原題：World Cup 2018: Were England good, lucky, or a bit of both?
2018世界盃：英格蘭隊是優秀的？幸運的？還是兩者皆有一點？
連結：https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44808192
A World Cup which began with low expectations for England ended with
positivity and optimism, despite the pain of losing in the semi-finals to
Croatia.
英格蘭隊的世界盃之旅開始時是不受期待的，結束時卻是正向且樂觀的，儘管他們在半決
賽輸給克羅埃西亞。
After failing to get out of the group in 2014 and losing to Iceland at the
European Championship in 2016, the performances of Gareth Southgate's squad -
both on and off the pitch - restored pride in the national team.
在2014年自小組賽出局，及2016年在歐洲盃負於冰島之後，Gareth Southgate的隊伍在場
上與場下的表現，重拾了國家隊的自尊心。
But now that the euphoria of what they achieved - a first semi-final
appearance in 28 years and only the third in English history - is subsiding,
what did we learn about this team?
但在對這支英格蘭隊成果－28年來首次、且僅僅是史上第三次半決賽－的狂喜漸趨平靜之
後，我們對這支隊伍有什麼認識？
And did their unexpected success mask some deficiencies?
不被預期的成功，是否掩蓋了某些缺陷？
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Were England overly reliant on set-pieces? 英格蘭隊是否過度依賴定位球？
England's dominance from set-pieces was one of the most striking aspects of
their performances in Russia, with training-ground routines - the "love
train", anyone? - regularly translating into important goals.
英格蘭隊的定位球優勢，是他們在俄羅斯的表現中最突出的方面之一。訓練場上的例行公
事－"love train"－經常創造出重要的進球。（這裡不太確定怎麼翻）
They clearly prepared extensively when it came to maximising free-kicks and
corners and their nine goals from set-pieces was a record at a World Cup for
any team since the data was first recorded in 1966.
談到最大化自由球與角球的效果，他們明顯對此準備充分。英格蘭隊本屆到目前為止共有
九顆定位球進球，這是世界盃自1966年有相關紀錄以來，最多的一隊。
Harry Kane scored three penalties, Kieran Trippier netted a free-kick and
they scored from four corners and a free-kick routine.
Harry Kane罰進三顆點球、Kieran Trippier直接罰進一顆自由球，除此之外，他們還間接
通過四次角球與一次自由球取得進球。
But that does mean they only scored three times from open play in six games,
one of which was a lucky deflection off Harry Kane against Panama.
但這也代表，他們在六場比賽的運動戰中，只取得三次進球。其中一次還是Harry Kane在
對陣巴拿馬時，那顆幸運的反彈進球。
So 75% of England's goals came from set-plays - more than any other team,
excluding four sides in the group stages who only scored two goals.
所以，英格蘭隊有75%的進球來自定位球戰術－這比例比任何其他球隊都要多，除了四支在
小組賽只進了兩顆球的球隊。
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ Countries to score most goals from set pieces (%) │
│ (of the 16 teams to reach the knockout stages) │
│ │
│ 從定位球戰術取得最多進球的國家隊（%） │
│ （晉級淘汰賽階段的16支球隊中） │
│ │
│ https://i.imgur.com/QDMGf1k.jpg │
│ │
│ 截圖截不到的數據↓ │
│ │
│ ENG－75%；URU－71.4%；COL－66.7%；POR－66.7%；SWE－50% │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
So did that reliance on set-pieces hide other attacking deficiencies?
那麼，對定位球的依賴是否掩蓋了其他進攻上的缺陷？
England had fewer shots on target per 90 minutes than half of the teams at
the tournament, behind the likes of Tunisia, Iceland and Peru.
英格蘭隊平均每90分鐘的射正次數比決賽圈半數以上的球隊都要少，這些球隊包括突尼西
亞隊、冰島隊與秘魯隊。
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ Most shots on target (per 90 minutes) │
│ │
│ 射正次數最多的國家隊（平均每90分鐘） │
│ │
│ https://i.imgur.com/wnOMfMT.jpg │
│ │
│ 截圖截不到的數據↓ │
│ │
│ ≧5：BRA＝8；GER＝7；BEL＝6；ESP＝5.8 │
│ │
│ ≧4，＜5：ARG＝4.5；URU＝4.2；JPN＝4；SWE＝4；SEN＝4；TUN＝4 │
│ │
│ ＞3.5，＜4：FRA＝3.8；KOR＝3.7；ISL＝3.7；PER＝3.7；CRO＝3.6 │
│ │
│ ＝3.5：SUI、POR、ENG │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
And while they had more shots on target from set plays than anyone else - an
average of six per 90 minutes - only five teams created fewer from open play.
