A more attacking approach

Coach Alexandre Guimaraes knows that if his team is to stand any chance of beating Ecuador on Thursday, it should try to control the ball for longer periods of time. During the opening match, against Germany, the Ticos were able to hold possession for only a third of the time, being heavily overplayed in this category by the hosts. Aware that another defeat will eliminate Costa Rica from the World Cup, Guimaraes said he’ll try another approach that is not as defensive, and will ultimately lead to a higher possession of the ball. This could mean a defensive midfielder leaving the team in favour of a more attacking midfielder.

The coaching staff expects Ecuador to sit back and wait for Costa Rica to take the initiative, but I’m not so sure that will happen. Ecuador might just as well try to win this game by playing aggressively again, since its last match will be against Germany - and a positive result there much harder to get than against the Central Americans.