Spain vs Holland World Cup Final Preview

July 10th, 2010 | by: Corey |

Spain vs. Holland
Soccer City, Johannesburg
Sunday, July 11th, 2:30 pm eastern
ABC, ESPN3

Im sorry this took awhile to put up, I have been busy lately. Every four years this takes place, so cherish the moment.

Holland comes in to this game having won all of their games in the tournament, while Spain has the Switzerland loss as the only blight on their record. Notably, there has never been a team to win the World Cup after loosing their first game, so lets hope that changes. Holland, known as the connoisseurs of Total Football, have been playing a more pragmatic game under Bert Van Marwijk lately, using two defensive midfielders to create a zonal defensive scheme that is difficult to break down. Essentially, the Dutch play with six defenders, three attackers and Dirk Kuyt, who runs around a lot.

Not to underplay Spain’s opponents, but it is a team that is built to defend primarily, and let Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder make plays happen. They do not even have a solid passing game, with pass completion rather low and the likes of Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong not known for their possession keeping abilities. After watching the Dutch play Uruguay, I was appalled at how little effort Van Bommel and De Jong’s stand in Demy De Zeuw made to move the ball much further then the half way line. The Dutch defenders thus have the ball frequently, often shifting play along the back line. It is thus a key to the game for Spain’s two forwards, whoever they may be, the press the Dutch backline when they have the ball, because this will starve the rest of the team for the ball.

Van Bommel is a player that I genuinely despise, as he is what we call in America a ‘cheap’ player. Somehow the guy gets away with double digits fouls every game and especially in this tournament, he seems to never get carded. He also has a penchant for attempting to break players legs, often leaving his studs high in the air and stomping on players. It will be interesting to see how many times he gets away with kicking Little Andres and Xavi in this game. Referee Howard Webb should know all about the player, so lets hope he warns him early on.

Anyways, like I said the Dutch are a weak passing side outside of Sneijder and he can be kept out of a game by closing down the two defensive midfielders and fullbacks whenever they have the ball. Spain’s pressing system, which gets little credit for the success, will be tested. There is a situation where the Spanish can press the Dutch in to never pushing their full backs out of their own half, and forcing Sneijder to come deep in to the midfield for the ball. This mean the attacking three of Kuyt, Robben and Van Persie will then have a great deal of space between themselves and the midfield. If Spain can create this situation, then the Dutch will not be able to use their wide play to attack. The width and the movement of Sneijder is the main reason they have gotten this far, as well as some lucky set pieces.

As the Sneijder needs the receive the ball right in front of the opposition back four in order to play his game (trust me, I had to watch him play for Real and yell at my television!). He often gets close to Van Bronckhorst to receive the ball, before running off. I have seen this as the beginning of the ball being worked to the wingers, so if Busquets could follow Sneijder when he moves out to the left channel, we have another way of stopping the Dutch from progressing through our lines.

As far as players, the Dutch do not have any going concerns with injuries and suspensions, which has been a pretty consistent theme for this World Cup (although there was a rash of injuries pre-tournament). The only selection headache Van Marwijk will have is to decide whether to clam up with the double pivot or use Van der Vaart in order to provide a passing outlet from midfield who also will get close to Van Persie. If I were Van Marwijk I would go for it, but he will most likely stick to the system that got them here. Solid through the middle and a heavy reliance on Robben and Sneijder to win their individual battles.

—————-Stecklenburg——————
Van der Wiel—Heitinga–Mathijsen—Van Bronckhorst
————Van Bommel–De Jong————-
Robben———-Sneijder————-Kuyt—–
—————–Van Persie——————-

Kuyt works hard so he is usually picked, but I would use Van der Vaart. My Real Madrid player bias aside, he would be much harder to contain then the fairly one dimensional Kuyt. Ramos should have no problem pushing him back with his attacking runs. Like I said, Busquets can man mark Sneijder, as this frees up Puyol to help Capdevila with Robben.

