Showing posts with label Holland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holland. Show all posts
10 July 2014
06 July 2014
Visualized: Netherlands 0-0 Costa Rica aet
As always, match data from Stats Zone, except average position locations from ESPN FC.
Two managers and teams cancel each other out tactically, then one manager springs a psychological surprise in the penalty shoot-out.
Van Gaal knew his side had to be patient, keeping possession in defense and on the flanks, passing, poking, and prodding. The Netherlands didn't take a shot until the 20th minute despite constant possession. All four of their first half shots were on-target, seven of their 10 shots in normal time were on-target. Costa Rica weren't allowing many chances, but the Netherlands did well to get decent chances, denied by excellent keeping yet again from Keylor Navas. Holland didn't become desperate until extra-time, firing 10 shots from every angle – the same amount in the final 30 minutes as in the previous 90 minutes – with only one of the ten requiring a save (two were off-target, seven were blocked, but two also hit the frame of the goal).
Yes, the Netherlands is a vastly more-talented team, but that they didn't win in normal time is no slight on the side or van Gaal. Costa Rica allowed just one open play goal in this World Cup, in 510 minutes against Uruguay, Italy, England, Greece, and the Netherlands, and that was with 10 men: Greece's scrambled rebound equalizer in injury time in the last round. Navas was immense yet again, making seven saves, while Los Ticos also rode their luck, with Holland hitting the woodwork three times, with one of those woodwork strikes scrambled off the line by Tejada.
Costa Rica caught the opposition offsides 41 times this tournament; it happened to Holland 13 times yesterday. Only two other teams caught their opponents offsides more than 13 times in the entire tournament: Germany on 17 occasions, the USA on 15. In Costa Rica's previous matches, Uruguay were caught offside six times, Italy 11, England just once (Hodgeball!), and Greece 10 times. That's an offside trap that even makes Villas-Boas drool in delight, made much more impressive because it's happened in international competition, where managers have much less time to drill their players compared to when with their clubs.
And van Gaal's 3-4-3 system did well to deny the counter-attacks which saw Costa Rica beat Uruguay and Italy. Los Ticos took just six shots, and put just one of those six shots on target – Ureña's fast break with just three minutes remaining, smartly denied by Cillessen. Costa Rica were allowed just two danger zone shots, both from set plays and both off-target, the Dutch defenders doing just enough to prevent a clear chance.
So I guess it's fitting that the match was decided by a quirky decision from van Gaal, switching to backup keeper Tim Krul for the shootout. Full credit where due. I absolutely hated the move when it happened – maybe it's the former keeper in me, who'd be beyond furious to be removed at that point; maybe I'm just reactionary, as it's something that almost never happens. It's no surprise that van Gaal's smarter than I am, and I guess it's not surprising that it worked. It's an impressive call even if just for the psychological advantage, but Krul, two inches taller than Cillessen, also guessed correctly on all five spot kicks, saving the two weakest from Ruiz and Umaña. All four of the Dutch spot kicks were unstoppably placed: van Persie and Kuyt stuck theirs directly into the low corners, Robben and Sneijder's were high enough to avoid Navas' dive.
And those are the small margins that decide such a tight contest. Costa Rica have been the surprise of the tournament, and deservedly so, expected by almost everyone to finish last in their group. Jorge Luis Pinto did a wonderful job. But, up against the toughest opposition they'd faced in this tournament, the Netherlands' talent and van Gaal's tactics were just enough, barely enough, to eke out a win in the end.
Two managers and teams cancel each other out tactically, then one manager springs a psychological surprise in the penalty shoot-out.
Van Gaal knew his side had to be patient, keeping possession in defense and on the flanks, passing, poking, and prodding. The Netherlands didn't take a shot until the 20th minute despite constant possession. All four of their first half shots were on-target, seven of their 10 shots in normal time were on-target. Costa Rica weren't allowing many chances, but the Netherlands did well to get decent chances, denied by excellent keeping yet again from Keylor Navas. Holland didn't become desperate until extra-time, firing 10 shots from every angle – the same amount in the final 30 minutes as in the previous 90 minutes – with only one of the ten requiring a save (two were off-target, seven were blocked, but two also hit the frame of the goal).
Yes, the Netherlands is a vastly more-talented team, but that they didn't win in normal time is no slight on the side or van Gaal. Costa Rica allowed just one open play goal in this World Cup, in 510 minutes against Uruguay, Italy, England, Greece, and the Netherlands, and that was with 10 men: Greece's scrambled rebound equalizer in injury time in the last round. Navas was immense yet again, making seven saves, while Los Ticos also rode their luck, with Holland hitting the woodwork three times, with one of those woodwork strikes scrambled off the line by Tejada.
Costa Rica caught the opposition offsides 41 times this tournament; it happened to Holland 13 times yesterday. Only two other teams caught their opponents offsides more than 13 times in the entire tournament: Germany on 17 occasions, the USA on 15. In Costa Rica's previous matches, Uruguay were caught offside six times, Italy 11, England just once (Hodgeball!), and Greece 10 times. That's an offside trap that even makes Villas-Boas drool in delight, made much more impressive because it's happened in international competition, where managers have much less time to drill their players compared to when with their clubs.
And van Gaal's 3-4-3 system did well to deny the counter-attacks which saw Costa Rica beat Uruguay and Italy. Los Ticos took just six shots, and put just one of those six shots on target – Ureña's fast break with just three minutes remaining, smartly denied by Cillessen. Costa Rica were allowed just two danger zone shots, both from set plays and both off-target, the Dutch defenders doing just enough to prevent a clear chance.
So I guess it's fitting that the match was decided by a quirky decision from van Gaal, switching to backup keeper Tim Krul for the shootout. Full credit where due. I absolutely hated the move when it happened – maybe it's the former keeper in me, who'd be beyond furious to be removed at that point; maybe I'm just reactionary, as it's something that almost never happens. It's no surprise that van Gaal's smarter than I am, and I guess it's not surprising that it worked. It's an impressive call even if just for the psychological advantage, but Krul, two inches taller than Cillessen, also guessed correctly on all five spot kicks, saving the two weakest from Ruiz and Umaña. All four of the Dutch spot kicks were unstoppably placed: van Persie and Kuyt stuck theirs directly into the low corners, Robben and Sneijder's were high enough to avoid Navas' dive.
And those are the small margins that decide such a tight contest. Costa Rica have been the surprise of the tournament, and deservedly so, expected by almost everyone to finish last in their group. Jorge Luis Pinto did a wonderful job. But, up against the toughest opposition they'd faced in this tournament, the Netherlands' talent and van Gaal's tactics were just enough, barely enough, to eke out a win in the end.
13 June 2012
Netherlands 1-2 Germany
Goals:
Gomez 24' 38'
van Persie 73'
Holland's last game against Denmark was arguably an aberration, down solely to poor, unfortunate finishing. The margin of defeat was the same today, but this was domination. Germany destroyed Holland in the first half and sucked the life out of them in the second, despite positive half-time changes from van Marwijk, despite van Persie's consolation which looked like reinvigorating the contest.
Holland had the better start, and looked likely to exorcise the post-Denmark demons almost immediately: a long van Bommel pass over the top, van Persie racing behind a static Hummels and Badstuber, but unable to get clean contact, softly poking straight to Neuer. It was the sort of chance he seized time and time again for Arsenal last season. And it set a poor precedent.
It didn't take long for Germany assert control. Both goals started down Holland's left, manned by an untested 18-year-old backup for his club. Both goals were from Schweinsteiger passes to Gomez, with the former routinely left unforgivably open by van Bommel while de Jong "tracked" Özil.
Both goals were things of beauty: excellent set-up play combined with flawless finishing. Gomez's turn to set up the first, running between the center-backs, will make highlight reels for years. The same player dragged Mathijsen out of position on the second, again played in by Schweinsteiger after Özil's lay-off, blasting past Stekelenburg, who arguably helped the finish by diving too early and too low. Van Bommel was so off the pace he was barely in the stadium, completely unable to keep up with Schweinsteiger; Germany won the midfield battle despite both sides deploying similar 4-2-3-1 formations because Germany dominated possession but Sneijder failed to track back to add support. Which, admittedly, isn't his job. You can't deploy two out-and-out defensive midfielders then have one go missing.
Van Marwijk made the necessary changes at half-time – as if he had a choice – removing the vastly terrible van Bommel and wholly ineffective Afellay, replaced with van der Vaart and Huntelaar, shifting to something like a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1. Unsurprisingly, this increased Holland's cohesion in attack while subtracting little from defense (as if it could get worse).
Robben, van Persie, and Sneijder (twice) had excellent chances – the latter's the best: one curler just wide from far out, one outstandingly, incredibly blocked by Boateng. Less than two minutes after Boateng's crucial block came van Persie, finally getting Holland off the mark in the Euros – the last team to score in this tournament. Sneijder passed inside from the left flank, van Persie spun the otherwise-excellent Hummels and raced towards goal, firing an unstoppable shot through the legs of Badstuber past Neuer from the top of the box. Amusingly, the goal came just seconds after Gomez was withdrawn in favor of Klose, protected with an obvious eye on Sunday's final group match as Germany sensed little danger. Game on.
