FIFA World Cup Soccer 2010: Semi-Final Preview - Netherlands vs. Uruguay
Netherlands played against the pre-tournament favourites Brazil in their quarter-final outing but were not intimidated by the magnanimity of the occasion. They were not expected to win after going behind in the early stages of the game and that was their motivation factor in the game. After winning against Brazil with a 2-1 score line, the Dutch are expected to do wonders in the remaining matches of the tournament.
If the Dutch are to win tonight’s crucial semi-final against La Celeste in order to make it to their first ever final of the FIFA World Cup since 1978, they need to approach the game with a positive frame of mind.
Uruguay on the other hand has surprised no one with their progress to the semi-finals. Forlan and Suarez formulate the front-line for the team who are playing in the form of their lives. And by the look of things, Uruguay is not entering the semi-finals just to make up the numbers and they will be hard to beat. Suarez will be suspended for today’s match after his handball in the last game against Ghana. Meanwhile, Forlan will be replacing the forward who can prove to be a match winner on his own. The flying Dutchmen have to approach the game cautiously and cannot even think of taking their eyes off their opponent, especially when Uruguay is on the attack.
The Dutch have so far been very pragmatic in the tournament, but tonight’s game in Cape Town will be much like their group match against Slovakia, where the Dutch were expected to win but were made to work hard by their opponents. The Dutch are a very strong combination. Van Marwijk proved this fact when they beat Brazil in the last round. They could have easily been more than one goal down at half time but they came out after the break with a renewed self belief and convinced that they could win the match and they did.
In contrast, Sneijder scored a goal to tie the match. It was Brazil who lost their cool and got frustrated. On the other hand, Netherlands, even when they were trailing, kept their calm and saw off the mighty Brazilians with remarkable ease in the end.
This Dutch side knows what it takes to win and is not worried about playing well or looking good, it they have to win ugly, they’d do it and no one can blame them. After all, the team that plays better football does not always win and Netherlands know that fact. The credit for this goes to their coach, Martin Van Marwijk, who has instilled this mentality into his side.
Marwijk has been picking the same players in the same position for a while now and this has resulted in a bunch of players who know their weaknesses and strengths very well. Wesley Sneijder has been their main man for the Netherlands and has been the epicentre of everything good that the Dutch have achieved in South Africa 2010. However, they have other players like Robben and Van Persie who are yet to give their best.
Robben was magnificent against Brazil but he can still do better, given his potential. And after getting past Brazil, no one can bet against Martin Van Marwijk’s men. Most of the Dutch goals in this tournament have come from set pieces of defensive mistakes. However, against Uruguay, they will be wary of this fact and will need to create more chances from open play. The way the Germans played against the Albicelestes, they look more than likely to beat Spain in the other semi-final. However, the final will be a tough game whoever the Dutch are going to face. The Netherlands can go all the way but just getting there would be a magnificent achievement for a side that has so far failed to achieve anything big on the world stage.
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