FIFA World Cup 2010: Historic final, first for Netherlands or Spain
The World Cup final is upon us; in one day's time a new winner will be crowned. After almost a month of football, the world will see a new champion raise the golden trophy high above their heads. Will it be Spain or Netherlands that win? Whoever it is, history will be made and only the eighth country ever to win the Cup will emerge on Sunday. Both teams have exceptional skill and talent and there is very little separating them but one team will win tomorrow and it is interesting to see what both teams bring to the final match.
The World Cup has only been won by seven nations before tomorrow's final. The upcoming game will make the number eight and a first time champion will be crowned. Neither Spain nor the Netherlands have won the tournament before with only the Dutch side coming closest in 1974 when they reached the final, losing to Germany. Also, the two teams in the final have only met a few times in the past; they have had two meetings in official competitions and have only played six exhibition matches against each other. For two teams that have not played each other on numerous occasions in the past, it will be a big job for each team's coach to study and analyse the tactics and movement of the players and come up with an effective winning strategy.
Spain has been playing very skilled and technical football. They have the ability to retain possession throughout much of the match, as Germany found out. It is going to be very hard for the Dutch to find a way through. The team is also blessed with some very talented players; the likes of David Villa; who is up for winning the Golden Boot award this year, Andreas Iniesta; who creates magic whenever he gets the ball and Sergio Busquets; who has been very impressive of late.
The other advantage that Spain has over its rivals is the fact that their defensive line is very strong. With the hero of the semi final Carlos Puyol, and, Gerard Pique erecting a huge wall at the back, the Dutch strikers will have to find a way to cross it in order to score. The team's coach, Vicente Del Bosque, is also a very talented man. He has led Real Madrid to championships in the past few years. His tactical abilities are second to none. The only blemish of the team so far seems to be the misfiring, and, lacklustre Fernando Torres, who has not shown his brilliance throughout the tournament.
The Netherlands on the other hand play what they like to call, 'Total Football', a concept that relates to their abilities on the ball and their methods of finding gaps and opening up their opponents. The Dutch side have been playing beautiful football and are the second leading goal scorers in the tournament after Germany. The team is full of talent, with Wesley Sniejder who is also looking to get that coveted Golden Boot award, and, steal it from under David Villa's nose. Another wonderful player who will try and make a huge impact on the game will be the dribbling maestro Arjen Robben. He has been electrifying in every game he has played so far and will look to recreate some magic for the men in orange.
There are two weak areas that the Dutch team will have to look out for. The first is that their defensive line has been questioned and they have conceded more goals than Spain so far in the tournament. The other aspect is that even though their coach has led them on an unbeaten streak so far in qualifying and in the World Cup, he lacks the experience of his Spanish counterpart.
It is going to be a fantastic and thrilling encounter and will be watched by millions around the world. The winner will be determined by how much planning and studying both teams do before they enter the stadium on Sunday. It promises to be a very tactical and high level football match with two of the best sides of the tournament testing and probing each other. Whatever happens, a new world champion will be crowned and history will be made.
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