Or not. Germany didn't just take the air out of the ball after Holland's goal, they stabbed the ball, burnt its remains, and made sure there were no others on premises. The Netherlands barely had sight of said ball, let alone Neuer's goal, not even after introducing Big Game Dirk Kuyt. So much for fairy tales. Sorry, Dirk.
Holland took exactly one shot after van Persie looked like making a game of it. Meanwhile, Germany won three free kicks, five corners, monopolized possession, and nearly added a third when Klose chased down Steklenburg in the goalmouth, only to see the ball trickle just wide of the post.
Toni Kroos had an awful lot to do with Germany's late ball retention, completing 16 of 17 passes in the 10 minutes he was on the pitch, more than 25% of the passes Germany attempted during that period.
Strangely, Germany – with six points from six – aren't assured of qualification, while Holland – with zero points from six – aren't eliminated. A Germany loss to Denmark coupled with a Portugal win against Holland could see the Portuguese and Danes through. A German win and a Dutch win could see Holland qualify if they make up a -2 goal difference. Given how enjoyably crazy this tournament has been, neither is totally out of question.
Gomez 24' 38'
van Persie 73'
Holland's last game against Denmark was arguably an aberration, down solely to poor, unfortunate finishing. The margin of defeat was the same today, but this was domination. Germany destroyed Holland in the first half and sucked the life out of them in the second, despite positive half-time changes from van Marwijk, despite van Persie's consolation which looked like reinvigorating the contest.
Holland had the better start, and looked likely to exorcise the post-Denmark demons almost immediately: a long van Bommel pass over the top, van Persie racing behind a static Hummels and Badstuber, but unable to get clean contact, softly poking straight to Neuer. It was the sort of chance he seized time and time again for Arsenal last season. And it set a poor precedent.
It didn't take long for Germany assert control. Both goals started down Holland's left, manned by an untested 18-year-old backup for his club. Both goals were from Schweinsteiger passes to Gomez, with the former routinely left unforgivably open by van Bommel while de Jong "tracked" Özil.
Both goals were things of beauty: excellent set-up play combined with flawless finishing. Gomez's turn to set up the first, running between the center-backs, will make highlight reels for years. The same player dragged Mathijsen out of position on the second, again played in by Schweinsteiger after Özil's lay-off, blasting past Stekelenburg, who arguably helped the finish by diving too early and too low. Van Bommel was so off the pace he was barely in the stadium, completely unable to keep up with Schweinsteiger; Germany won the midfield battle despite both sides deploying similar 4-2-3-1 formations because Germany dominated possession but Sneijder failed to track back to add support. Which, admittedly, isn't his job. You can't deploy two out-and-out defensive midfielders then have one go missing.
Van Marwijk made the necessary changes at half-time – as if he had a choice – removing the vastly terrible van Bommel and wholly ineffective Afellay, replaced with van der Vaart and Huntelaar, shifting to something like a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1. Unsurprisingly, this increased Holland's cohesion in attack while subtracting little from defense (as if it could get worse).
Robben, van Persie, and Sneijder (twice) had excellent chances – the latter's the best: one curler just wide from far out, one outstandingly, incredibly blocked by Boateng. Less than two minutes after Boateng's crucial block came van Persie, finally getting Holland off the mark in the Euros – the last team to score in this tournament. Sneijder passed inside from the left flank, van Persie spun the otherwise-excellent Hummels and raced towards goal, firing an unstoppable shot through the legs of Badstuber past Neuer from the top of the box. Amusingly, the goal came just seconds after Gomez was withdrawn in favor of Klose, protected with an obvious eye on Sunday's final group match as Germany sensed little danger. Game on.
Or not. Germany didn't just take the air out of the ball after Holland's goal, they stabbed the ball, burnt its remains, and made sure there were no others on premises. The Netherlands barely had sight of said ball, let alone Neuer's goal, not even after introducing Big Game Dirk Kuyt. So much for fairy tales. Sorry, Dirk.
Holland took exactly one shot after van Persie looked like making a game of it. Meanwhile, Germany won three free kicks, five corners, monopolized possession, and nearly added a third when Klose chased down Steklenburg in the goalmouth, only to see the ball trickle just wide of the post.
Toni Kroos had an awful lot to do with Germany's late ball retention, completing 16 of 17 passes in the 10 minutes he was on the pitch, more than 25% of the passes Germany attempted during that period.
Strangely, Germany – with six points from six – aren't assured of qualification, while Holland – with zero points from six – aren't eliminated. A Germany loss to Denmark coupled with a Portugal win against Holland could see the Portuguese and Danes through. A German win and a Dutch win could see Holland qualify if they make up a -2 goal difference. Given how enjoyably crazy this tournament has been, neither is totally out of question.
09 June 2012
Denmark 1-0 Netherlands
Goals:
Krohn-Dehli 24'
Counter-attacking football beats possession football, despite the latter coming from the "better" side. And not for the first time. Russia, despite their mostly overwhelming superiority, did similar yesterday.
This being a Liverpool blog, I'd be tempted to make a tenuous analogy regardless of circumstances, but Liverpool fans have definitely seen this before. If you waste multiple chances, you will not win matches. Sometimes it really is that simple.
It certainly didn't look that way after the first 20 minutes. Holland were dominant, creating chance after chance after chance, with Denmark pinned back and broken into half by Eriksen's inability to link attack and defense. But Denmark took its one chance against the run of play, created by Poulsen bombing forward and a tremendous shift, burst, and shot from Krohn-Dehli. That goal made it much easier for Denmark's 4-2-1-3 to soak up Holland's fairly orthodox, expected 4-2-3-1. It didn't matter if Eriksen failed to link play or if Holland dominated possession. Denmark took its chance and took the lead and Holland wasted its opportunities to reply for the next 65 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, van Persie and Robben were the worst offenders.
Afellay was the only other player with more than three shots today, sending all five of his off target. Comparatively, Krohn-Dehli – Denmark's goal-scorer and only player who attempted more than one shot – put all three of his on target. Again, it's a simple game, this.
Of course, despite Holland's 32 shots on goal, some credit has to go to the Danish defense. Denmark attempted 17 tackles, all successful – Kjaer 4/4, Agger 3/3, Poulsen 3/3, among others; only Rommedahl and Kvist were outfield starters who didn't attempt a tackle – compared to Holland's 10 attempted, six successful.
Despite the failures of Holland's star attackers, van Marwijk deserves as much criticism following this loss. Holland were predictable; Denmark knew what was coming and were able to nullify it. Agger and Kjaer ensured most of van Persie's shots were contested under pressure. Poulsen was immense at left-back, fully aware of Robben's one-track mind and one-track style of play. Afellay and Robben's failure to track back allowed Denmark's fullbacks to get forward while restraining Holland's. And, most unforgivably, van Marwijk waited far too long to make changes, replacing Afellay with Huntelaar and van der Vaart with De Jong in the 70th minute. By then, Holland's frustration was tangible through the television. Huntelaar had one good opportunity immediately, unsurprisingly set up by Sneijder, but Andersen made the save after the striker split the centerbacks, and Holland were reduced to fairly nonthreatening half-chances and pleading for a debatable but not given handball penalty.
And Denmark did this with a fairly mediocre performance from their most-lauded player. As said above, Christian Eriksen was mostly irrelevant. But it didn't matter when Simon Poulsen, Agger, Kjaer, and Krohn Dehli were four of the five best players on the pitch.
Wesley Sneijder was the fifth, the hub of anything good from those in orange. In comparison to Eriksen, playing in a similar role until van Marwijk's substitutions with 20 minutes to play, Sneijder was brilliant between the lines. The attacking midfielder created 10 chances – no player created more in a Euro match in the last 32 years – and does not deserve to be on the losing side today. But van Persie and Robben sure do. And we've learned by now that chances created mean very, very, very little when they're not finished.
This leaves Holland a mountain to climb in order to qualify for the knockout rounds. We'll know much more after Germany face Portugal – my two favorites for qualification before the tournament started – later today, but this is most likely a mortal wound for the Netherlands.
However, Denmark, obviously, are in the best possible position after beating the Netherlands (without needing a shootout) for the first time since 1967. Both Germany and Portugal should present more problems than today's opposition, but – 20 years after the country's unlikely European Championship – Denmark couldn't have hoped for a better start to this tournament.
Krohn-Dehli 24'
Counter-attacking football beats possession football, despite the latter coming from the "better" side. And not for the first time. Russia, despite their mostly overwhelming superiority, did similar yesterday.
This being a Liverpool blog, I'd be tempted to make a tenuous analogy regardless of circumstances, but Liverpool fans have definitely seen this before. If you waste multiple chances, you will not win matches. Sometimes it really is that simple.
It certainly didn't look that way after the first 20 minutes. Holland were dominant, creating chance after chance after chance, with Denmark pinned back and broken into half by Eriksen's inability to link attack and defense. But Denmark took its one chance against the run of play, created by Poulsen bombing forward and a tremendous shift, burst, and shot from Krohn-Dehli. That goal made it much easier for Denmark's 4-2-1-3 to soak up Holland's fairly orthodox, expected 4-2-3-1. It didn't matter if Eriksen failed to link play or if Holland dominated possession. Denmark took its chance and took the lead and Holland wasted its opportunities to reply for the next 65 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, van Persie and Robben were the worst offenders.
Afellay was the only other player with more than three shots today, sending all five of his off target. Comparatively, Krohn-Dehli – Denmark's goal-scorer and only player who attempted more than one shot – put all three of his on target. Again, it's a simple game, this.