而在英格蘭隊從定位球戰術中取得比任何其他球隊都要更多射正的情況下－平均每90分鐘
六次－只有五支球隊在運動戰中取得的射正比他們少。
https://i.imgur.com/3OSC2uP.jpg
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Did England lack a creative player? 英格蘭隊缺少有創造力的球員嗎？
For a team with the second-highest goals tally (12) and containing the likely
Golden Boot winner (Kane), it seems strange to suggest they lacked creativity.
對於一支取得本屆第二多總進球次數（12次），且陣中有潛在金靴得主（Kane）的球隊而
言，說他們缺乏創造力，聽起來似乎很奇怪。
But take set-pieces out of the equation and England's key attacking stats
show a team struggling to make a major impact in the final third.
但是把定位球從他們的進球方程式拿掉之後，英格蘭隊的關鍵進攻數據說明，這支球隊很
難在對方禁區造成重大威脅。
https://i.imgur.com/Lm81x3z.jpg
Remarkably, defender Harry Maguire had more touches (20) in the opposition
box than any other England player.
值得一提的是，後場球員Harry Maguire在對方禁區觸球的次數（20次）比任何其他己方球
員都要更多。
In fact, three of England's six goalscorers in Russia were defenders - with
John Stones scoring twice against Panama and Trippier and Maguire netting in
the knockout stages.
事實上，六位在俄羅斯取得進球的英格蘭隊球員中，有三位是後場球員－John Stones在對
陣巴拿馬的比賽中取得兩顆進球，Trippier與Maguire則在淘汰賽階段把球打入網中。
Even Kane, despite his six goals, struggled for scoring chances. After his
two close-range finishes against Tunisia, his remaining four goals included
three penalties and one fortunate deflection from a Ruben Loftus-Cheek shot
for his hat-trick against Panama.
即使Kane進了六次球，他同樣掙扎於取得進球機會。在對陣突尼西亞隊時的兩次臨門一腳
之後，他在接下來的四顆進球包括三次點球，與通過Ruben Loftus-Cheek的起腳，讓他在
對陣巴拿馬隊時拿下帽子戲法的那顆幸運的反彈球。
And he had only one shot on target in the knockout stages, his penalty goal
against Colombia in the last 16. So not a single one from open play.
而在淘汰賽階段，Kane只取得一次射正，即在十六強賽對陣哥倫比亞隊時踢進的那顆12碼
罰球。也就是說，沒有哪怕一次射正是在運動戰中取得的。
Was that down to service? England's lack of a world-class creative player -
the other semi-finalists had the likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Kevin de
Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann - had been highlighted
as a potential weakness before the tournament, and that concern seemed to be
borne out in Russia.
這是否低於預期？英格蘭缺乏具有世界級創造力的球員－半決賽其他三支球隊裡，克羅埃
西亞隊有Luka Modric、Ivan Rakitic；比利時隊有Kevin de Bruyne、Eden Hazard；法國
隊則有Paul Pogba與Antoine Griezmann－這一點早在會內賽前便作為英格蘭隊的潛在弱項
受人關注，而這項擔憂卻在俄羅斯成為事實。
To overcome the absence of such a player in midfield, Southgate utilised the
energy and running power of Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli as part of a midfield
three. They worked tirelessly, but it is debatable whether they had the
attacking impact that might have been expected. England ranked 16th of the 32
sides when it came to dribbles, with a relatively low 55.05% success rate.
為了克服中場缺乏上述球員的問題，Southgate起用Jesse Lingard與Dele Alli作為中場的
兩員大將，期望借助他們的跑動能量來彌補缺陷。他們不知疲倦地執行戰術，但在進攻端
上是否取得預期效果，可能還是個疑問。在皮球盤帶方面，英格蘭隊的成功率僅有相對低
的55.05%，位居32支參賽球隊裡的第16名。
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ How England's attackers fared in Russia │
│ │
│ 英格蘭隊中前場球員在俄羅斯的進攻數據 │
│ │
│ https://i.imgur.com/Mfb9Qrg.jpg │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
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The easy side of the draw? 下半區賽程輕鬆？
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ England's route to the semi-final │
│ │
│ 英格蘭隊的半決賽之路 │
│ │
│ https://i.imgur.com/UN6fHCR.jpg │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
England are not the first team in World Cup history to have had an unusually
attractive route through the tournament - in 2002 Germany made it to the
final after facing Paraguay, the United States and South Korea in the
knockout stages.
