However, Wenger glossed over the role FIFA played in the dispute by avoiding the issue before the teams reached the World Cup. Then, apparently under pressure from the Qatari authorities, he let it run until November 21, hours before England and the Netherlands played and won their first matches.
Hours before those games, FIFA forced an escalation of the European federations by threatening to ensure that England captain Harry Kane and his Dutch counterpart Virgil van Dijk would receive a yellow card. They would have risked receiving a second yellow and being sent off and banned for the next match.
Denmark played on November 22 without protest, a day before Germany’s players lined up for a team photo before the game and covered their mouths to show they felt silenced by World Cup organizers. Subsequently, both teams failed to advance to the knockout round.
The Danish soccer federation has always criticized Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers who helped build World Cup projects before the tournament and brought toned-down kits with a black option. to represent the color of mourning. The black jersey was not worn in Denmark’s three games.
Wenger, who is a longtime commentator for Qatar’s broadcaster beIN Sports, also said on Sunday that the World Cup games had been popular around the world “despite all the negative publicity we’ve received before”.
Sharing the stage with Wenger, German football great Jurgen Klinsmann highlighted the mental demands on European players in Qatar and offered a different theory.
Klinsmann analyzes matches for FIFA and prominent players in Europe’s biggest leagues had to adapt to play club games until just a week before the World Cup. started. Teams usually have at least two weeks to prepare after the European season for a typical World Cup that starts in June.
“For coaches preparing a team in a week is very, very difficult, obviously,” said Klinsmann, who was a two-time World Cup coach, with Germany in 2006 and the United States in 2014.
“There have been extreme mental challenges for the teams,” he said, adding that the expanded squads with 26 players instead of the usual 23 left coaches “dealing with 15 disgruntled players”.
Wenger highlighted two tactical trends from the 48 group stage matches: the importance of attacking from wide positions on the pitch and the ability of goalkeepers to pass the ball as a way out for teammates under pressure from opponents.
“Personally, I think the team with the best open players will win this tournament,” Wenger said.
He said attacking teams were forced to find space on the flanks because the opponents now better protect the midfield, and this also led to fewer long-range shots being taken.
The evolution of the ‘sweeper goalkeeper’ role pioneered by Germany captain Manuel Neuer has seen a 70% increase since the 2018 World Cup in goalkeepers offering to receive the ball with their feet.
“It’s a fascinating development of the goalkeeper position,” Klinsmann said, adding that youth training will likely need to be adapted so that potential goalkeepers also spend time playing in an outfield position to develop their ball control and his passing skills.
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