Of course, despite Holland's 32 shots on goal, some credit has to go to the Danish defense. Denmark attempted 17 tackles, all successful – Kjaer 4/4, Agger 3/3, Poulsen 3/3, among others; only Rommedahl and Kvist were outfield starters who didn't attempt a tackle – compared to Holland's 10 attempted, six successful.
Despite the failures of Holland's star attackers, van Marwijk deserves as much criticism following this loss. Holland were predictable; Denmark knew what was coming and were able to nullify it. Agger and Kjaer ensured most of van Persie's shots were contested under pressure. Poulsen was immense at left-back, fully aware of Robben's one-track mind and one-track style of play. Afellay and Robben's failure to track back allowed Denmark's fullbacks to get forward while restraining Holland's. And, most unforgivably, van Marwijk waited far too long to make changes, replacing Afellay with Huntelaar and van der Vaart with De Jong in the 70th minute. By then, Holland's frustration was tangible through the television. Huntelaar had one good opportunity immediately, unsurprisingly set up by Sneijder, but Andersen made the save after the striker split the centerbacks, and Holland were reduced to fairly nonthreatening half-chances and pleading for a debatable but not given handball penalty.
And Denmark did this with a fairly mediocre performance from their most-lauded player. As said above, Christian Eriksen was mostly irrelevant. But it didn't matter when Simon Poulsen, Agger, Kjaer, and Krohn Dehli were four of the five best players on the pitch.
Wesley Sneijder was the fifth, the hub of anything good from those in orange. In comparison to Eriksen, playing in a similar role until van Marwijk's substitutions with 20 minutes to play, Sneijder was brilliant between the lines. The attacking midfielder created 10 chances – no player created more in a Euro match in the last 32 years – and does not deserve to be on the losing side today. But van Persie and Robben sure do. And we've learned by now that chances created mean very, very, very little when they're not finished.
This leaves Holland a mountain to climb in order to qualify for the knockout rounds. We'll know much more after Germany face Portugal – my two favorites for qualification before the tournament started – later today, but this is most likely a mortal wound for the Netherlands.
However, Denmark, obviously, are in the best possible position after beating the Netherlands (without needing a shootout) for the first time since 1967. Both Germany and Portugal should present more problems than today's opposition, but – 20 years after the country's unlikely European Championship – Denmark couldn't have hoped for a better start to this tournament.
11 July 2010
Spain 1-0 Holland aet
Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Pedro Xavi Iniesta
Villa
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Goals:
Iniesta 116'
Good defeats evil.
There is a reason why teams up against proponents of "the beautiful game" turn matches into wars of attrition. Because it usually works. Pity for the Dutch it only worked for 115 minutes, but if we want to bring in concepts of fairness, karma, and justice, well, we got the right result. In an unjust universe, that's not usually the case.
47 fouls. 14 yellow cards. 1 red card. 13 offsides. 11 shots on target. 1 goal.
I guess it shouldn't have surprised. Spain had won their last three games by the same scoreline. And pragmatic Holland were always going to make it difficult. But I didn't expect this anti-advertisement for football. Finals frequently disappoint, but this was especially ugly. Nine of those yellow cards were shown to Holland – it should have been more, and they should have been down to ten long before the 109th minute. It's easy to criticize Howard Webb after that (and I will, thank you), but neither side helped him out.
When Ramos nearly scored in the 5th, a free header well-saved by the diving Stekelenburg, it looked like we might actually get that aesthetic steamroller we'd hoped for. Holland couldn't get the ball for love or money in the first 10 minutes; Villa nearly got on the end of a chipped ball over the top, Ramos' center was almost turned into the Dutch net by Heitinga. But then the Netherlands made their mark on the game and Spain. I hope the more literary media outlets make multiple references to the Eighty Years' War.
Van Persie had set the tone with a late kick on Busquets in the second minute, and got his yellow in the 15th. Van Bommel saw one, which could have been red, seven minutes later, charging in on Iniesta. And five minutes after that, de Jong definitely should have seen a straight red for kung fu fighting with Alonso, leaving stud-marks on his sternum. There's pragmatism and there's brutality. I can't help but point out the parallels with Holland's last appearance in the final, Clockwork Orange beaten and bruised by the hosts Argentina in 1978. Neither totaalvoetbal nor shock and awe seems to work for the Dutch. Meanwhile, Spain weren't winning any friends by reacting theatrically and begging for bookings with every foul. This team is heavily modeled on Barcelona, after all.
Don't get me wrong; other than the disgusting antics, it was an eminently watchable match despite the dearth of goals. As per usual with Spain. Both side had chances, especially as the game went on, and both Robben and Villa spurned opportunities you'd wager anything on them scoring after the hour mark. First, the Bayern winger split the centerbacks running onto Sneijder's through, only to see Casillas somehow save with his biggest toe. Six minutes later, the substitute Navas sprinted down the flank and sent in a low cross that Heitinga could only touch to Villa, but the sprawling centerback somehow still blocked the close-range shot. Ramos headed over another set play in the 77th, Robben amazingly stayed on his feet on a breakaway (yeah, really!) in the 83rd despite being fouled by Puyol, only to see Iker come out to smother. Either team could have won this game in normal time as both played the style they set out to.
Unsurprisingly, as legs continued to tire, the game continued to open up. Holland replaced Kuyt with Elia and de Jong with van der Vaart. Spain responded with Navas for Pedro, Cesc for Alonso, and finally Torres for Villa (during the extra-time interval). Neither side made a "defensive" substitution; at worst, it was like-for-like, and at least that's admirable. Stekelenburg made a huge save on Fabregas, set up by Iniesta, in the 95th. Mathijsen somehow headed a free attempt over less than a minute later. Then Navas, open on the right, saw his strike deflected into the side netting.
And in the 109th, we finally got the inevitable red card when Heitinga picked up his second yellow, pulling back a potentially-through Iniesta just outside the box. From there, Holland could only play for penalties, and Spain made them pay at long last. Torres' smart early cross was under-hit, but the off-balance Dutch defender could only clear it to Fabregas, who set up Iniesta for a smashing winner on the bounce, with the Barca man whipping off his shirt to display a classy tribute to Dani Jarque. There's no response to that with less than five minutes left and a man disadvantage. Of course, we still have some controversy, as Holland should have had a corner instead of a Spanish goal kick, while Elia was arguably fouled, in the build-up to the winner. Karma is a bitch.
Given my Liverpool bent, I'd be remiss if I didn't give my congratulations to Torres and Reina, and condolences to Kuyt and Babel. Yes, I was wrong; Torres didn't start once again, and it was the right decision given that he pulled up with what appeared to be cramp (and hopefully hopefully hopefully not a hamstring injury) right at the end. Pedro didn't impress, but Spain's other subs did: Navas stretched the game well, while Fabregas set up the winner and could have had one himself. Meanwhile, it was probably Kuyt's worst game of the tournament, and little surprise to see him off for the more attacking Elia in the 71st. Liverpool's players had a tough club season, and those in the final had a tough final. Sorry guys. I hope for all of us that next season is better.
So, man bites dog and beauty beats the beast. The right team won. That they're the current European champions, and despite a loss in their opening game, makes it all the more impressive. Ignore the 1-0 results if all you care about is goals. This Spanish side is one of the best teams to ever play international football. The best team doesn't win often enough.
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Pedro Xavi Iniesta
Villa
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Goals:
Iniesta 116'
Good defeats evil.
There is a reason why teams up against proponents of "the beautiful game" turn matches into wars of attrition. Because it usually works. Pity for the Dutch it only worked for 115 minutes, but if we want to bring in concepts of fairness, karma, and justice, well, we got the right result. In an unjust universe, that's not usually the case.
47 fouls. 14 yellow cards. 1 red card. 13 offsides. 11 shots on target. 1 goal.
I guess it shouldn't have surprised. Spain had won their last three games by the same scoreline. And pragmatic Holland were always going to make it difficult. But I didn't expect this anti-advertisement for football. Finals frequently disappoint, but this was especially ugly. Nine of those yellow cards were shown to Holland – it should have been more, and they should have been down to ten long before the 109th minute. It's easy to criticize Howard Webb after that (and I will, thank you), but neither side helped him out.
When Ramos nearly scored in the 5th, a free header well-saved by the diving Stekelenburg, it looked like we might actually get that aesthetic steamroller we'd hoped for. Holland couldn't get the ball for love or money in the first 10 minutes; Villa nearly got on the end of a chipped ball over the top, Ramos' center was almost turned into the Dutch net by Heitinga. But then the Netherlands made their mark on the game and Spain. I hope the more literary media outlets make multiple references to the Eighty Years' War.
Van Persie had set the tone with a late kick on Busquets in the second minute, and got his yellow in the 15th. Van Bommel saw one, which could have been red, seven minutes later, charging in on Iniesta. And five minutes after that, de Jong definitely should have seen a straight red for kung fu fighting with Alonso, leaving stud-marks on his sternum. There's pragmatism and there's brutality. I can't help but point out the parallels with Holland's last appearance in the final, Clockwork Orange beaten and bruised by the hosts Argentina in 1978. Neither totaalvoetbal nor shock and awe seems to work for the Dutch. Meanwhile, Spain weren't winning any friends by reacting theatrically and begging for bookings with every foul. This team is heavily modeled on Barcelona, after all.
