Trends from the World Cup 2022 by Juanma Lillo (Patreon)

One thing that we should start considering more: there are more and more goals from cutbacks, or backwards passes.

Because teams try to play as far as they can from their own goal, when they break through the opponent’s defensive line they’re going so quickly that the players in the middle go ahead of the one who has the ball out wide. I used to say in Manchester that the last player to arrive to the box is the first one to be able to shoot. I tell that to my strikers all the time: the closer you get to the goal, the further you are from scoring.

Every team is so concerned about defending and controlling the spaces close to their goal that there are now more threats from further away.

Sometimes you need to step back!