The 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup came to end on the 15th of July; France lifting the trophy for the second time in their history at the expense of the Croatian team who were brave and fought hard all through the competition. The Golden Generation of Belgium secured a third place finish which became their best finish in the tournament ever after defeating the English side who also had a surprisingly great outing; their fourth place finish is now joint as their second best finish in the tournament.
The World Cup is over now but who were the stand out players an coach in the tournament? From the energy of kante to the beauty of Hazard, here are the top 11 players and the Coach who impressed the footy train;
COACH
Didier Deschamps: He became only the third person to win the World Cup as player and Coach after the 4-2 victory against Croatia. He was regularly the target of criticism before the World Cup started on not knowing how to select his best team and to play to their potential. France had a slow start in the World Cup but eventually grew into the tournament. The use of Matuidi on the left hand side of the field proved a tactical master class as he was able to help Kante and Pogba in the middle of the park, Giroud and Griezmann upfront and Hernandez with the defensive duties on the left. The French side were very good from set pieces defending and attacking it. The use of Mbapppes pace during the breaks and Griezmanns free role play proved effective throughout the course of the tournament. Deschamps has surely muted his critics and rightly deserves accolades for a Job well-done.
GOALKEEPER
Danijel Subasic: The 33 year Old Monaco Goalkeeper was a key player for the Croatian National team in the just concluded FIFA World Cup. His best performances came in the round of 16 game and quarter finals against Denmark and Russia respectively where he was the penalty Hero on both occasions; he also recorded 2 clean sheets in his first group stage games against Nigeria and Argentina respectively as well as making a number of great saves through the course of the tournament.
DEFENDERS
Kieran Trippier: Following an impressive showing in Russia, which was his first international tournament, Trippier has shown the World he is a top class defender and is capable of more. He created the most chances during the world cup (24) and his free kick goal against Croatia was only the second free kick scored by an English man in the World Cup after David Beckham in 2006 (he does bend it a little like Beckham).
Toby Alderweireld: The Spurs defended suffered with injury problems the most of last season. His quality performances during the World Cup would surely help in putting his forgettable season behind him. His most notable performances include a strong show in their quarter final victory against Brazil as well as the third place victory over England.
Raphael Varane: He came into the World Cup on a High after celebrating a third successive champions league title with Real Madrid. At just 25 Raphael Varane has lived up to his bright potential with an enviable career having won every trophy at club level and now the World Cup. His partnership with Umtiti was a match made in heaven; his best performances was in Frances hard fought victory against Belgium in the Semi-final (he was a rock in the defence) and the quarter final against Uruguay were he scored a beautiful header.
Lucas Hernandez: The 22-year-old Atletico Madrid man who wasn’t initially Deschamps’ first choice left back impressed throughout the World Cup starting all 7 of France’s games. The strong left back threw himself on the line in tackles defensively and was a genuine threat going forward with his crosses which caused problems to the opposition. His biggest performances came in the final were did a good job of keeping Rebic quiet and provided an assist for Kylian Mbappe’s goal. At 22 with a World Cup medal, He has a lot of his best years ahead of him and will be an important part of this Les Bleus group going forward.
MIDFIELDERS
Ngolo Kante: His rise to Stardom has been a commendable one over the past few years. The former PFA player of the year is known for his speed, energy and ball winning abilities (Kante covers 70% of the earth). Kante had more ball recoveries than any other outfield player in the World Cup (48+), he was ever present in the midfield for France and his partnership with Paul Pogba was a formidable one. Kante has added more accolades to his name and is now seen by many as the best defensive midfielder in football at the moment.
Luka Modric: The Maestro, the Puppet Master, the Architect, the Choir master and so many more adjectives to describe Modric. The Little Magician inspired his team to the finals of the World Cup for the first time in their history; Although they did not win the trophy Luka Modric was named the Golden ball Winner of the tournament and rightfully so. He scored 2 goals and provided an assist during the course of the tournament. His partnership with Ivan Rakitic was enchanting; how the switched sides, sent diagonal balls to opposite ends of the field and that subtle touch on the ball was a joy to behold.
Paul Pogba: He was a subject of criticism by many before the World Cup began following a mixed season for Manchester United; the inconsistency in his game led to questions and suggestions why he shouldn’t be a starter for the French side. Paul Pogba amidst all criticism and doubts rose high and silenced his critics with his excellent performance during the World Cup. Pogbas matured display and partnership with Ngolo Kante acted as the core of the team defending and going forward. He had the most passes for his side and second only to Ngolo Kante in ball recoveries. His best performance came in the final were he stringed some brilliant passes across field for his regular victim Kylian Mbappe and where he scored his only goal in the World Cup.
ATTACKERS
Eden Hazard: The Chelsea attacker had an impressive world cup and was second to Modric for the golden ball award, winning 3 Man of the Match awards out of six games he was involved in; Hazard led the Belgian side with the most take-ons, most shots and most assist. His best performance which was against Tunisia, which he scored 2 goals, Hazard would hope to captain this golden generation of Belgian players to victory in their next major tournament
Antoine Griezmann: The French man was yet again Vital for his team as expected and brought his Europa league winning form along, scoring 4 goals, 3 from the penalty spot including the one in the final against croatia, Griezmann had an excellent world cup, causing a lot of issues for the opposition defence, with his best performance against Croatia in the final, He would be glad that he capped it off with the world cup trophy and would look on to better years with Le Bleus.
Kylian Mbappe:
The PSG attacker had an excellent world cup, at just age 19 and his first tournament for France, Mbappe delivered a world class performance for France, Which saw him win the “The Best Young Player” award. His best performance was against Argentina where he scored a brace to end Argentina’s world cup hope; Mbappe also scored another in the Final against Croatia, which summed up a total of 4 goals second only to Pele in the World Cup. Mbappe would be delighted to have started his career on such a good note and would look forward adding more trophies with Lé Blues in the future.
Not every player who was outstanding in the 2018 World Cup can make the team of the tournament as there are just 11 spots; so we drafted or team B or alternate 11 as you like and they are:
Coach:
Zlatko Dalic
Goal Keeper:
Thibaut Courtois
Defenders:
Sime Vrsalijko
Diego Godin
Dejan Lovren
Diego Laxalt
Midfielders:
Ivan Perisic
Ivan Rakitic
Kevin Debrunye
Denis Cheryshev
Attackers:
Harry Kane
Romelu Lukaku
Writers: Nanbal Fompun; Pamilerin Daniels; Boboye Oyeyemi (20/07/2018)
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