Don't get me wrong; other than the disgusting antics, it was an eminently watchable match despite the dearth of goals. As per usual with Spain. Both side had chances, especially as the game went on, and both Robben and Villa spurned opportunities you'd wager anything on them scoring after the hour mark. First, the Bayern winger split the centerbacks running onto Sneijder's through, only to see Casillas somehow save with his biggest toe. Six minutes later, the substitute Navas sprinted down the flank and sent in a low cross that Heitinga could only touch to Villa, but the sprawling centerback somehow still blocked the close-range shot. Ramos headed over another set play in the 77th, Robben amazingly stayed on his feet on a breakaway (yeah, really!) in the 83rd despite being fouled by Puyol, only to see Iker come out to smother. Either team could have won this game in normal time as both played the style they set out to.
Unsurprisingly, as legs continued to tire, the game continued to open up. Holland replaced Kuyt with Elia and de Jong with van der Vaart. Spain responded with Navas for Pedro, Cesc for Alonso, and finally Torres for Villa (during the extra-time interval). Neither side made a "defensive" substitution; at worst, it was like-for-like, and at least that's admirable. Stekelenburg made a huge save on Fabregas, set up by Iniesta, in the 95th. Mathijsen somehow headed a free attempt over less than a minute later. Then Navas, open on the right, saw his strike deflected into the side netting.
And in the 109th, we finally got the inevitable red card when Heitinga picked up his second yellow, pulling back a potentially-through Iniesta just outside the box. From there, Holland could only play for penalties, and Spain made them pay at long last. Torres' smart early cross was under-hit, but the off-balance Dutch defender could only clear it to Fabregas, who set up Iniesta for a smashing winner on the bounce, with the Barca man whipping off his shirt to display a classy tribute to Dani Jarque. There's no response to that with less than five minutes left and a man disadvantage. Of course, we still have some controversy, as Holland should have had a corner instead of a Spanish goal kick, while Elia was arguably fouled, in the build-up to the winner. Karma is a bitch.
Given my Liverpool bent, I'd be remiss if I didn't give my congratulations to Torres and Reina, and condolences to Kuyt and Babel. Yes, I was wrong; Torres didn't start once again, and it was the right decision given that he pulled up with what appeared to be cramp (and hopefully hopefully hopefully not a hamstring injury) right at the end. Pedro didn't impress, but Spain's other subs did: Navas stretched the game well, while Fabregas set up the winner and could have had one himself. Meanwhile, it was probably Kuyt's worst game of the tournament, and little surprise to see him off for the more attacking Elia in the 71st. Liverpool's players had a tough club season, and those in the final had a tough final. Sorry guys. I hope for all of us that next season is better.
So, man bites dog and beauty beats the beast. The right team won. That they're the current European champions, and despite a loss in their opening game, makes it all the more impressive. Ignore the 1-0 results if all you care about is goals. This Spanish side is one of the best teams to ever play international football. The best team doesn't win often enough.
09 July 2010
Spain v Holland 07.11.10
Live in the US on ABC at 2:30pm
Guess at line-ups:
Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Iniesta Xavi Villa
Torres
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
A football romantic's dream final, and one of the best and worst early birthday presents I've ever received (Monday, thanks for asking). I adore and detest this match-up, somehow at the same time. One of the four teams I've done reviews on and root for will win the World Cup (and it's not like England or the US was going to), and I have no idea who I'd prefer. The worst possible moment to be a sports bigamist. I regret this decision immensely.
A win would exorcise countless demons for either country. Spain were perennially tortured in major tournaments until two years ago, while Holland's legendary generation (and I do not use that word lightly; they are literally Beowulf-style stuff of legends) lost in consecutive World Cup finals. The 1974 team remains the apotheosis of both total football and the capriciousness of a 1-0 lead. And now, Spain's playing the role of Clockwork Orange as archetypes of the beautiful game, while Holland have been this tournament's pragmatic utilitarians. Even Cruyff's declaring Spain a descendant of totaalvoetbal, and he's kind of right. Somewhere along the line, Spain became Barca (which still has Cruyff's fingerprints all over it), and that opens a whole different sociopolitical can of worms.
Both of these teams deserve to be here: Holland beating the pre-tournament favorites in the quarterfinals, Spain beating the "team of the tournament so far" in the semis. Plus, and most importantly, each side has two players from Liverpool FC, two of which with an excellent chance of starting. I would absolutely adore seeing Reina and Torres (and – I'll readily admit it – Alonso too) or Kuyt and Babel lift the cup. It actually makes my brain hurt.
At the moment, and as it usually the case by this time of the tournament, both teams basically write themselves. The only question is whether Torres will come back into Spain's XI.
10 Spanish players have started every game – Torres was replaced by Silva in the first match and Pedro in the most recent (incidentally, those are the only two games where Villa failed to score). Only Mathijsen (warm-up injury), de Jong (suspension), and van der Wiel (twice: trying to avoid suspension, then getting suspended later on anyway) have missed matches for Holland. All are available here, and my guess is that Torres returns, although my clear bias probably affects that.
Don't get me wrong; other than "that incident" in the 82nd minute on Wednesday (still angry), Pedro played fairly well – especially in the first half. Him over Silva or Cesc seemed the smarter decision if Torres wasn't starting. But while Pedro did well to create an early chance, spread the field marginally more (he still moved centrally quite often), and added more pace to the attack, Villa looked far worse for it.
Even if Torres isn't fully fit or his runs aren't as threatening, he still draws defenders solely out of fear, and he draws them into spaces that Villa exploits. All too often, Villa was double-teamed by Friedrich and Mertesacker. He may find Heitinga and Mathijsen easier to exploit, but, regardless, that does not happen with Torres on the field, even if he's on one leg. Shifting to Pedro, Cesc, Llorente, or Silva around the hour mark if necessary, as against Portugal and Paraguay, seems a safer option. That and I just find it hard to believe that Fernando Torres could be left out of a World Cup final. The one argument I can come up with for Pedro over Torres is because of Kuyt v Ramos. Kuyt's diligence will pin Ramos deeper than any game so far; Pedro would add more presence on the right than Iniesta's constant cutting in.
Dirk Kuyt will almost certainly become the third Liverpool player to play in a World Cup final – behind Hunt in 1966 and Hamann in 2002. Torres should be the fourth at the least; even if he doesn't start, he'd probably still come off the bench. And this would be the fourth consecutive World Cup final with teammates starting on opposite sides if Nando makes it – Karembeu/Roberto Carlos in '98, Lucio versus three from Bayern in 2002, and Thuram versus three from Juventus in 2006. And this time it'd be representing Liverpool. Unless, of course, Silva starts for Spain and/or van der Vaart for Holland, which would give City or Real the honor.
I don't want to curse la Roja, but they're clearly favorites. Holland are very good at attacking at pace – not as reliant on the counter as Germany, more comfortable in possession – but they'll still be forced to defend more because of Spain's supremacy at the possession game. Spain will press and press when without the ball, and Busquets will attempt to shut down Sneijder as he did Özil. Not only that, but with the exception of Holland's inside-out wingers – with Robben a near certainty to cut infield, while Kuyt's done well to add some width on the left – their formation is exceptionally similar to Germany's: a fairly standard 4-2-3-1, even though Holland's a lot more fluid amongst the front four. If the Dutch replicate their second half against Brazil, they can stifle Spain, if not take the game to them, but Holland still needed a bit of luck and some insanity from Felipe Melo. Van Bommel, De Jong, Heitinga, and Mathijsen will have to be very, very good. But that goes for everyone in orange.
Spain has used almost the same XI (and assuredly the same style despite the addition of a holding midfielder) as the European Championship-winning side; Pique, Busquets, and Pedro (and Navas to a lesser extent) are the only substantial changes. They play a certain way, and even if it's not as awe-inspiring as the Euro 2008 model, it's been just as effective.
Holland have had an outstanding tournament, and I will feel terrible if they fail in their third World Cup final – especially for Kuyt, naturally. But it's Spain's trophy to lose. And, not to end on too trite a sentiment, having these two countries in the final means that football wins no matter the result.
Guess at line-ups:
Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Busquets Alonso
Iniesta Xavi Villa
Torres
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
A football romantic's dream final, and one of the best and worst early birthday presents I've ever received (Monday, thanks for asking). I adore and detest this match-up, somehow at the same time. One of the four teams I've done reviews on and root for will win the World Cup (and it's not like England or the US was going to), and I have no idea who I'd prefer. The worst possible moment to be a sports bigamist. I regret this decision immensely.
A win would exorcise countless demons for either country. Spain were perennially tortured in major tournaments until two years ago, while Holland's legendary generation (and I do not use that word lightly; they are literally Beowulf-style stuff of legends) lost in consecutive World Cup finals. The 1974 team remains the apotheosis of both total football and the capriciousness of a 1-0 lead. And now, Spain's playing the role of Clockwork Orange as archetypes of the beautiful game, while Holland have been this tournament's pragmatic utilitarians. Even Cruyff's declaring Spain a descendant of totaalvoetbal, and he's kind of right. Somewhere along the line, Spain became Barca (which still has Cruyff's fingerprints all over it), and that opens a whole different sociopolitical can of worms.
