Goals Galore and Heavyweight Dominance

After a relatively cautious opening round, Matchweek 2 of the World Cup saw the tournament truly burst into life. Goals flew in across the groups as many of the competition's highest-ranked nations began to separate themselves from the chasing pack. France continued to showcase why they are among the favourites, the Netherlands produced one of the performances of the round, and Japan once again demonstrated that they are far more than just a technically gifted side.

Attacking Dominance

Few players in international football display such a stark contrast between their club and national team performances as Cody Gakpo. At club level, it feels like he offers very little and can take up a place in the starting level that should go to someone who is far more

creative and more of a threat. However, when playing for his national side, he turns into someone completely different. He becomes a goal threat and plays a major part in every attack. No point better proven than this one during the Netherlands 5-1 win against Sweden. Gakpo popped up with 2 goals and an assist; furthermore, throughout the game was involved at every point. What stood out most was his movement off the ball. Time and time again, he found pockets of space in front of Sweden's defensive lines, giving his teammates a reliable passing option and ensuring he was constantly involved in attacking sequences. He has become a talisman for this Dutch squad, become their main attacking outlet, offering a range of creative passes and goal scoring opportunities.

With 5 shots (4 on target), he was an attacking threat through, consistently testing the keeper. Additionally, he created 1 big chance, which was evidently converted, providing him with an assist. With such a physical striker upfront in Brobbey, it provides Gakpo the space he needs to operate, and for the Netherlands, he is more than willing to utilise it. One negative side of this performance is, unfortunately, his dribbling, which did leave a lot to be desired. Completing only 2/9 dribbles and losing possession 19 times, he was dispossessed a fair amount, but did still manage to rack up over 100m progressed with the ball at his feet.

While his dribbling success rate and ball retention were clear weaknesses during the game, they should not overshadow what was otherwise a decisive attacking display. 2 goals, an assist, a big chance created, and a constant presence in dangerous areas underline his value to this Dutch side. It is this combination of end product and attacking influence that defines why Gakpo often looks far more effective in international football than he does at club level.

Creative Spark

The most creative player of this match week is without a doubt. Ballon d’or contender Michael Olise. After a dominant performance against Iraq, France have now qualified for the round of 32. And whilst there were initially questions about how their front 4 would work, it is safe to say this has been put to rest. Mbappe has started this World Cup in the same way he ended the last, with goals, goals and more goals, racking up 4 in his opening 2 matches. Outside of the main upfront, though, we have Olise who is having an extremely strong tournament, seemingly inline to break the assist record. Whilst the record does stand at 8 in 1 World Cup, at the rate Olise is moving, this could be broken very easily. After his marvellous display against Iraq, he sits at 3 assists in 2 matches, and with the French attacking quartet only getting better, there will be far more assist opportunities in this tournament.

However, his performance against Iraq is what I shall be focusing on. Whilst only playing 68 minutes of the game, Olise got himself 2 assists and posed a constant goal threat throughout, even hitting the bar at one point. The strongest side of his game was his passing, contributing with 3 key passes, 1 big chance created, as well as an 80% pass success rate in the final third. His passing was a joy to behold as he showcased his creative vision alongside his ability to find the correct ball. With the freedom of the #10 role at his disposal, Olise is provided with the entire final 3rd to strut his stuff. What makes Olise so difficult to contain is his positional freedom. Rather than remaining central, he constantly drifts into empty spaces and wide areas to receive possession, making it difficult for Iraq's midfield and defence to determine who should pick him up. After a season which involved 22 goals and 26 assists in 52 matches, providing a player of his ability the freedom of the opposition half is a very dangerous weapon, and is bound to bring goals with it.

Outside of his passing masterclass, he produced a dribbling show that many would be proud of. Throughout the game, he completed 3/4 dribbles, 17 carries, and 175m total carry distance. Tasked with being the primary creative force of France, there was a need for him to pick up the ball midway between the halfway line and the final third and drag the attack forward. The man is a creative architect who will only get better as France progresses through the knockout stages. There will obviously be shouts for the Ballon d’Or should they end up winning, and whilst I don’t think he should win it, it certainly wouldn’t be unjustifiable.

Defensive Wall

Japan are a side known for being technically gifted, full of talent and all around tough to compete against. However, one side of their game which has gone under the radar is their defensive prowess. Often playing a 5 at the back, they are a difficult team to break down, and you will be lucky to see a defensive error. The pinnacle of their defence is the goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki. The powerhouse in goal plays his club football for Parma in Italy, and after an injury-ridden season, he comes into the Japan squad in a rich vein of form from the latter end of the season. However, throughout this GW2 fixture against Tunisia, he could have very easily pulled up a chair. Throughout the game, Tunisia only took 2 shots, neither of which was on target. In fact, the only proper piece of goalkeeping for which Suzuki was called into action was a single claim of a cross. This is down to not only a poor Tunisia side, but the strength of the Japan backline.

The 3 centre backs of Japan combined for 18 clearances, 7/8 aerial duels won and 27 defensive contributions. Tomiyasu, Itakura and Itō put on a defensive clinic which would put

any team to the sword. This, in turn, provided the wingbacks the freedom to get forward and be the extra men in attack. Whilst Nakamura can be hesitant to do this, preferring to cross from deep, Ritsu Doan offers no such hesitancy. Formally employed as a winger, Doan has been moved to RWB for his national side, but even when wearing the #10, he certainly doesn’t look out of place. Spending almost the entire game in the opponents third, he added the necessary width to the Japan attack and was vital in providing such a dominant performance.

What made Japan's defensive display particularly impressive was their organisation out of possession. Rather than simply sitting deep, they were proactive in stepping out to engage attackers and compress space in midfield, preventing Tunisia from progressing through central areas. This forced Tunisia wide, where Japan's back line consistently won duels and cleared danger before it could develop into meaningful chances. The result was a performance that not only kept a clean sheet but effectively removed Tunisia as an attacking threat altogether. Whilst Japan will face a sterner test against Sweden in the final group game, should they put on a similar performance, they would have to be classed as favourites to qualify in the top 2 and progress deep into the knockout rounds.