Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
I think Van Gaal did plan to let the US have the ball, but they showed a stat on the Fox Broadcast that USA was winning the ball back within 14 seconds and NED within 28 seconds. USA was better with their pressing, and hemming the Dutch in.that xG was nonsensical and did not tell the story of the game. Possession favored USA because NED let them have it. NED was content to sit on their lead and ceded possession. Definitely not a disaster today, but if you play that game ten times, Netherlands probably wins it 9 times. That’s why xG isn’t telling the right story
That stuff matters. USA did that all tournament. Their midfield is very good with pressing because of how much ground those three players cover, Weah is athletic, Pulisic is athletic, Robinson, Dest. The speed and how hard the US team works compared to some of these older and slower teams is partially why they were able to register so much possession at this tournament.
In past years, they had the athleticism and work-rate to win back the ball, but knew they couldn't keep it and do anything with it, so they'd play entirely on the counter. This team played differently because now there are some good players that can play real football.