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I think these two make the appropriate final for Sunday. Neither have won one, so that is excitement in itself. Holland looks great, but I think it will be Spain in their first trip to the final.
wingate...Spain has been playing better than Holland, but for whatever reason, the Gods up above are with Holland this world cup. Luck has been on their side and will continue on through the finals. Hopefully we will get an answer from Paul the Octopus soon.
Though Spain seem superior, I hope they will lose. Just because they beat my favorite team today! That automatically makes me prefer the others...
Actually I don't really care for either team so may the best win.
Spain are just better all round than Holland IMHO. They have a decent defence, a superb midfield and an attack that scores goals. The Dutch have been very dependent on their midfield to get forward in support of the attack and score goals ....especially Sneider. That will be much harder against a Spain team that like to dominate midfield and ping the ball around. Thus, Van Persie and Robben could find themselves isolated and and neutralized while the Dutch midfield are pushed back by the threat of Vila and Torres supported by Iniesta & co.
On the one hand there's the Dutch, who I might like and support but for one player, Robben. Every time I see him there's such a huge incongruity in my mind, because on the one hand, he vaguely resembles Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) from Star Trek, who as a character I admire, but his behavior on the pitch is more like a crybaby drama queen and showboat. Captain Picard would certainly never be caught writhing around on the ground to try to get a penalty called. Anyhow, what's up with the way he runs? He looks like Robben the Robot with his arms all stiff and his feet doing this weird delayed action faux-trickster thing. He's not fooling anybody with that business...very mechanical orange indeed. I have to admit the header goal was nice but I consider that an anomaly. Why can't he be nice and quiet like Snjeider?
As for Spain, I'm a bit sore at them for beating my pick to go all the way, Germany. Now, my beef with Spain is, they do this little ticky-tack short pass ball control thing most of the game and it's boring to watch. They were a little more interesting against Germany today, but still. At least Germany would score lots of goals against weaker opponents. And they could do it with a certain prettiness.
I'm just trying to figure out whose fans will be more insufferable for the next 4 years? That's the team I will go against!
Spain mastered the Dutch game of total football (thnx to Senor Cruyff) while Holland have yet to master it. That's what exports do for you.
Then there's the history of the two countries (way back to the 16th C) which is quite interesting in itself.
Anyway, should be a good final. It's great that this WC has been so entertaining (as opposed to the last WC).
My 2 cents is Holland will play Spain better than Germany did. Spain will always win the battle of possession, but the Dutch have alot of players with uncommon graft, guile, smarts and skill... so I think Robben, Sneijder, van der Vaart, van Bommell, or van Persie may be able to squeeze a goal or two in one way or the other.
But Spain is looking like the prototypical modern world cup squad, playing a cautious 4-5-1 set. It IS about time the nation with the 2nd best pro league wins it.
Though I'm rooting for the Netherlands, I see no reason to assume the Final is going to be any different than the Germany match. Spain will stay solid at the back and in the midfield, controlling possession while constantly probing for that one big breakthrough.
With more than half of their starters playing for Barcelona, the Spanish know each other well and are used to playing in and having success in the big games.
I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think that's going to change on Sunday..
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