Mbappe keeps on impressing
The World Cup is not just a battle for the trophy—it is also a giant chessboard where the world's best coaches test their tactical ideas. Every match introduces new tactical dimensions. Modern football evolves as rapidly as changing the prescription on a pair of glasses. France's match against Iraq demonstrated that football has essentially become a sophisticated game of controlling space.
Right from the opening whistle, France's relentless high pressing and attacking intensity forced Iraq into a defensive shell. Iraq's nominal 4-1-4-1 formation effectively transformed into a 6-3-1, with six players stationed in the defensive line. In coaching terminology, this is known as a deep defensive low block.
Breaking down such a compact defensive wall is difficult for any team. But the tactical solution employed by Didier Deschamps' France was simply outstanding. Throughout the match, France completed 41 passes inside the opponent's penalty area, setting a new World Cup record.
Normally, even elite teams struggle to complete more than 20 to 30 passes inside the opposition box in an entire match. France achieved this because of their 2-2-6 attacking structure during possession. With six players pushing high simultaneously, Iraq's defenders repeatedly made poor positional decisions. Those 41 passes produced five clear scoring opportunities, two of which France converted into goals.
France's greatest strength in this match was their outstanding use of the half-spaces. In football terminology, the half-space refers to the channel between the opposition full-back and centre-back. More than 70 per cent of goals in modern football are created from these areas. France's forwards occupied both half-spaces simultaneously and constantly interchanged positions between the wings and the half-spaces, leaving Iraq's defensive unit completely disoriented.
This brings us to Michael Olise. Olise has effectively filled the creative void left by Antoine Griezmann in this tournament. Operating as the team's number ten, he has given Kylian Mbappe considerably more freedom. By drawing defenders toward himself, Olise creates space for Mbappe to drift from the half-space into central areas, where he consistently finds room to operate.
Having already scored 16 World Cup goals, Mbappé has become a footballing phenomenon. Against Iraq, his first goal came from a thunderous strike outside the penalty area. Goals like that make every sleepless night worthwhile. Mbappe is equally comfortable with both feet and possesses exceptional long-range shooting ability. My admiration for him continues to grow—he has become the perfect blend of a clinical and an instinctive finisher.
Yet Mbappe's greatest strength lies not only in his pace but also in his match reading and anticipation. Lionel Messi may produce more breathtaking moments on the ball, but when it comes to understanding the flow of the game without possession and occupying the right position at precisely the right time, Mbappe is truly exceptional.
If we turn to Argentina's match against Austria, another tactical lesson becomes evident. Ralf Rangnick's famous gegenpressing system proved largely ineffective against Argentina. There were two main reasons for this. First, the venues in the United States are considerably hotter and more humid than those in Europe. Sustaining high-intensity pressing throughout a match is virtually impossible under such conditions.
Modern football generally features three main types of pressing. High pressing aims to prevent opponents from building attacks from their own half. Gegenpressing involves two or three players immediately swarming the opponent in possession to win the ball back. Counter-pressing focuses on regaining possession within five seconds of losing it, or before the opposition can complete two or three passes.
Whenever Austria pushed forward to execute their high press, they left large spaces exposed on the wings. Argentina exploited this positional weakness perfectly. Their full-backs and midfielders repeatedly used those vacant areas to bypass Austria's pressing entirely.
So far in this World Cup, Argentina's midfield has looked like the tournament's strongest unit in my view. In particular, the positional rotations and one-touch passing of Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez completely neutralised Austria's pressing strategy.
* The author is a football coach and analyst.