Comment: George Dearnaley

So after the first five days of the Soccer World Cup, I have picked up a trend that has a massive influence on how teams play the game.?????

The last World Cup played in Germany was played in the middle of summer. The higher temperatures meant that teams played the game at a slower tempo because they had to conserve energy.

This World Cup, played in the middle of our winter, has meant that teams can apply more pressure and work harder to close down the opposition as the cooler temperatures allow for more running.?

This was very evident in the USA v England match where the Americans worked hard for 90 minutes to close down their more illustrious opponents.

It was very obvious in the Italy v Paraguay match too where the Azzurri didn’t have the time on the ball they are used to.

These cooler conditions will allow the so-called "weaker teams" to close the spaces and keep the matches a lot tighter.?

As a result, I predict that there will be a few more draws in the group matches until we head towards the knockout rounds.

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