Studio of the World Cup: Ivory Coast played the best match of the tournament against Germany, according to an expert.

More match bonuses, more entertaining viewing, and more insights. "I hate the setup where matches are played to a draw. It's not the direction football is heading. Morocco and Ivory Coast play instinctively, they're not afraid to take risks," muses expert Pavel Karoch. "I'm thrilled by how Canada, the United States, or Mexico are presenting themselves," adds Petr Mikolanda. The latest episode of Studio MS fotbal discusses European favorites and trends that Czech fans are missing.

German drama against Ivory Coast

Mikolanda: "I haven't seen a better World Cup match. The way the Germans tried to combine from the back from the first minute… Ivory Coast managed to pick the ball out, they moved into open defense. They weren't afraid to play. The Germans had to go at 100 percent. I perceive a huge character, a giant will in the Germans. They aren't just well-set up tactically. They had to earn it. And Ivory Coast in terms of football? I'd immediately take eight of their players to Europe."

Karoch: "The Germans have great teamwork, cohesion. That makes a lot. They played great football; even their build-up wasn't particularly slow. As soon as an opportunity arose, they tried to outnumber the opponent. Either individually or with short passes. And it wasn't easy for them. Ivory Coast impressed me."

Mikolanda: "The Germans don't have a weak player. And for a long time, they've been detail-oriented. At every position, in every formation. Every player knows where to move, and there's also the cohesion of other teammates. This is world-class football. Compared to us? Twenty years behind."

Dutch fireworks against Sweden

Karoch: "The Dutch have historically creative players, and the question is always how they sell it. How many chances they give. From a simple combination, they can accelerate extremely fast, turn it around over two players. And then it's turbo. They fly in with three, with four. If you make a mistake in the midfield, Sweden wouldn't have had a chance to cover it. And Sweden didn't play badly; they didn't disappoint me. They had great things. Isak, Elanga… That was a treat."

Two-goal tank Brian Brobbey

Mikolanda: "These are the kind of strikers you want in your team. Similar to Tomáš Choro, I love these sharpshooters. You can rely on them in defense, in offense; you can't take the ball away from them near the penalty area. Extremely unpleasant for center-backs; they press, every duel hurts, they keep the ball. We need to train these players too, work with them. Not just 'you're the tallest, go head the ball.' You need to work with them individually. They're hugely marketable commodities."

Curacao's first point

Mikolanda: "It's also about how they approached it. They're not going for a draw. They're going for a point, 100 percent. That the opponent doesn't score two easy goals, that they wish you luck? That's beautiful football. After the match, you get swarmed, everyone will surround you, you have a day off, you celebrate. That's a huge source of pride for the national team. Curacao did a great job, but again, the setup… They take the ball, go on offense. They don't solve backward passes, wide passes. We find individually high-quality players there. The fact that they got a point wasn't a coincidence."

Why doesn't it even interest the Czechs?

Karoch: “I hear from coach Koubek that no player is more important than the team. Which is true. But there are also players for whom the tactics need to be adjusted, even if only slightly. And at the same time, I want to say that the coach is not more important than the team either. His input, the tactical approach, the team setup, is enormously important. I don't know exactly what the tactics are for the Czech national team. Whether we are afraid to attack, or whether we are mainly focused on being solid at the back. I hate this mindset of playing defensively and not conceding. It's not the direction football is heading. For example, Morocco and Ivory Coast play with passion and are not afraid to take risks.”

Mikolanda: “Unfortunately, I have to agree. Of course, everyone goes into a match wanting to win, to get a point. The coach certainly wants tactical things, certain principles. But it's up to the players how they implement it. Mr. Koubek wants a strong defense, you're leading 1-0, you want to defend well. We accept that. But the second thing is what the players do after winning the ball. Suddenly, we don't know what to do with it. The opponents come at us in the press, and we have nowhere to run. Or we can't, or we don't want to. You have space to go down the line, to hold the ball. Patrik Schick doesn't do that. After winning the ball, we either lack the quality or the courage. We need to keep the ball, exchange ten or fifteen passes, and make the opponents run. Those players can do it, they are brave in their clubs. But it doesn't work for the national team.”