Heat set to play key role at World Cup

The World Cup which kicks off in Brazil on Thursday is likely to be dominated by talk of how best to adapt to playing in high heat and humidity.

Most experts are in agreement that the tournament in Brazil will be difficult for all teams, who are facing gruelling travelling schedules and unfamiliar climatic conditions.

For European teams in particular, adapting to the conditions will be of prime importance if any are to win the title for the first time on the American continent.

Conditions in Brazil are also likely to dictate tactics. Teams accustomed to playing a high, intensive pressing game are unlikely to maintain energy levels over 90 minutes or longer in tropical conditions.

Former Socceroos coach Holger Osieck, who at one time was a member of the FIFA and UEFA technical committees, says pressing defence is "wishful thinking."

"Teams will have to play more economically," he said.

"Playing the whole time with full power is absolutely impossible.

"The old English saying, 'to pace oneself,' to dictate the tempo of the game, will play a big role."

FIFA's technical study group will be observing the tournament with great interest.

For former Liverpool and France coach Gerard Houllier, a member of the study group, it was already clear during the Confederations Cup last year that teams that don't adapt will fail.

"No European team has been able to win a FIFA competition in South America and I believe the conditions will determine sometimes the pace of the game," Houllier said.

Houllier believes World Cup matches will not necessarily be slower, but that teams will have to pick the right moments to raise the pace, with goals more likely to come later on in games.

"When you play every three days with a hot temperature, and then add the travel, you have to have a strategy, and most teams will have a strategy of 'spare your energy, regroup, get back,'" he said.

If the Confederations Cup is any indication, a change of pace may not necessarily have a bearing on the number of goals scored, or the standard of play in general.

"It will be a different type of football to what we are used to in Europe," German coach Joachim Loew said this week.