World Cup: Holland vs Spain, a final made in heaven? asks Andy Brassell
World cup held by Pres.Mandela
So now we know that a double dose of history will be made in Johannesburg on Sunday. Not only will a European team win the World Cup outside of its own continent for the first time, but the champion will be a first-timer.
A clash between the Netherlands and Spain seems heaven-sent for neutrals, pitting the ‘Brazilians of Europe’ and originators of Total Football against the team which swaggered to the Euro 2008 with a magnificent display of passing excellence. Add to the mix two of the European season’s star performers (and Ballon d’Or contenders) Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben on one side facing Barcelona’s newly signed hot-shot David Villa, and we have a beguiling matchup in front of us.
Yet there’s an element of doubt lingering, a little voice telling us we expected more from these two sides so far. The Dutch have employed the same 4-2-3-1 shape they used at Euro 2008 (anathema to Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff, as he has pointed out on more than one occasion), but it has been put to practice in a very different manner. Then-coach Marco van Basten’s side was wonderfully entertaining in the early stages in Switzerland, but was undone by its shaky backline in the quarterfinal with Russia.
Netherlands Flag
Once bitten, twice shy it seems. At the World Cup, Nigel De Jong and the spiky veteran Mark Van Bommel have been placed in front of the defense to protect it and have done a very effective job. But this Dutch side has been more pragmatic than pretty. Sneijder has been outstanding, his visionary passing and late runs to the edge of the box reprising his day job with a functional Inter Milan side.
Spain has also taken a cautious approach. Coming into the World Cup with injury doubts surrounding a few key players, including Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta, coach Vicente Del Bosque has fielded two deep-lying midfielders – Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso — in an effort to save the legs of a possibly weary team.
It’s working — and winning over critics, too. One Spanish morning daily proudly trumpeted its team’s best-ever defensive record at a World Cup — 313 minutes of playing time have elapsed since goalie Iker Casillas conceded a tally to Chile’s Rodrigo Millar, eclipsing the team’s previous best of 282 goalless minutes when it reached the 1950 quarterfinals. As pointed out by respected Spanish journalist Sid Lowe, among others, the famed “tiki-taka” passing style works as a defensive tactic. Barcelona showed this in ending the season with La Liga’s best defensive record. How can the opposition score if it can’t get the ball back from you?
Yet while a final of gung-ho attacking shouldn’t be expected, there is more than enough potential to keep us intrigued. While the Netherlands and Spain might have played it safe to get here, there are enough defensive doubts to encourage both camps that goals can be had.
Spanish flag
Casillas, who has not always at his best in South Africa, came to his side’s rescue against Germany, making a crucial save from an alarmingly unmarked Toni Kroos with the game still goalless. Likewise, the ease with which Felipe Melo carved open the Dutch center backs forRobinho to put the Brazilians ahead in the quarterfinal should give Spain hope.
The Netherlands’ best moments of the tournament have been flashes of attacking inspiration, mainly involving Robben. His competition debut, against Cameroon in the Dutch’s third group game, was a sparkling cameo; he capped a tremendous run with a shot against the post, tapped in by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the winner.
In his first start he went one better, cutting in from the right to strike past Jan Mucha, giving his team the lead against Slovakia. Perhaps the best was the clincher against Uruguay, as Robben stretched to power home a fine header.
Spain, meanwhile, has relied on Villa, its sharpest weapon. His tidy finish against Portugal brought a denouement to a growing spell of pressure in the second period of the fourth round. He did the same thing, as a tense quarterfinal with Paraguay approached its climax. Iniesta played a key role in creating both these goals with his sharp eye for a killer pass.
So fear not. Both the Netherlands and Spain might have arrived in the final on the back of a careful approach, but they know where their real strengths lie. They also know that it will probably take a moment of sublime quality — probably from Villa, Iniesta, Robben or Sneijder — to make the crucial difference. The tension in wondering when it’s going to arrive could make for a classic.
Source: Andy Brassell. freelance soccer writer for ESPN.com.
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