The World Cup semi-finals are being played today and tomorrow among the top four teams: Argentina, Spain, France, and England, in order according to FIFA rankings. These teams are coached by three former defenders and a midfielder, with a complete absence of former strikers. This is explained by the fact that defenders and midfielders are more selfless and also have a better understanding of the field and the ability to maneuver during matches, making them more knowledgeable about playing styles and technical tactics.

Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni, the titleholder of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the Best Coach award, was an Argentine-Italian player who played as a right-back and also could play as a right midfielder. He then became a coach and won the World Cup, whose title he still holds.

As for Thomas Tuchel, a German, he played as a defender and retired at age 25 due to an injury that forced him to stop. The serious coach hopes to lead the Three Lions 'England' to a long-awaited title, and the English hope that the long-delayed return will come at the hands of this German defender. As for Didier Deschamps, the midfield star of France in 1998, in the first World Cup won by Les Bleus with Zidane and his teammates, he was a tactical midfielder who helped Zidane lead France to defeat Brazil in the famous final with a historic three-goal victory.

This coach reached the final in Qatar and lost to Argentina on penalties after a historic match that ended in a 3-3 draw. He hopes to win the tournament for the third time as a coach and player, having won it as a coach in Russia 2018 and as a player in France 1998, joining Brazil's Zagallo and Germany's Beckenbauer, who won the tournament as players and coaches. He seeks to win it for the second time as a coach and is qualified for that.

As for the fourth coach, he is Luis de la Fuente, the coach of France, who won the European Championship with them, and he seeks to win the cup with La Roja, whom he has led since the end of 2022. He also played as a defender. This is an observation worthy of attention and study: most prominent coaches were defenders or midfielders, with a near absence of strikers. So are the reasons psychological or technical, or both?