We are now down to the last 2 games of the tournament, which shall be:
Third place play-off: England v Argentina
Final: Netherlands v Spain
Both matches promise to be intriguing & mouth-watering. England v Argentina because both are arch-rivals. Netherlands v Spain because both teams play open, attacking football - the sort of football I like.
Well, read on:
Third place play-off: England v Argentina
Argentina against England is one of football's biggest grudge matches, probably the only inter-continental rivalry in international football. The rivalry developed from a mixture of controversial incidents in past World Cup matches between both sides, & non-footballing events that affected Argentina & the UK. Due to the sheer intensity of their rivalry, neither side will treat the third place play off lightly, even if no trophy will be at stake. The contrast in styles will most likely be evident. Argentina will play with their traditional short-passing possession game & attack England at every possible opportunity. England will concede possession to Argentina, be compact in midfield & look to hit Argentina on the break. Aaron Lennon's speed could be useful on the right midfield, but this is where the English could also do with Theo Walcott's pace - they will miss that because Walcott was not picked for the tournament. As for Argentina, their first player opponents will be wary of is Barcelona man Leo Messi. By this stage of the tournament, Messi could well confirm his status as world's best footballer - even if not enough to lead Argentina to the World Cup final. But as I previously mentioned, Argentina are so much more than Messi. With forwards like Tevez, Higuain, Aguero & D Milito to choose from, they have greater depth in attack than anyone else in this tournament, certainly including England. With promptings from midfield, this set of forwards could score enough goals to compensate for Argentina's defensive deficiencies.
Prediction: Argentina to win by 1 goal margin (2-1 or 3-2), so the Argies finish third & England finish fourth.
Final: Netherlands v Spain
So far, no European team has ever won any World Cups held outside Europe. I predict that this will change, with an all-European final for 2010. The Dutch against the Spaniards. These are arguably the 2 greatest underachievers in international football, notwithstanding Spain's Euro 2008 triumph. While both teams have won the European Championships (Spain twice, Netherlands once), neither of them have won the World Cup before, so new winners will certainly be crowned this year. The Netherlands have been to 2 World Cup finals, losing to the hosts (West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978) on each occasion. Spain, remarkably, have not even been to the World Cup semi-finals - something which I predict will change at this World Cup. Both the Netherlands & Spain also happen to be Europe's 2 best teams at the moment. Alright, I will admit some bias in making that statement. But those who follow football closely may be able to see that my statement has some reasonable basis. Both sides romped through their World Cup qualifiers in the European zone, winning all their matches. And now, I tip both these sides to go all the way to the final. And what a final this would be!!
Both sides share the same liking to stylish, attacking football. We will likely have a final to remember if both sides display their adventurous nature. Where both sides differ is in the way they attack the opposition. Spain will try to monopolise possession through their central midfield & create openings from there, & their wide midfielders often look to cut inside from the flanks to help the Spanish have numerical advantage in the middle of the park. The Dutch, on the other hand, attack a lot on the flanks, & their central midfielders will often look to circulate the ball over to their wide men who will then take on the opposing full back. While that happens, the central midfielders & forwards will advance to support the raids from the Dutch wingers.
Who will win? In a one-off final, either team can win - you can toss a coin to pick a winner. But I see Spain narrowly taking the final. Their central defence is a bit more secure than the Dutch pairing. Spain also possess more creativity & cohesion in central midfield, & that could be a significant factor. On the other hand, the Dutch look stronger on the wings, especially if Arjen Robben is fit & in-form. But upfront, the Torres & Villa partnership look more potent than the Dutch attack of Van Persie & Huntelaar (or Kuyt). So in the end, all things considered, I can see the Spanish adding the World Cup to their European crown & in the process, confirm themselves as the best international team in Europe & the world.
Prediction: Both sides to score in the final, & Spain to win by 1 goal margin (3-2 anyone?) & be crowned new world champions. So Spain to finish as World Cup winners, & the Dutch to finish as very worthy runners-up.
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