The Dutch will actually see less of the ball then Germany did, so it will be interesting to see if they can get their counter attack going or not. Germany was not really able to break with any sort of edge, and I suppose that was because Del Bosque engineered it that way.

Spain Team News:

No injuries, nor suspensions to worry about, and the only question that still hangs over the team is whether Torres plays or not. Pedro was excellent against Germany, and he brought a more decisive edge to the attack that Navas cannot provide and Mata has not been able to showcase yet. My problem with playing Pedro is that Villa has looked a little under supported in the middle on his own, especially against physically imposing center backs, who are rarely moved out of position because their team is often defending fairly deep.

With that being said, Villa may get more change out of Heitinga then he did Mertesacker, so I would say stick with Pedro for this one. Many have clamored for Llorente of course, and others have said Torres will come good eventually. At this point, I have seconded guessed myself enough with who I want to see partnering Villa that I can only imagine what Del Bosque has been mulling over. He made a brilliant move using Pedro against Germany, I wonder if he has another card up his sleeve? I suppose crowd sourcing this decision is the best I can do, so tell me who you want as the second striker.

————–Casillas————-
Ramos—–Pique—Puyol—-Capdevila
————–Busquets————
——–Xavi—-Xabi—-Iniesta——
—————————-Pedro-
————–Villa—————

I do worry about Capdevila with Robben, but other then that, we match up well against the Netherlands and this game is going to look very similar to the Germany game. Lets just hope we see the same result. Enjoy the game everyone!

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Georgie

Honestly, I have a humongous Jesus Navas bias. Maybe it's the eyes. I think him and Torres will come good in the final.
ROD

That Robben vs Capdevilla battle will be a huge key match up in this game and it might mean more defensive work for xabi to do which could affect the passing game
ROD

I think Pedro is going to start not just because of the offensive qualities he brings but also the tracking back runs and helping the team to get the ball back.
ROD

the formation looks more like
Casillas
Ramos-Pique-Puyol-Cap
Busquets-Alonso
Xavi
Pedro-Villa-Iniesta
Jnice17

Only one of them will play. Don't think Navas merits a start over Pedro, though. As for Torres, I think his experience will give him the nod over Pedro for this match.
ROD

This could be the game that Spain can rise up as not just one of the big powers in the world but also could a bring a spell of domination in their own continent but also the world with the Players they have now (Cesc,Martinez,Mata,Silva,Navas,Albiol,Pique,llorente,Busquets,and Pedro) that can compete for the next 8 years but also the players coming up (Canales,Munain,Azpilicueta,Monreal,Bojan,and leon) this could be their shine maybe a golden era of Spanish football if they win on Sunday and don't be suprised to see a lot more encounters with the germans in the Tournaments to come
Fares(dutch fan)

*”They do not even have a solid passing game,”==> we will teach you how football should be played poor spaniard
*”Van Bommel is a player that I genuinely despise”==> we absolutely don't mind what you think
*”Referee Howard Webb should know all about the player, so lets hope he warns him early on. ” ==> you are not the referee thank god
*”Anyways, like I said the Dutch are a weak passing side”==> go to hell
*”some lucky set pieces. ” ==> what about your goal against portugal??
*”The Dutch will actually see less of the ball” ==> go to hell
JoseJosue

I don't know what's more pathetic, that you Dutch fans keep coming to this blog with no intent to start an earnest conversation about the game, or that little weasel fans keep “liking” your kin's comments.

Espa~a, queremos tu futbol, te queremos ver campeon
James

I back Pedro. He has proven himself in the Spain-Germany semi-finals. While he didn't score goals, he was a constant menance to the German defenders. It's too risky to take Torres now hoping he will perform finally.