Both of these teams deserve to be here: Holland beating the pre-tournament favorites in the quarterfinals, Spain beating the "team of the tournament so far" in the semis. Plus, and most importantly, each side has two players from Liverpool FC, two of which with an excellent chance of starting. I would absolutely adore seeing Reina and Torres (and – I'll readily admit it – Alonso too) or Kuyt and Babel lift the cup. It actually makes my brain hurt.
At the moment, and as it usually the case by this time of the tournament, both teams basically write themselves. The only question is whether Torres will come back into Spain's XI.
10 Spanish players have started every game – Torres was replaced by Silva in the first match and Pedro in the most recent (incidentally, those are the only two games where Villa failed to score). Only Mathijsen (warm-up injury), de Jong (suspension), and van der Wiel (twice: trying to avoid suspension, then getting suspended later on anyway) have missed matches for Holland. All are available here, and my guess is that Torres returns, although my clear bias probably affects that.
Don't get me wrong; other than "that incident" in the 82nd minute on Wednesday (still angry), Pedro played fairly well – especially in the first half. Him over Silva or Cesc seemed the smarter decision if Torres wasn't starting. But while Pedro did well to create an early chance, spread the field marginally more (he still moved centrally quite often), and added more pace to the attack, Villa looked far worse for it.
Even if Torres isn't fully fit or his runs aren't as threatening, he still draws defenders solely out of fear, and he draws them into spaces that Villa exploits. All too often, Villa was double-teamed by Friedrich and Mertesacker. He may find Heitinga and Mathijsen easier to exploit, but, regardless, that does not happen with Torres on the field, even if he's on one leg. Shifting to Pedro, Cesc, Llorente, or Silva around the hour mark if necessary, as against Portugal and Paraguay, seems a safer option. That and I just find it hard to believe that Fernando Torres could be left out of a World Cup final. The one argument I can come up with for Pedro over Torres is because of Kuyt v Ramos. Kuyt's diligence will pin Ramos deeper than any game so far; Pedro would add more presence on the right than Iniesta's constant cutting in.
Dirk Kuyt will almost certainly become the third Liverpool player to play in a World Cup final – behind Hunt in 1966 and Hamann in 2002. Torres should be the fourth at the least; even if he doesn't start, he'd probably still come off the bench. And this would be the fourth consecutive World Cup final with teammates starting on opposite sides if Nando makes it – Karembeu/Roberto Carlos in '98, Lucio versus three from Bayern in 2002, and Thuram versus three from Juventus in 2006. And this time it'd be representing Liverpool. Unless, of course, Silva starts for Spain and/or van der Vaart for Holland, which would give City or Real the honor.
I don't want to curse la Roja, but they're clearly favorites. Holland are very good at attacking at pace – not as reliant on the counter as Germany, more comfortable in possession – but they'll still be forced to defend more because of Spain's supremacy at the possession game. Spain will press and press when without the ball, and Busquets will attempt to shut down Sneijder as he did Özil. Not only that, but with the exception of Holland's inside-out wingers – with Robben a near certainty to cut infield, while Kuyt's done well to add some width on the left – their formation is exceptionally similar to Germany's: a fairly standard 4-2-3-1, even though Holland's a lot more fluid amongst the front four. If the Dutch replicate their second half against Brazil, they can stifle Spain, if not take the game to them, but Holland still needed a bit of luck and some insanity from Felipe Melo. Van Bommel, De Jong, Heitinga, and Mathijsen will have to be very, very good. But that goes for everyone in orange.
Spain has used almost the same XI (and assuredly the same style despite the addition of a holding midfielder) as the European Championship-winning side; Pique, Busquets, and Pedro (and Navas to a lesser extent) are the only substantial changes. They play a certain way, and even if it's not as awe-inspiring as the Euro 2008 model, it's been just as effective.
Holland have had an outstanding tournament, and I will feel terrible if they fail in their third World Cup final – especially for Kuyt, naturally. But it's Spain's trophy to lose. And, not to end on too trite a sentiment, having these two countries in the final means that football wins no matter the result.
06 July 2010
Holland 3-2 Uruguay
Stekelenburg
Bouhlarouz Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel de Zeeuw
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Muslera
MPereira Godin Victorino Caceres
Perez Gargano Arevalo APereira
Cavani Forlan
Goals:
van Bronckhorst 18'
Forlan 41'
Sneijder 70'
Robben 73'
MPereira 90+2'
Yet another match with a heavy dose of refeereeing controversy. And a bit of late drama just to stay true to form.
The first half ebbed and flowed, with both sides scoring when in the ascendency, but both were long-range strikes with a bit of fortune about them. Stekelenburg got his positioning wrong on Forlan's swerving equalizer, while I'd bet Gio van Bronckhorst couldn't replicate his firecracker on a bet.
Despite, or perhaps because of, Holland being favorites, a level scoreline adequately reflected the match at halftime. The Netherlands were on top early on, with some lovely interplay between the front four and chances for Kuyt and Sneijder, before van Bronckhorst's brilliant 30-yard strike from outside the left corner of the box. It's definitely up there for goal of the tournament.
But the Dutch began sitting deeper, undoubtedly aided by Uruguay resiliently fighting back, and the tide turned around the half-hour mark, soon after handbags between the sides when Caceres clocked de Zeeuw in the chin dangerously attempting a bicycle kick. Alvaro Pereira tested Sketelenburg with a low bouncer and Forlan headed high and wide before the Netherlands defense backed off the Atletico striker in the 41st minute, giving him the space to rocket yet another swinging shot into the net, aided by Sketelenburg initially stepping the wrong way. It was a nice bit of similarity that both goals came from the captains.
Ostensibly reverting to Holland's "usual" emphasis on attack after halftime, van Marwijk sent on van der Vaart for de Zeeuw – an attacking midfielder for a holding midfielder. But as Honigstein reminded in his brilliant column yesterday, it wasn't out-of-character for this Dutch side; Holland made a similar substitution at Euro 2008, bringing on Robben for Engelaar. To quote directly from the piece:
After a sustained build-up, van Persie laid the ball off to his left, with Kuyt leaving it for Sneijder. The perpetual dangerman danced into space, seeing his shot deflected past Muslera. The only problem was van Persie standing in the keeper's line of vision, and although he got out of the way of the ball, probably should have been ruled active and offside, just behind the last defender. It was a lot closer than Tevez's first against Mexico, but it's still generously labeled as dubious at best.
And it knocked the wind out of Uruguay, with Holland seemingly hammering the nail in the coffin three minutes later. Kuyt, taking advantage of space out wide, cut back onto his preferred foot and sent in a perfect cross for Robben – slightly behind the attacker, allowing the Munich man to free himself from his marker. Still, it was a colossal header from the winger, redirecting it with a ton of power off the inside of the far post.
That should have been game over, and until the dying minutes, it looked like it was. Holland delivered a masterclass in keeping possession – the highest compliment I can pay is that it looked like Spain with a lead – only they couldn't find a fourth despite having chances on the break. But Uruguay forced a furious end to the game, coincidentally (I'm sure) after Elia replaced Robben in the 89th minute. Holland – van Bommel, obviously – conceded a late free kick, Elia gave Maxi Pereira too much space when it was played short to him, and the fullback curled a low shot into the far corner. Three minutes of injury time soon became five, but, thankfully, the Dutch finally held on by the fingernails. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the last last-ditch clearing tackle in the box came from Kuyt.
Well played to the Dutch – making their first World Cup final since 1978 – to ensure an all-European affair (outside of Europe, I might add), but it seems necessary to start the kudos with Uruguay. No one expected them to be here. As painful as it is to admit, Forlan's has a shout at being the player of the tournament, up there with Schweinsteiger, Villa, and Sneijder (and Kuyt!). They – well, Forlan – once again came back from a deficit, and truly frightened at the end. The central midfield conceded little space, and a makeshift rearguard – including Barcelona outcast Caceres up against Robben – was outstanding despite conceding thrice.
But yet again, Holland win fortunately and ugly, with some superlative individual performances. Both Robben and Sneijder scored, Kuyt got another assist and ran his socks off. Yet again – outside of Mathijsen fooled by Forlan with poor positioning from Stekelenburg on the same play, and Elia going to sleep on a late free kick – the defense outplayed their reputations.
Holland has been both lucky and good, and that's what wins tournaments. They certainly deserve to be playing on Sunday.
Bouhlarouz Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel de Zeeuw
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Muslera
MPereira Godin Victorino Caceres
Perez Gargano Arevalo APereira
Cavani Forlan
Goals:
van Bronckhorst 18'
Forlan 41'
Sneijder 70'
Robben 73'
MPereira 90+2'
Yet another match with a heavy dose of refeereeing controversy. And a bit of late drama just to stay true to form.
The first half ebbed and flowed, with both sides scoring when in the ascendency, but both were long-range strikes with a bit of fortune about them. Stekelenburg got his positioning wrong on Forlan's swerving equalizer, while I'd bet Gio van Bronckhorst couldn't replicate his firecracker on a bet.
Despite, or perhaps because of, Holland being favorites, a level scoreline adequately reflected the match at halftime. The Netherlands were on top early on, with some lovely interplay between the front four and chances for Kuyt and Sneijder, before van Bronckhorst's brilliant 30-yard strike from outside the left corner of the box. It's definitely up there for goal of the tournament.