在世界盃歷史上，英格蘭隊並非第一支在會內賽中擁有令人側目的賽程的球隊－2002年，
德國隊在淘汰賽階段擊敗巴拉圭隊、美國隊與韓國隊之後，成功闖入決賽。
In Russia England negotiated group games against Tunisia (ranked 21st in the
world) and Panama (55th), but their first meeting against one of the
tournament favourites ended in defeat, albeit they and Belgium made a
combined 17 changes for a game with little at stake.
在俄羅斯，英格蘭隊於小組賽成功越過突尼西亞隊（世界排名第21名）與巴拿馬隊（第55
名），卻在首次面對大賽熱門之一的比賽中遭遇敗北，即使在這場無關晉級的比賽中，他
們和比利時隊總共換下17名先發球員。
The bonus of finishing second in Group G was that England avoided the likes
of Brazil and France, while Spain's shock loss to Russia meant they entered
the quarter-finals as the only previous World Cup winner in their half of the
draw.
小組賽以G組第二名作收，使英格蘭隊得以避開巴西隊與法國隊，而在西班牙隊令人震驚地
負於地主隊後，他們成為所在半區裡唯一一支晉級四分之一決賽的前冠軍隊。
In their first knockout game England came up against Colombia - ranked 16th -
but even then fortune appeared to be on their side, as their opponents were
forced to play without injured star forward James Rodriguez, the Golden Boot
winner at the 2014 World Cup.
在英格蘭隊的首場淘汰賽中，他們對陣哥倫比亞隊－排名第16名－但幸運女神站在他們這
裡，對手被迫在明星前鋒、2014年世界盃金靴得主James Rodriguez因傷缺陣的情況下進行
比賽。
England went through on penalties after a 1-1 draw - their first World Cup
shootout win.
在1-1平局之後，英格蘭隊進入並跨越點球大戰的心理障礙－這是他們首次贏下世界盃上的
點球大戰。
That was followed by a routine 2-0 quarter-final victory over a limited
Sweden, who are 24th in the world. Then in Croatia (ranked 20th) they faced
arguably the only world-class players they came up against - outside the
Belgium game they lost - and were knocked out in extra time.
在那之後，英格蘭隊在四分之一決賽中，於常規時間內2-0戰勝關鍵後衛因雙黃牌禁賽缺陣
的瑞典隊，而瑞典隊是世界排名第24名的球隊。接著，對陣克羅埃西亞隊（排名第20名）
的比賽，可說是他們唯一一次對陣世界級球員－除了對陣比利時隊，並且輸掉的那場比賽
－而他們在延長賽中遭到淘汰。
So is that a series of results which represents an overachievement for the
second youngest squad at the tournament? Or was it par for the course?
所以，這一系列的結果是否代表這支史上第二年輕的英格蘭隊超乎預期的成就？或者這只
是本就該有的常態罷了？
╭─────────────────────────────────────╮
│ │
│ 投票：你會怎麼評價這支英格蘭隊在世界盃上的表現？ │
│ │
│ ┌─┬────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │○│ 他們很傑出－這是新時代的開始（目前7%） │ │
│ └─┴────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─┬────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │●│ 令人鼓舞，但我們還是別太忘乎所以吧（目前46%，我投這個） │ │
│ └─┴────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─┬────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │○│ 一如預期，遇上弱隊就虐菜，遇上強隊就歇菜（目前37%） │ │
│ └─┴────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─┬────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │○│ 沒啥好說的，事情就照他們想要的那樣走，他們該做得更好（目前10%）│ │
│ └─┴────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
╰─────────────────────────────────────╯
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Did England get lucky with injuries? 英格蘭隊在傷病問題上比其他隊幸運嗎？
No praying for metatarsals, no oxygen chambers. For once, England's World Cup
was largely free of injury drama.
無須為受傷的蹠骨祈禱，也沒有用到高壓氧治療。這一次，英格蘭隊的世界盃之旅總算免
於碰上大規模傷病問題。
Discounting the Belgium game which saw a raft of changes, Southgate was able
to name the same starting XI in four of the five other matches. The only
other change he made saw Loftus-Cheek start instead of the injured Dele Alli
against Panama.
