FIFA World Cup 2010: Busquets Issues Warning To Sneijder
A war of words has been initiated ahead of the most important match of the year. Spain and Netherlands play each other at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, in what is expected to be a feast of attacking football.
For Sergio Busquets, it will be for the first time in his life that he will be playing in a FIFA World Cup final. Ahead of the game, many analysts reckon that the most important battle during the match will be in the midfield section between Busquets and Sneijder.
The Barcelona born midfielder last faced Sneijder in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals as Inter Milan fought off Barcelona for a place in the UEFA Champions League final match. However, Busquets has had a lot of experience since then and is ready to take on the responsibility to keep Sneijder quiet throughout the World Cup final match.
Busquets is a part of an all star midfield for Spain, which includes the likes of Xavi, Alonso and Iniesta. In a statement to the press Busquets said that he thinks that Spain can keep the Dutch midfielder Sneijder quiet. He also remarked that Sneijder is an extremely good player and has proved that with whichever team he has played against.
Sneijder has come to the World Cup at the back of a successful season with Inter Milan, a season where the Italian giants steamrolled everyone and won the treble for the first time in their history. Sneijder was a key player throughout their league and cup campaigns.
On the other hand, Busquets earned praise for himself after his superb man-marking job on Mesut Ozil against Germany. Ozil plays a role for Germany, which is similar in nature to Sneijder’s role for Netherlands. Busquets commented that Spain can play as a team and close Sneijder down. He also said that Spain will now allow Sneijder time to think on the ball just like they did with Mesut.
Busquets said that Spain are aware of the Dutch midfielders capability and how dangerous he can be if he is given time and space with the ball at his feet. Spanish defensive midfielder also stated that Sneijder easily sets up chances for his team’s strikers to score from. Spain reached the final after they defeated Germany by a single goal, which was scored by their central defender Carlos Puyol.
Spain who are also the current European Champions are yet to hit top form in the tournament. They have won the last three games by a score line of 1-0. However, Spain’s defensive record has been flawless as they have only conceded a single goal in the tournament so far which came in the first group stage match against Switzerland.
Busquets further added that he is happy with the way things have gone for Spain in the tournament so far and he also elaborated that he is satisfied with his development as a young player. The Spanish midfielder acknowledged that he is still a young footballer and that he is learning every day. Busquets will be looking to exorcize his demons from the UEFA Champions League semi-final match against Inter Milan and will be looking to put in a match winning performance for his national team.
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