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August 19 2009
Kaka inspires Brazil's triumph
Kaka’s lack of defensive work makes him a greater attacking threat
Kaka helped Brazil to a memorable 3-2 victory over USA by operating in the opposition half for the majority the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 final, according to Castrol Performance Analysis.
The playmaker’s clash with USA’s Clint Dempsey was identified as the key battle in the game after Castrol Analysts revealed the two players to be their sides’ most influential performers in the build up to the game.
That pattern continued in the final, but the heat maps below show that while Kaka was allowed to play in an advanced position, Dempsey was forced to spend large periods of the game tracking back on the right hand flank to help out with defensive work.
Kaka was required to do very little work in his own half even though his most common position was also just over the halfway line.
This meant the former AC Milan star was well positioned to join in with his side’s attacking moves when he exploited the areas behind the main striker, particularly on the left hand side where he created Brazil’s equaliser with a stunning burst of pace and an incisive cross.
Dempsey struck early in the match to net his third goal of the tournament, but that was one of the rare occasions he made it into the Brazilian penalty area other than for set pieces.
Most of the Fulham forward’s activity took place on either side of the halfway line and over the course of the game Dempsey had to run more than a kilometer further than Kaka. The Fulham player actually ran the equivalent of 10 crossings of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Confirmation of the influence of the two players came when Kaka won the adidas Golden Ball award for being player of the tournament while Dempsey was ranked third picking up the Bronze Ball award. Both players also featured in the top three of the Castrol Index.
The playmaker’s clash with USA’s Clint Dempsey was identified as the key battle in the game after Castrol Analysts revealed the two players to be their sides’ most influential performers in the build up to the game.
That pattern continued in the final, but the heat maps below show that while Kaka was allowed to play in an advanced position, Dempsey was forced to spend large periods of the game tracking back on the right hand flank to help out with defensive work.
Kaka was required to do very little work in his own half even though his most common position was also just over the halfway line.
This meant the former AC Milan star was well positioned to join in with his side’s attacking moves when he exploited the areas behind the main striker, particularly on the left hand side where he created Brazil’s equaliser with a stunning burst of pace and an incisive cross.
Dempsey struck early in the match to net his third goal of the tournament, but that was one of the rare occasions he made it into the Brazilian penalty area other than for set pieces.
Most of the Fulham forward’s activity took place on either side of the halfway line and over the course of the game Dempsey had to run more than a kilometer further than Kaka. The Fulham player actually ran the equivalent of 10 crossings of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Confirmation of the influence of the two players came when Kaka won the adidas Golden Ball award for being player of the tournament while Dempsey was ranked third picking up the Bronze Ball award. Both players also featured in the top three of the Castrol Index.
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