Goalmouth scramble: Lessons learned from the group stage

Netherlands' Memphis Depay, left, celebrates with his teammate Arjen Robben after scoring his side's second goal during the group B World Cup soccer match between the Netherlands and Chile. Photo / AP

Goalmouth Scramble takes a look at five lessons we learned across the group stages of the World Cup.

Top stars can can crumble mentally
What do Pepe, Mario Balotelli and Luis Suarez all have in common? They are all mentally weak. Despite being three of the biggest names in the game, they all lost the plot when the going got tough. Pepe was sent off for retaliation, Balotelli became a costly distraction and Suarez bit a man. Hardly the kind of behavior you would expect from three experienced, elite professionals. But the World Cup pressure-cooker is a hive of intensity and expectation where insecurities and mental weaknesses have no place to hide.

Collective spirit wins
If Brazil win this year it will be because of Neymar. Argentina can't do it without Messi and Portugal are nothing without Ronaldo. But in direct contrast we are seeing a number of teams at this World Cup who are succeeding based on the collective. USA, Mexico and Costa Rica have all overcome 'more talented' teams because of their united spirit. Those three could lose a key player and not much would change, but if Neymar, Messi or Ronaldo get injured, it's the end of the world. Germany seem to have the perfect balance of five or six world class, yet interchangeable players.

The game has evolved
Four years ago, possession-based football ruled. Spain and Barcelona paved the way with their tiki-taka style based on short, sharp passes, pulling the opposition out of position then penetrating in behind. But now the Zeitgeist has changed. Now the top teams are happy to concede possession and spring lethal counter attacks. Real Madrid won the Champions League playing this way and the Netherlands, France and Germany have looked the most threatening teams at this tournament based on this rapid, counterpunch style. In Colombia's 4-1 win over Japan they held the ball just 44% of the time. Possession stats no longer rule.

No one can stop Robben
Everything about Dutch winger Arjen Robben suggests he should be slow. He's 30 years old but looks 40, constantly looks in pain, has had a career littered with injuries and was Chelsea's top player ten years ago. But he is still devastatingly fast. So fast in fact, that he moves quicker with the ball at his feet than opposing defenders can run at a full sprint. He single handedly tore apart Australia, Chile and Spain and has been the most exciting player to watch in the group stages. When he picks the ball up on halfway, you know what he's going to do: dribble, cut onto left foot, shoot. Unfortunately for defenders, there's a difference between knowing this and stopping him.

Brazil are the flop kings
No one likes diving. Players pretending they're hurt and rolling around the floor in fake anguish can be a brutally frustrating thing to watch. But after analysing flopping incidents from the first 32 games the Wall Street Journal has opened the lid on the biggest offenders from footballs dark arts. Brazil led the way with 17 'flopping' incidents over two games, five of which belonged to Neymar. Honduras were on the ground faking it for the longest (seven minutes and 40 seconds) and Bosnia and Herzegovina were the hardest team, with only two 'injuries' and a total of 24 seconds writhing time. The fastest 'injury' was from Enner Valencia of Ecuador, who was on the ground clutching his leg after just four seconds against Honduras.