不算在對陣比利時的比賽中做出的大量輪換，Southgate得以在其他五場比賽裡的四場派上
一模一樣的先發十一人。唯一一次不一樣的是，在對陣巴拿馬時，他派上Loftus-Cheek作
為先發，以替代前一場比賽中受傷的Dele Alli。
Alli returned for the knockout stages, while Jamie Vardy was the only other
player to suffer an injury which would have put his participation in doubt,
and he was not a first-choice starter.
當Alli在淘汰賽階段回歸之後，Jamie Vardy便成了隊內唯一一位因傷出賽成疑的球員，而
他本來就並非先發的首要選擇。
No players were suspended during the World Cup, with Fabian Delph missing the
Colombia match so he could be with his wife for the birth of their daughter.
沒有球員在世界盃期間無法出賽，除了Fabian Delph，為了在女兒誕生時，陪伴在妻子身
邊，他錯過對陣哥倫比亞隊的比賽。
Whether that fitness record was down to luck or sound preparation and
preventative work by the medical team, it was a rare instance of England
playing at a major tournament with all of their key players at peak fitness.
無論此項健康方面的紀錄是歸功於運氣，或是周全的賽前準備與醫療團隊的預防工作，這
對英格蘭隊而言都是稀有的情況，所有關鍵球員都能以最好的身體狀況參加大賽。
But, ultimately, it was not enough to take them to the final.
但最終，這並不足以帶領他們前進決賽。
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So how should we view this team? 所以我們應該怎麼看待這支球隊？
BBC's pundits all agree the future is bright for this England team.
BBC的專家都同意，這支英格蘭隊的未來是光明的。
"This bunch of players have brought the nation together and the fans haven't
sung like this for years," said former defender Rio Ferdinand. "We wanted
this team to come out with an identity and a philosophy of playing, and I
think they have done that."
「這批球員為這個國度帶來團結，我們的球迷已經許多年沒有向現在這般引吭高歌了，」
前英格蘭後衛Rio Ferdinand表示。「我們想要這支球隊培養出向心力和屬於他們的踢球哲
學，而我想他們已經做到了。」
Ex-striker Alan Shearer said: "We said before the tournament that if they
gave absolutely everything in every game, everyone at home would be happy.
前英格蘭前鋒Alan Shearer表示：「我們在大賽前便說了，如果他們在每場比賽都傾盡所
有，在家鄉的每個人都會很快樂。」
"There are so many positives to take out of the tournament. We did not expect
to get to the quarters and will go home after this with our heads held high.
Finishing third would be excellent.
「在這屆大賽中，有太多正向的事情可以拿出來說了。我們從未預期他們能夠進入四強，
而在這樣的成就之後，他們將能昂首闊步地回家了。當然，如果能拿下季軍就更棒了。」
"After being embarrassed by Iceland to this, being applauded off, that is
brilliant progress and something to work to. Well done guys, you have given
us plenty to shout about."
「從恥辱地敗給冰島之後，到現在，我們終於能為他們喝采，這是傑出的進展。做得好，
小伙子們，你們給予我們許多可以高聲誇耀的東西。」
And perhaps that positive mindset and reconnection with fans is the biggest
takeaway.
或許，正向的心態和與球迷的重新連結，是本屆賽事最大的收穫。
So rather than look too hard at what has gone by, England should just heed
what Kyle Walker said:
所以，與其嚴苛地審視這支球隊錯過了什麼，英格蘭更應該記住Kyle Walker說的這句話：
https://i.imgur.com/heXeTc1.jpg
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ╭─╮ Kyle Walker ㊣ ╭──────╮ │
│ │ │ │ 正在跟隨 │ ▽│
│ ╰─╯ @kylewalker2 ╰──────╯ │
│ │
│ │
│ We might live in a time where sometimes it's easier to be negative│
│ than positive, or to divide than to unite, but England: let's keep│
│ this unity alive. I love you. │
│ │
│ 我們或許生活在這樣一個時代，有時候比起正面思考，更容易負面思考； │
│ │
│ 比起團結，更容易分裂，但是英格蘭隊：讓我們保持這種團結吧！我愛妳。│
│ │
│ 上午10:52 - 2018年7月12日 │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
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因為覺得這篇BBC的分析還不錯，所以決定來翻譯一下，結果從晚餐後搞到現在......
由於小弟並非專業翻譯，所以翻譯得不太好，有些部份可能超譯，有些部份則可能詞不達
意，還請大家多多斧正。先謝謝大家願意看到這裡了。