What Qatar World Cup underlined about modern football

108404201 EP1: What Qatar World Cup underlined about modern football In times to come, it will be hard to remember a more politically entangled Fifa World Cup than Qatar 2022. The tournament began under a cloud of negativity over human rights issues, which were particularly focused on the deaths of “thousands” of migrant workers in the Gulf nation over the past decade. Once the action on the pitch began, however, football well and truly took over. The group stage itself threw up more than a few surprises. Even as Argentina would bounce back from their stinging 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game, four-time champions Germany and heavily fancied Belgium suffered premature exits. Why did Germany & Spain falter? Are the Germans paying a price for drifting away from their traditional strengths? The famed ruthless German efficiency, which reached a peak in Belo Horizonte eight years ago when they shattered the World Cup hopes of hosts Brazil in the semifinals, was found wanting in Qatar, perhaps exposing how Die Mannschaft have struggled to find a worthy replacement for the legendary Miroslav Klose. One might say the same about Spain, who began with a resounding 7-0 win over Costa Rica — a performance which many of us thought indicated Luis Enrique’s talented bunch meant business. They would never win another match, as the 2010 champions also badly missed the services of a David Villa like target man, eventually getting beaten in the second round by Morocco on penalties after the game had ended goalless. What Asian and African prowess underlined As the two recent former champions faltered, Asian and African nations such as Japan, South Korea, Senegal and Morocco all left lasting impressions, demonstrating how the modern game has become more direct and vertical. The importance of goal scoring was also highlighted in the epic final between Argentina and France where, for the second time in the tournament, Messi and his teammates watched a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead erased in a matter of minutes. What Fifa’s new plans mean Governing body Fifa is reportedly also mulling over the possibility of staging the World Cup every three years. Do Fifa’s ambitious plans risk ruining a near-perfect template? Audio production: Anil Chauhan 108404202 EP2: World Cup: Who would make it to the best XI?The 2022 Fifa World Cup indeed witnessed some breath-taking individual performances and jaw dropping goals. From Richarlison’s stunning scissors kick in Brazil’s opener against Serbia to Angel Di Maria’s perfect finish to an exquisite Argentina team move, followed by Kylian Mbappe’s brilliant volley in the final, these are just a few spectacular moments we will always look back on fondly whenever our minds take us back to Qatar 2022. Picking the best eleven from the tournament was fun but also had The Times of India’s Saumyajit Basu and Rohan Alvares weighing up the options, considering the strong competition for certain spots. Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez may have won the Golden glove award but Croatia’s number one Dominik Livakovic was also a worthy contender. Livakovic’s teammate Josko Gvardiol was one of the revelations of the tournament, even if the young RB Leipzig defender was the latest to get a taste of Lionel Messi’s genius in the semifinals. PSG wing back Achraf Hakimi, meanwhile, was pivotal in helping Morocco make history as the first ever African nation to advance to the World Cup semifinals. His teammate Sofyan Amrabat also caught the eye with his efforts in midfield as did Argentina’s 21-year-old talent Enzo Fernandez. Messi and Mbappe were obvious choices in the wide roles of our three-man attack, but who would be our fox in the box? Audio production: Anil Chauhan