Don't be scared to attack, coaches

SEOUL -- There's a strange syndrome going round at the World Cup at the moment, and I don't know what will cure it. The "I will only play one striker" condition has hit some managers hard and could be a reason for the early struggles of such high-profile sides as France, Argentina, Italy and Portugal.

What am I talking about? Let me explain:

France's Roger Lemerre refuses to play someone alongside David Trezeguet, although the defending champions have failed to score a goal in 180 minutes of football. Argentina has found the back of the net only once as Marcelo Bielsa insists on keeping either Gabriel Batistuta or Hernan Crespo on the bench.

Christian Vieri is the chosen man for Giovanni Trapattoni's Italy despite the fact that Pippo Inzaghi, Vincenzo Montella and Alessandro Del Piero could play beside him. And Pedro Pauleta often looks lost in the Portuguese attack when he could be a lot better playing with Nuno Gomes.

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Why are managers doing this? To employ two defensive midfielders.

Many of the stronger teams' coaches seem to be afraid of losing the battle in the middle of the park and so prefer to be safe rather than sorry. I understand this, but what I don't understand is why they keep using the same tactic for every game and every situation.

The French were losing to Senegal and drawing with Uruguay but did not change their 4-2-3-1 layout. The same can be said about Argentina when it was losing to England, and for Portugal when it was down to the United States. Italy beat Ecuador with two early goals from Vieri, but after the South Americans settled down, the Italians struggled to create opportunities.

My point is this -- don't be scared, guys. If you have some of the world's best strikers, use them. If you concede an extra goal, the chances are you can score a couple more with a deadly duo up front.

I could be wrong, but this defensive mentality will cost some of these teams a place in the latter stages of the competition.

World Sport's Pedro Pinto will be reporting regularly from South Korea during the World Cup.

 

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