But the Dutch began sitting deeper, undoubtedly aided by Uruguay resiliently fighting back, and the tide turned around the half-hour mark, soon after handbags between the sides when Caceres clocked de Zeeuw in the chin dangerously attempting a bicycle kick. Alvaro Pereira tested Sketelenburg with a low bouncer and Forlan headed high and wide before the Netherlands defense backed off the Atletico striker in the 41st minute, giving him the space to rocket yet another swinging shot into the net, aided by Sketelenburg initially stepping the wrong way. It was a nice bit of similarity that both goals came from the captains.
Ostensibly reverting to Holland's "usual" emphasis on attack after halftime, van Marwijk sent on van der Vaart for de Zeeuw – an attacking midfielder for a holding midfielder. But as Honigstein reminded in his brilliant column yesterday, it wasn't out-of-character for this Dutch side; Holland made a similar substitution at Euro 2008, bringing on Robben for Engelaar. To quote directly from the piece:
"We gave ourselves space to go forward [on the counter] that way," Van Basten said. This was, in other words, not about simplistic labels like attack or defense, and certainly not about Cruyff's old concepts.It took about 15 minutes for van der Vaart and Holland to find their feet, with Uruguay packing the center of the pitch brilliantly (and before which van Bronckhorst had to clear off the line following Bouhlarouz's sloppy backpass), but Clockwork Orange were back ahead 10 minutes after regaining the momentum. Pity it came from yet another arguable decision, if not egregious error, from a linesman.
After a sustained build-up, van Persie laid the ball off to his left, with Kuyt leaving it for Sneijder. The perpetual dangerman danced into space, seeing his shot deflected past Muslera. The only problem was van Persie standing in the keeper's line of vision, and although he got out of the way of the ball, probably should have been ruled active and offside, just behind the last defender. It was a lot closer than Tevez's first against Mexico, but it's still generously labeled as dubious at best.
And it knocked the wind out of Uruguay, with Holland seemingly hammering the nail in the coffin three minutes later. Kuyt, taking advantage of space out wide, cut back onto his preferred foot and sent in a perfect cross for Robben – slightly behind the attacker, allowing the Munich man to free himself from his marker. Still, it was a colossal header from the winger, redirecting it with a ton of power off the inside of the far post.
That should have been game over, and until the dying minutes, it looked like it was. Holland delivered a masterclass in keeping possession – the highest compliment I can pay is that it looked like Spain with a lead – only they couldn't find a fourth despite having chances on the break. But Uruguay forced a furious end to the game, coincidentally (I'm sure) after Elia replaced Robben in the 89th minute. Holland – van Bommel, obviously – conceded a late free kick, Elia gave Maxi Pereira too much space when it was played short to him, and the fullback curled a low shot into the far corner. Three minutes of injury time soon became five, but, thankfully, the Dutch finally held on by the fingernails. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the last last-ditch clearing tackle in the box came from Kuyt.
Well played to the Dutch – making their first World Cup final since 1978 – to ensure an all-European affair (outside of Europe, I might add), but it seems necessary to start the kudos with Uruguay. No one expected them to be here. As painful as it is to admit, Forlan's has a shout at being the player of the tournament, up there with Schweinsteiger, Villa, and Sneijder (and Kuyt!). They – well, Forlan – once again came back from a deficit, and truly frightened at the end. The central midfield conceded little space, and a makeshift rearguard – including Barcelona outcast Caceres up against Robben – was outstanding despite conceding thrice.
But yet again, Holland win fortunately and ugly, with some superlative individual performances. Both Robben and Sneijder scored, Kuyt got another assist and ran his socks off. Yet again – outside of Mathijsen fooled by Forlan with poor positioning from Stekelenburg on the same play, and Elia going to sleep on a late free kick – the defense outplayed their reputations.
Holland has been both lucky and good, and that's what wins tournaments. They certainly deserve to be playing on Sunday.
02 July 2010
Holland 2-1 Brazil
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Oojier Van Bronckhorst
De Jong
Robben Van Bommel Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Julio Cesar
Maicon Lucio Juan Michel Bastos
Gilberto Silva Felipe Melo
Dani Alves Kaka Robinho
Luis Fabiano
Goals:
Robinho 10'
Felipe Melo (og) 53'
Sneijder 68'
That was not supposed to happen.
It was all set up for Brazil. Once again, the team I'm rooting for concedes an early, junior varsity-style defensive error, aided by Mathijsen injured in warm-ups. Melo's 50-yard through, Heitinga caught upfield, and Robben failing to track Robinho's run (not that it's his responsibility) put the Manchester City misfit one-on-one with the keeper, easily beating Stekelenburg from the top of the box.
An early goal feeds right into how Brazil loves to play under Dunga. They could stifle Dutch possession through Silva and Melo. Robben's disregard for passing the ball (it's beneath him, dammit) and van Persie's petulant invisibility also helped. Brazil soaked up the pressure, sprinted down the field on the counter with attacking fullbacks, and the Robinho-Kaka-Fabiano triangle perpetually frightened. Brazil could have been two goals up if not for Stekelenburg's marvelous 31st minute save on Kaka's curler. Meanwhile, the only times Holland tested Julio Cesar in the first half were Kuyt's narrow, low shot in the 11th and Sneijder's 36th minute free kick from approximately four miles away straight down the keeper's throat.
But it didn't matter in the end. I can't remember how many times I've written that you pay for not scoring more when a goal to the good. It's happened a lot.
Holland pulled one back less than ten minutes after the interval thanks to Sneijder's brilliance and an absolute mess from Melo and Julio Cesar. Sneijder's cross on a short free kick, Cesar somehow misses his punch, and it glances in off Melo's back. Should be Sneijder's as it was on target, but I'm not complaining either way.
The equalizer absolutely shell-shocked the Brazilians. Again, that was not supposed to happen. The Dutch dominated possession, finding an extra gear, before Sneijder got his deserved goal 15 minutes after the first, thanks to that man Dirk Kuyt. Kuyt, cleverly running into space, flicked a corner on for Sneijder's free header from four yards out. Ecstasy.
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilians completely lost the plot. Dunga broke down on the sideline, fortifying me with his delicious tears, and five minutes later, Felipe Melo was given his marching orders for a stupid, frustrated, typical stamp on Robben after conceding yet another soft foul. That combined with his assist perfectly encapsulates Melo.
It was never done and dusted; Brazil can terrify even with ten men, especially in crunch time, but the Dutch held out admirably. They stayed resilient, batting away every set play, including a crucial clearing header from Kuyt in the 82nd, while Ooijer did brilliantly to close down Kaka on a break in the 86th. Holland should have added a third on the break, but a win is a win is a win.
I expect to never, ever find it necessary to defend Dirk Kuyt from the haters after today. He was the only Dutch player who didn't disappoint in the first half and set up the crucial second goal, yet again the key man on a set piece. He kept Maicon occupied for long stretches, and had innumerable clearing defensive headers, including that vital one with eight minutes to play. Were he a step faster, he could have scored a game-sealing third after some jaw-dropping fancy footwork that would have sent hacks to the fainting couch were it performed by Messi, running past Maicon and Lucio as if they weren't there only to see Juan get back. He is utterly immense and I love him to bits.
I won't lie. I love seeing Brazil beaten, and it's especially awesome that Holland are the ones to do it. For all of South America's dominance, the best South American side was just beaten by the best European side. For once, the Dutch didn't fall apart in the face of adversity, and Dunga's well-organized team helped Holland to the victory by beating themselves in the second half. It's gonna be hard for Felipe Melo to show his face in Brazil. Dunga will be heavily criticized as well, but, honestly, he shouldn't be. Samba football is a thing of the past. You win games by beating hard to beat, and Holland won that battle today.
Van der Wiel Heitinga Oojier Van Bronckhorst
De Jong
Robben Van Bommel Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Julio Cesar
Maicon Lucio Juan Michel Bastos
Gilberto Silva Felipe Melo
Dani Alves Kaka Robinho
Luis Fabiano
Goals:
Robinho 10'
Felipe Melo (og) 53'
Sneijder 68'
That was not supposed to happen.
It was all set up for Brazil. Once again, the team I'm rooting for concedes an early, junior varsity-style defensive error, aided by Mathijsen injured in warm-ups. Melo's 50-yard through, Heitinga caught upfield, and Robben failing to track Robinho's run (not that it's his responsibility) put the Manchester City misfit one-on-one with the keeper, easily beating Stekelenburg from the top of the box.
An early goal feeds right into how Brazil loves to play under Dunga. They could stifle Dutch possession through Silva and Melo. Robben's disregard for passing the ball (it's beneath him, dammit) and van Persie's petulant invisibility also helped. Brazil soaked up the pressure, sprinted down the field on the counter with attacking fullbacks, and the Robinho-Kaka-Fabiano triangle perpetually frightened. Brazil could have been two goals up if not for Stekelenburg's marvelous 31st minute save on Kaka's curler. Meanwhile, the only times Holland tested Julio Cesar in the first half were Kuyt's narrow, low shot in the 11th and Sneijder's 36th minute free kick from approximately four miles away straight down the keeper's throat.
But it didn't matter in the end. I can't remember how many times I've written that you pay for not scoring more when a goal to the good. It's happened a lot.
