Costa Rica Analysis

Costa Rica is an organized defensive side.

 

TThey have conceded 8 goals in final stage of CONCACAF, which is the second best record on the tournament. In the previous World Cup they were a big surprise, as they went to quarterfinals and lost in penalty shootout against Netherlands.

  1. They managed to create a lot of chances through long ball play. Long balls are delivered towards central area on the edge of the box, and players from midfieldfollow up to attack second balls directly in front of centre-backs. Costa Rica is also a threat in set-piece situations. When it comes to corner-kicks, most dangerous crosses were delivered into the 6 yard box.
  2. Defensively, they are set up in 5-4-1 structure, with focus on wide areas once possession is regained. Wing-backs are quick to release from their defensive positions, so midfielders tend to find them with long diagonal balls from central areas.

They have a lot of issues to retain vertical compactness, especially when they press high, as distance between midfield and defense is quite big. Wide centre-backs push out of their positions to close down opponents in between the lines, which was frequently used by opponents to draw them out and then exploit spaces behind.

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