FIFA World Cup 2010 Final: Netherlands vs. Spain - Battles That Might Decide The Game
Spain take on Netherlands in the final match of the 2010 World Cup, after a long and hard battle through the group stages and followed by the knockout rounds, both of these European giants have made it all the way to the final match.
For Netherlands it will be their third world cup final appearance. Last time Netherlands were in the final of the World Cup in 1978, it all ended in tears for them as they lost to Argentina in the final. Before that their first World Cup final experience was against West Germany, a match which they entered as favorites. That match too, eventually resulted in disappointment for the Dutch as Beckenbauer and Co. won it in the end by two goals to one.
For Spain, the World Cup final will be a totally foreign experience. It is for the first time in their football history, that Spain are making an appearance in a World Cup final match. However, on their road to the finals they have knocked out several favorites such as the Portuguese and the Germans. Spain are also the present European champions, they have also conceded just one goal in the competition so far.
The match itself is bound to be a good tactical battle, which will be defined by some player against player battles throughout the field. Against Germany, the Spanish dominated possession just like they did against Paraguay and Portugal before them. This allowed them to control the tempo of the game and thus create chances whenever the opportunities arose.
For the Dutch it will be a tough test as the Spanish are indeed favorites to win the match. However it will be a boost for them that their important players like Robben and Sneijder are on top form because they both scored against Uruguay in the semi-final.
Spain and Netherlands are expected to line up in 4-2-3-1 formations, this creates a huge risk of a cagey game because both of the teams can just cancel each other out due to their similar formations. The game is bound to be a little tense.
The first of the key battles that one can expect is between Xavi from Spain and Van Bommel from the Netherlands. Xavi plays a playmakers role for Spain and has been instrumental in Spain’s success so far, whereas Van Bommel plays as a defensive for Holland and he will be looking to pick up Xavi and close him down, whenever Holland are without the possession of the ball.
This battle will be a key element in deciding who controls the pace of the match because if Xavi is shutdown, Holland can very well be successful in achieving a much more balanced equation as far as ball possession is concerned.
The second key battle to watch out for is between Busquets and Sneijder. Sneijder, who plays as an offensive midfielder for the Dutch has been on fire in the World Cup so far. He has managed to score five goals in the tournament up till now and is the joint-top goal scorer in the World Cup at the moment.
His nemesis will be Busquets, who plays in a defensive midfielder’s role. Busquets did remarkably well against Ozil who was Germany’s offensive midfielder in the semi-final clash between the two countries. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat that performance against the experienced Sneijder.
The last key battle to watch out for is David Villa versus Maarten Stekelenburg. Villa has scored five goals in the tournament so far. He has hit the back of the net in all of Spain’s matches in the world cup so far bar the semi-final against Germany and the opening match against Switzerland.
Maarten Stekelenburg, who is the goalkeeper for the Dutch made a massive blunder to allow Forlan’s swirling shot against Uruguay in the semi-finals to hit the back of the net. However, his overall performances so far during the tournament have been perfect. David Villa loves to take shots on goal at the slightest of opportunities, so Maarten will be trying to avoid any further mistakes.
Considering the magnitude of the game, it is expected that the teams will be nervous that the beginning. As the game progresses, it is quite possible that both the teams will start to express themselves a bit more. It is destined to be a historical match between the two giants of international football.
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