Holland pulled one back less than ten minutes after the interval thanks to Sneijder's brilliance and an absolute mess from Melo and Julio Cesar. Sneijder's cross on a short free kick, Cesar somehow misses his punch, and it glances in off Melo's back. Should be Sneijder's as it was on target, but I'm not complaining either way.
The equalizer absolutely shell-shocked the Brazilians. Again, that was not supposed to happen. The Dutch dominated possession, finding an extra gear, before Sneijder got his deserved goal 15 minutes after the first, thanks to that man Dirk Kuyt. Kuyt, cleverly running into space, flicked a corner on for Sneijder's free header from four yards out. Ecstasy.
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilians completely lost the plot. Dunga broke down on the sideline, fortifying me with his delicious tears, and five minutes later, Felipe Melo was given his marching orders for a stupid, frustrated, typical stamp on Robben after conceding yet another soft foul. That combined with his assist perfectly encapsulates Melo.
It was never done and dusted; Brazil can terrify even with ten men, especially in crunch time, but the Dutch held out admirably. They stayed resilient, batting away every set play, including a crucial clearing header from Kuyt in the 82nd, while Ooijer did brilliantly to close down Kaka on a break in the 86th. Holland should have added a third on the break, but a win is a win is a win.
I expect to never, ever find it necessary to defend Dirk Kuyt from the haters after today. He was the only Dutch player who didn't disappoint in the first half and set up the crucial second goal, yet again the key man on a set piece. He kept Maicon occupied for long stretches, and had innumerable clearing defensive headers, including that vital one with eight minutes to play. Were he a step faster, he could have scored a game-sealing third after some jaw-dropping fancy footwork that would have sent hacks to the fainting couch were it performed by Messi, running past Maicon and Lucio as if they weren't there only to see Juan get back. He is utterly immense and I love him to bits.
I won't lie. I love seeing Brazil beaten, and it's especially awesome that Holland are the ones to do it. For all of South America's dominance, the best South American side was just beaten by the best European side. For once, the Dutch didn't fall apart in the face of adversity, and Dunga's well-organized team helped Holland to the victory by beating themselves in the second half. It's gonna be hard for Felipe Melo to show his face in Brazil. Dunga will be heavily criticized as well, but, honestly, he shouldn't be. Samba football is a thing of the past. You win games by beating hard to beat, and Holland won that battle today.
28 June 2010
Holland 2-1 Slovakia
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Mucha
Pekarik Skrtel Durica Zabavnik
Kucha Hamsik
Jendrisek Stoch Weiss
Vittek
Goals:
Robben 18'
Sneijder 84'
Another efficient, workman-like win, with individual moments of brilliance leading to both goals. And again, the Dutch conceded after going two-up with the last kick of the game, conceding a penalty when the defense fell asleep in the 93rd minute. I don't know why anyone expected Holland to change their stripes after the group stage. It's not Cruyffian Total Football, but it's still clockwork.
Robben replaced van der Vaart (with Kuyt shifting to the left so Robben could play on his preferred flank), one returning from injury while the other picked up a calf strain in the previous match, and it was the unlikable genius who opened the scoring in the 18th minute. A brilliant over the top pass from Sneijder deep in his own half found Robben steaming down the right, and Durica allowed him to cut onto his preferred foot to slot low inside the near post.
With the Dutch looking more than comfortable, Slovakia did well to keep hold of the ball starting around the half-hour mark, finding that possession limited Holland's ability to punish them, but they were never able to truly threaten. Van Persie had opportunities to extend the gap in the 41st and 44th, first shooting tamely at the keeper then shinning wide, unable to turn on van Bommel's center after lovely work from Robben.
The Dutch had two more excellent chances soon after halftime, with Mucha saving Robben's shot from the same position as his goal and preventing Mathijsen from side-footing in Robben's clever low cross. At this point, Holland had five shots to Slovakia's zero.
But with the Netherlands increasingly casual, Slovakia finally hit their stride in the 67th, with Stekelenburg making two crucial saves within a minute. First, Stoch cut across the top of the box, only to see his shot tipped over, before Vittek was open 16 yards out, played onside, but the keeper was equal to the strike which could have seen him become Slovakia's all-time top scorer.
But Elia replaced Robben, Huntelaar replaced van Persie, and Holland finally got the much-needed second six minutes from time thanks to excellent work from Dirk Kuyt. Van Bronckhorst's quick free kick caught Slovakia unaware, still complaining about the foul, Kuyt's clever header completely took the on-rushing Mucha out of the picture, and the Liverpool man cleverly held his nerve, unselfishly waiting to center for an easy Sneijder tap-in.
Once again, the Netherlands were caught sound asleep after the crucial second, once again to an unnecessary penalty. In the third minute of injury time, Kucha's long-range shot was fortuitously deflected to an onside Jakubko, who was brought down by Stekelenburg when Holland couldn't clear. Vittek stepped up to get his deserved goal with the last kick of the game.
I know everyone assumes I'm biased, but I truly think Kuyt was the man of the match. He was just as effective on the left, popping up in both defense and attack, and protecting the aging van Bronckhorst. His assist for the goal was spectacular no matter whether Mucha should or shouldn't have come for the ball, and he could have had a goal of his own in the 73rd, forcing a save when he cut in from the flank to test the keeper. I still cannot fathom why people continually underrate him. He is crucial to the way Holland (and – sigh – Liverpool under Benitez) play. And yet again, some wonderful individualism from Sneijder and Robben opened up the scoring and made the critical difference.
That's four wins from four for the Netherlands, and an eight-straight victory for Oranje, breaking their all-time record. No matter whether Brazil or Chile win the afternoon match, the upcoming quarterfinal is going to be a tremendous spectacle.
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
De Jong Van Bommel
Robben Sneijder Kuyt
Van Persie
Mucha
Pekarik Skrtel Durica Zabavnik
Kucha Hamsik
Jendrisek Stoch Weiss
Vittek
Goals:
Robben 18'
Sneijder 84'
Another efficient, workman-like win, with individual moments of brilliance leading to both goals. And again, the Dutch conceded after going two-up with the last kick of the game, conceding a penalty when the defense fell asleep in the 93rd minute. I don't know why anyone expected Holland to change their stripes after the group stage. It's not Cruyffian Total Football, but it's still clockwork.
Robben replaced van der Vaart (with Kuyt shifting to the left so Robben could play on his preferred flank), one returning from injury while the other picked up a calf strain in the previous match, and it was the unlikable genius who opened the scoring in the 18th minute. A brilliant over the top pass from Sneijder deep in his own half found Robben steaming down the right, and Durica allowed him to cut onto his preferred foot to slot low inside the near post.
With the Dutch looking more than comfortable, Slovakia did well to keep hold of the ball starting around the half-hour mark, finding that possession limited Holland's ability to punish them, but they were never able to truly threaten. Van Persie had opportunities to extend the gap in the 41st and 44th, first shooting tamely at the keeper then shinning wide, unable to turn on van Bommel's center after lovely work from Robben.
The Dutch had two more excellent chances soon after halftime, with Mucha saving Robben's shot from the same position as his goal and preventing Mathijsen from side-footing in Robben's clever low cross. At this point, Holland had five shots to Slovakia's zero.
But with the Netherlands increasingly casual, Slovakia finally hit their stride in the 67th, with Stekelenburg making two crucial saves within a minute. First, Stoch cut across the top of the box, only to see his shot tipped over, before Vittek was open 16 yards out, played onside, but the keeper was equal to the strike which could have seen him become Slovakia's all-time top scorer.
But Elia replaced Robben, Huntelaar replaced van Persie, and Holland finally got the much-needed second six minutes from time thanks to excellent work from Dirk Kuyt. Van Bronckhorst's quick free kick caught Slovakia unaware, still complaining about the foul, Kuyt's clever header completely took the on-rushing Mucha out of the picture, and the Liverpool man cleverly held his nerve, unselfishly waiting to center for an easy Sneijder tap-in.
Once again, the Netherlands were caught sound asleep after the crucial second, once again to an unnecessary penalty. In the third minute of injury time, Kucha's long-range shot was fortuitously deflected to an onside Jakubko, who was brought down by Stekelenburg when Holland couldn't clear. Vittek stepped up to get his deserved goal with the last kick of the game.
I know everyone assumes I'm biased, but I truly think Kuyt was the man of the match. He was just as effective on the left, popping up in both defense and attack, and protecting the aging van Bronckhorst. His assist for the goal was spectacular no matter whether Mucha should or shouldn't have come for the ball, and he could have had a goal of his own in the 73rd, forcing a save when he cut in from the flank to test the keeper. I still cannot fathom why people continually underrate him. He is crucial to the way Holland (and – sigh – Liverpool under Benitez) play. And yet again, some wonderful individualism from Sneijder and Robben opened up the scoring and made the critical difference.
That's four wins from four for the Netherlands, and an eight-straight victory for Oranje, breaking their all-time record. No matter whether Brazil or Chile win the afternoon match, the upcoming quarterfinal is going to be a tremendous spectacle.
24 June 2010
Holland 2-1 Cameroon
Stekelenburg
Boulahrouz Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel De Jong
Kuyt Sneijder Van der Vaart
Van Persie
Souleymanou
Geremi N'koulou Mbia Assou-Ekotto
Nguemo Makoun Chedjou Bong
Eto'o Choupo-Moting
Goals:
van Persie 36'
Eto'o 65' (pen)
Huntelaar 83'
It may have been an enjoyable, open game, but there's not a whole lot to divine from this match. Which isn't all that surprising given that Holland had already qualified while Cameroon's exit was assured. It wasn't quite friendly pace, but it didn't look like most of the matches so far this tournament either.