VIVA ESPANA!
ROD

the dutch troll is alive and in effect!
ROD

Go to Hell is your response to everything you say! That clearly shows your vast intelligence on football and I hope the Dutch get absolutely thanked and we'll really show how total football should really be played
JoseJosue

I want to agree with you (maybe it's the Barca bias showing?), but I just don't know. Perhaps the rest has done Torres well.. You know, I think Pedro can do it. The Canary Islander should start!
Jack

Come on Spain, from a German.
meh

Uhm, not to break it to you but he or she has done research, you on the other hand just get mad over things that are true, so instead of ruining someones opinion why don't you actually watch some Holland videos as actually see that what he or she says is actually true.
meh

hmm, what's with the anger, why don't you just stop talking thrash and watch the game on sunday.
meh

I think Navas should play in the second half, do you remember that mistake Pedro commited against Germany?, when he has ona breakaway and Torres was right beside him wide open and he was not. That is called inexperience, I think those mistakes might cause a world cup, i think either Torres or Navas should start.
Daves

I am a huge Spain fan all the way in Jamaica! Knowing that the world Cup was starting and that Jamaica wasn't there I needed a team. I wanted a team that had never won, that played clean beautiful football whose players were great together and friends. I wanted a team that had guys that were easy on the eyes. That led me to La Roja. The first match against the swiss i was disappointed but still stuck by the team I had chosen. I am proud to be supporting Spain and I know tomorrow will be difficult, but win or lose I think I made the best choice. I just want them to let out the Red Fury and I will be proud!
By the way the comments on this blog are so funny and well thought out I love this blog.
Greetings from Jamaica!
Rohanv

How about dropping the double-pivot and using a Villa-Pedro-Torres frontline with Xavi-Busi-Iniesta in the mid? I know it's not going to happen, and is definitely a gamble, but that would be both exciting and unexpected for the option.
James

My only concern is that the Dutch are going to play dirty to win. Very dirty. Dutch plays have already have been declaring to the media that they will do whatever it takes to win.
Expected lots of fouls from Van Bommel to stop the smooth passing in midfield, most likely targeting the physically smaller Iniesta and lots of “oscar-worthly performance” from Robben to try to win the Ref's sympathy. Other than this, if Sneijder can be contained and no major screw-ups, Spain will win.
James

Not just trolling this blog, they have also put up a lot of propaganda at their own blog. Some are quite amusing to read though.
JoseJosue

lol, I was just about to say that their propaganda is amusing!
Jnice17

Terrible mistake, but he won't do that again.
Serbian

Spain all Serbia is with you, New World Champions
eternally_tmh

All the best to SPAIN!!! I hope when I wake up Monday morning, Spain will be the newest WORLD CUP 2010 Winners!!!!!
eternally_tmh

I agree with you James. I'm going to keep an eye out on the number of “fouls” Van Bommel makes and the number of “dives” Robben make.
Nithin

The thing with Pedro is that he adds a new dimension to Spain's game with his pace and width. You can't simply sit back at edge of your penalty box and look to block Xavi & Iniesta's short passes. I thought that was a key factor in the Germany game.

I do think Villa will be more effective if we play Llorente and move him to the left. But I still have to choose Pedro over Llorente, cause that gives the Dutch defense something to think about.
Julius

Hey I had a comment here saying that this preview looks quite similiar with that of Brazil before confronting the dutch… What happened? Did the octopus eat it?

U guys seem way too confident, which is never good for the favorites.
http://spain.worldcupblog.org/ Ade C.

Julius, DISQUS puts comments with links automatically into line for moderation instead of publishing them, so no, this one wasn't Paul's fault. I've approved it for you now.
Julius

thank u. .
Watjedoet

Spain, good luck with the finals tonight. Of course i hope the Dutch will win but i wouldn't be bitter if Spain would take it as both teams deserve it & have a chance.

What bothers me though is the collective down talking towards the dutch players/team which seems to have arised from non-objectiveness, the urge to take the win (counts for both countries of course), pride and probably a few other important points that would count (political wise etc).

