GENEVA -- Risk-taking and counterattacks are the new fashion in football, according to a FIFA study of World Cup teams tactics. "The trend is for teams to play positively and do everything to win a game rather than merely not lose," FIFAs panel of coaching experts working in Brazil reported Friday. The best teams were rewarded for being "not afraid of losing their shape for brief moments," the 284-page document noted. "Outstanding fast transitions and counterattacking tactics," were praised as the most effective strategy at a World Cup which equaled the tournament record for most goals and was widely praised as the best in a generation. It was a different story four years ago. Then, the football was so poor in South Africa that FIFA President Sepp Blatter asked a task force to suggest ways of making football more entertaining. Though that panel achieved little, in Brazil the teams, coaches and players rose to their challenge. "The tempo of the game was impressive -- Brazil 2014 was one of, if not the fastest World Cups ever played," the FIFA technical report said. Other successful trends in Brazil included playing with at least two strikers, three central defenders and only one defensive midfielder. Controversial incidents -- including Uruguay forward Luis Suarez biting an opponent, and players continuing despite apparent head injuries -- are not mentioned in the document. Teams are also rarely criticized, though Brazil is not spared after being outplayed by eventual winner Germany and the Netherlands. "An incomprehensibly poor performance against Germany," the report said of the host nations semifinal humbling, adding that 7-1 was "a fair reflection of the strengths of the two teams." FIFAs coaches noted Brazils "attacking game not quite clicking into gear and some co-ordination problems obvious in defence." Tactically, the FIFA report says top teams no longer use two holding midfielders, which was effective in South Africa. A lone striker is also out of fashion. "Most teams played with two strikers (if not three), and the few teams that played with one lone attacker left the competition early," the report said. Goalkeepers like Germanys Manuel Neuer now function as an extra outfield player, and specialized coaching should reflect that, the report said. The report suggests playing with three central defenders is "on the rise again" thanks to the third-place Netherlands, surprise quarterfinalist Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. Four years after Spain rode its tiki-taka passing to win the World Cup, the report notes effective use of the ball is now more important than simply having it. In Brazil, 21 of 64 matches were won by the counterattacking team having less possession. "Possession play must be efficient and not sterile," the report noted, adding that 34 of 171 goals in Brazil came from "quick transition play." "Counter-attacking tactics were once a tool in a teams armoury, but now some teams base their entire play around such tactics," the report said. More goals than expected came from corner kicks and "remarkable" high-quality crosses, and early leads were often overturned. "Teams that scored the first goal were at times too confident and too sure of themselves," the report said. Defensive tactics included aggressive pressing to get the ball in the first 15 minutes, and holding a back line at least 40 metres from goal. "Teams defended in a compact block in a high line and overloaded the area where the ball was," the report said. Costa Rica and Algeria are praised for making progress, and so was the CONCACAF region which also had Mexico and the United States reach the second round "Good development work has seen the gap between (CONCACAF) teams narrow, which automatically means that there is healthy competition and an improved standard of football," the report states. "Europe can be more than happy with their performance at Brazil 2014," the report said, after winning for the first time in the Americas. The four winless Asian confederation teams "lacked creativity, ideas, penetration and players who could turn a match in their favour." FIFAs experts also hope the World Cup will encourage a generation of unselfish players putting their team first. "Individual skill can only be effective if it is fully in sync with the efforts and philosophy of the team." Wholesale Custom Basketball Jerseys . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. Clearance Custom Basketball Jerseys . With the suspension, Nigeria is unable to take part in any kind of international fixtures. FIFA had issued a warning to the NFF last week after the federation was served with court proceedings from the government that prevented the NFFs president from running the NFFs day-to-day affairs. http://www.customjerseysbasketball.com/. Coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions. Custom Basketball Jerseys China . Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger that the team is quietly gauging interest on the Senators captain, though Spezza has a limited no-trade clause and carries a large contract. Custom Atlanta Hawks Jerseys .Y. -- Scott Chandler is returning to Buffalo, where he spent the past three seasons establishing himself as the Bills top pass-catching tight end.IGLS, Austria -- Martins Dukurs of Latvia won his fourth consecutive World Cup skeleton race Saturday, moving closer to the seasonlong points title and remaining eligible for a huge bonus payday. Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta., who won Olympic gold four years ago, finished seventh in 1:47.67. John Fairbairn of Calgary followed in 13th at 1:47.87 while Eric Neilson of Kelowna, B.C., trailed in 17th at 1:48.01. The U.S. had three sleds in the top eight, with John Daly placing fifth, Matt Antoine finishing sixth and Kyle Tress taking eighth. By posting the fastest time in both heats, Martins Dukurs remained in the running for tthe FIBT "Triple Crown.dddddddddddd" If he is again the fastest in both heats in the World Cup season-finale at Konigssee next weekend, just as he also did at St. Moritz a week ago, he would win a bonus of about $135,000. Martins Dukurs also opened up an 80-point lead over Tretiakov in the seasonlong points chase. But Russian sliders are not expected to compete in the World Cup finale, and will head to the Sochi Olympic track for some additional training instead before other nations arrive early next month. That means all Martins Dukurs needs to wrap up no worse than a share of what would be his fifth consecutive overall World Cup title is a 12th-place finish next weekend. And hes finished at least 12th in each of his last 43 World Cup races dating back to early 2009. 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