We, the Dutch, have equal rights, just like Spain, to deserve the title. The analyses and non-objective views from mainly Spain & it's supporters have a “disrespectful” taste to it and even neglect the major influence the Dutch had on Spain, Barcelona (for example) and the rest of the world for that matter. It almost seems the world ignores Holland's rich history of football & doesn't want them to finally win the WC and remove their “curse”.

The points you mentioned in your post seem to have evolved from non-objectiveness and your personal preference.. something you wouldn't want to read from, what had to be, a objective approach of a journalist.

Prolly, if people reply to my post, I will get a lot of 'favoured facts' and such thrown back at me but really, mainly, the total media (before & during the cup) and so called analysts failed to align their “outcomes” with the truth. This is also because everyone consider themselves as specialists.

Sit back, respect both teams, wait for the outcome & enjoy the football.

Go Spain! Go Holland!

PS.
Spain does not have anything on Holland & the other way around.. the strength seems to be balanced (official stats prove that). Also referring to passing stats.. doesn't matter if the team's football doesn't revolve about keeping possession and play the ball across the field keeping it in close space (from Holland to Spain's perspective) as Holland play's a game that seems to be the perfect opposite & contestor regarding playing wide, needing less passes to create a (counter)attack & the ability to play deep. It is what you prefer.. get there in 3 passes or in 10.
Corey

Im a he, Ade is a she.
Corey

I dont read any other World Cup blogs, just write what I see in the games.
JoseJosue

Honestly, I don't think anyone much cares about them removing their curse against a likewise “cursed” team like Spain, as the Dutch have abandoned their style from 2008 for a dirtier, more pragmatic style of play.

The Dutch winning it just sends the message that you have to give up on beautiful futbol in order to be successful. Eff that. Vamos Espa~a!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jesse-Schoonveld/1717104628 Jesse Schoonveld

holland ftw
Nithin

What Corey has written is his perspective on the match and the respective teams and there is no bias in it. He may have pointed out weaknesses in the Netherlands team and they may or may not be right, but I don't see how they could be influenced by his 'personal preference' in any way. The same can be said about many of the experts. Note that those that believe Spain to have a better chance aren't all Spanish or supporters of Spain. If people think one team is stronger than another, you can't accuse them of being biased.

As for the fans, you can't really expect them to be objective about this match. But I'm not sure what you are talking about as there is hardly any collective down-talking going on on this blog. Check out the Netherlands blog and tell me how many of them are being objective or at least respectful of Spain and its players.

And there's no need really to be bothered by the opinion of experts or fans. In the end, the winner will be decided on the pitch.

Good luck.
Julius

Im far from accusing u that u are copying it. It would be rly stupid (from my part). But honestly, I do see similiarities on both blog's aproach of the game toward the dutch. Now, Im seeing it as a mirror of both teams in the sense what do they expect from the game.

And to me is clear that u are underestimating them.
Orewaandore

u got owned son. go spain hahahahahaha
Orewaandore

stupid dutch bastard
Orewaandore

i thought i told u to shut up?
Babyblueknight88

I'm down to accuse
gilan

The Whole fucking Orange is gay,especially Robben.HE runs like a stiff frozen bitch.
Gooooood they lost the WC because the people in Holland considered theirselves the champion while the game wasnt played yet.
And what a peace all over the country,something i''ve never seen before.So all big mouths are shut now the way it supposed to be.
Go SPAIN you deserved it.Fuck the Dutches,biggest losers all time.They deserve to loose.
haak

The Whole fucking Orange is gay,especially Robben.HE runs like a stiff frozen bitch.
Gooooood they lost the WC because the people in Holland considered theirselves the champion while the game wasnt played yet.
And what a peace all over the country,something i''ve never seen before.So all big mouths are shut now the way it supposed to be.
Go SPAIN you deserved it.Fuck the Dutches,biggest losers all time.They deserve to loose. Stelletje sukkels,losers,imbecielen en niet te vergeten jankende babys