With the pressure off, Cameroon finally played to their potential, controlling the ball and threatening through Geremi and Eto'o. And despite the tame performance, conceding their first goal in this World Cup, the Dutch will be happy as well. Van Persie got on the scoresheet, Robben looked impressive off the bench, and it's three wins from three to ensure qualification and a round of 16 match-up with Slovakia. Admittedly, it's somewhat strange watching Holland grind out results, but it's also something the country's rarely been able to do.
Outside of Boulahrouz for van der Wiel, it was the same starting XI for the Netherlands, with the right back likely protected from picking up a second yellow that'd lead to his suspension. Cameroon started the brighter, with the shackles off and the side better balanced in a 4-4-2 due to Bong protecting the oft-beaten left flank that Assou-Ekotto had been left alone on in the first two matches.
Despite some lax defending from Mathijsen and Heitinga and some dubious moments from Stekelenburg, Holland still looked the more dangerous, almost always through Sneijder. Kuyt should have opened the scoring in the 32nd, put through on the right by Boulahrouz on a move unsurprisingly started by Sneijder, only to shoot narrowly wide of the far post. But van Persie struck minutes later on a lovely flowing move – Kuyt to Van Persie to van der Vaart back to van Persie, with the striker deftly beating Souleymanou with a right-footed shot between the keeper's legs.
But Cameroon responded, with Geremi's crosses from the right a constant threat, and were even stronger after the interval, although some of that was down to even less Dutch pressing and possession after taking the lead. Eto'o deserved his equalizer from the spot, given the chance by a needless van der Vaart handball from on Geremi's free kick (I can never understand why players put their arms in the air when in the wall).
But Robben's entrance minutes later reinvigorated Holland. He replaced van der Vaart, but that he went to the right (with Elia, who had come on for Kuyt not long before, going to the left) might not bode well for the Liverpool "winger." Still, I find it hard to believe van Marwijk will leave Kuyt out despite Robben's preferred position cutting in on his stronger foot. Today's not the best game to judge from, but I think Sneijder and van der Vaart are too similar to truly succeed in the same side, while Kuyt's work ethic and tracking back are important to a Dutch side that still defends tentatively, especially when the attacking van der Wiel is in the side.
And it was Robben's excellent work that led to Holland's winner after a jaw-droppingly delicious pass from Sneijder, easily turning Song before cannoning a shot off the post, which fell fortuitously to Huntelaar to slot into an empty net. Good work from the Munich winger could have led to a third had the referee been so inclined, smartly setting up Huntelaar, who was barged over by Mbia, only to see the referee shrug and turn away. Were there more riding on this game, the referee probably would have given it, but by this point, it would have been more nails than the coffin needed.
Once again, I'm tempted to write that it was almost an anti-Dutch performance. Even considering circumstances, you wouldn't have expected Cameroon to have more possession that Holland. The Netherlands didn't have a corner kick until the 82nd minute, compared to six for the Indomitable Lions. And the only goal conceded during the group stage was an unnecessary penalty in today's game. As ESPN repeatedly pointed out, Holland has never kept clean sheets in all three group games. They easily could have today if not for van der Vaart's moment of madness.
Regardless of Holland's new-found ability to win ugly, I think we'll see a more familiar side in the knockout rounds, especially with Robben back in the team. The shape will remain the same, with two holding midfielders in contrast to the Clockwork Orange of old, but Robben will make a massive difference. Even considering my bias in favor of Kuyt, I'm hoping van der Vaart makes way, which should lead to a more balanced side with better positional discipline, instead of Sneijder and van der Vaart playing in the same spaces far too often. There's a reason Kuyt's started 31 consecutive games for Holland – the longest streak for a Dutch outfield player in 49 years – and it's not because others were injured or he has naked pictures of every manager he's ever played for.
And despite the narrow scorelines in these group matches, Holland has to be considered one of the favorites going into the next round. They've always coped well with that label, right?
Boulahrouz Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel De Jong
Kuyt Sneijder Van der Vaart
Van Persie
Souleymanou
Geremi N'koulou Mbia Assou-Ekotto
Nguemo Makoun Chedjou Bong
Eto'o Choupo-Moting
Goals:
van Persie 36'
Eto'o 65' (pen)
Huntelaar 83'
It may have been an enjoyable, open game, but there's not a whole lot to divine from this match. Which isn't all that surprising given that Holland had already qualified while Cameroon's exit was assured. It wasn't quite friendly pace, but it didn't look like most of the matches so far this tournament either.
With the pressure off, Cameroon finally played to their potential, controlling the ball and threatening through Geremi and Eto'o. And despite the tame performance, conceding their first goal in this World Cup, the Dutch will be happy as well. Van Persie got on the scoresheet, Robben looked impressive off the bench, and it's three wins from three to ensure qualification and a round of 16 match-up with Slovakia. Admittedly, it's somewhat strange watching Holland grind out results, but it's also something the country's rarely been able to do.
Outside of Boulahrouz for van der Wiel, it was the same starting XI for the Netherlands, with the right back likely protected from picking up a second yellow that'd lead to his suspension. Cameroon started the brighter, with the shackles off and the side better balanced in a 4-4-2 due to Bong protecting the oft-beaten left flank that Assou-Ekotto had been left alone on in the first two matches.
Despite some lax defending from Mathijsen and Heitinga and some dubious moments from Stekelenburg, Holland still looked the more dangerous, almost always through Sneijder. Kuyt should have opened the scoring in the 32nd, put through on the right by Boulahrouz on a move unsurprisingly started by Sneijder, only to shoot narrowly wide of the far post. But van Persie struck minutes later on a lovely flowing move – Kuyt to Van Persie to van der Vaart back to van Persie, with the striker deftly beating Souleymanou with a right-footed shot between the keeper's legs.
But Cameroon responded, with Geremi's crosses from the right a constant threat, and were even stronger after the interval, although some of that was down to even less Dutch pressing and possession after taking the lead. Eto'o deserved his equalizer from the spot, given the chance by a needless van der Vaart handball from on Geremi's free kick (I can never understand why players put their arms in the air when in the wall).
But Robben's entrance minutes later reinvigorated Holland. He replaced van der Vaart, but that he went to the right (with Elia, who had come on for Kuyt not long before, going to the left) might not bode well for the Liverpool "winger." Still, I find it hard to believe van Marwijk will leave Kuyt out despite Robben's preferred position cutting in on his stronger foot. Today's not the best game to judge from, but I think Sneijder and van der Vaart are too similar to truly succeed in the same side, while Kuyt's work ethic and tracking back are important to a Dutch side that still defends tentatively, especially when the attacking van der Wiel is in the side.
And it was Robben's excellent work that led to Holland's winner after a jaw-droppingly delicious pass from Sneijder, easily turning Song before cannoning a shot off the post, which fell fortuitously to Huntelaar to slot into an empty net. Good work from the Munich winger could have led to a third had the referee been so inclined, smartly setting up Huntelaar, who was barged over by Mbia, only to see the referee shrug and turn away. Were there more riding on this game, the referee probably would have given it, but by this point, it would have been more nails than the coffin needed.
Once again, I'm tempted to write that it was almost an anti-Dutch performance. Even considering circumstances, you wouldn't have expected Cameroon to have more possession that Holland. The Netherlands didn't have a corner kick until the 82nd minute, compared to six for the Indomitable Lions. And the only goal conceded during the group stage was an unnecessary penalty in today's game. As ESPN repeatedly pointed out, Holland has never kept clean sheets in all three group games. They easily could have today if not for van der Vaart's moment of madness.
Regardless of Holland's new-found ability to win ugly, I think we'll see a more familiar side in the knockout rounds, especially with Robben back in the team. The shape will remain the same, with two holding midfielders in contrast to the Clockwork Orange of old, but Robben will make a massive difference. Even considering my bias in favor of Kuyt, I'm hoping van der Vaart makes way, which should lead to a more balanced side with better positional discipline, instead of Sneijder and van der Vaart playing in the same spaces far too often. There's a reason Kuyt's started 31 consecutive games for Holland – the longest streak for a Dutch outfield player in 49 years – and it's not because others were injured or he has naked pictures of every manager he's ever played for.
And despite the narrow scorelines in these group matches, Holland has to be considered one of the favorites going into the next round. They've always coped well with that label, right?
19 June 2010
Netherlands 1-0 Japan
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel – Heitinga – Mathijsen – Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel – De Jong
Kuyt – Sneijder – Van der Vaart
Van Persie
Kawashima
Komano Nakazawa Tulio Nagatomo
Matsui Abe Endo Okubo
Hasabe
Honda
Goals:
Sneijder 53'
Almost decided against writing a review of this one. Outside of Sneijder's goal and Holland at least being capable of passing the ball to each other, it wasn't that much more watchable than yesterday's English assault on the eyes.
I guess Japan should reap the praise for that, almost completely stifling Holland's attack, as they set out to do. They gave the Dutch possession in the less dangerous two-thirds of the pitch, but relentlessly closed down in the final third. Abe shadowed Sneijder absolutely everywhere, leaving little room to weave his magic. I lost count of the number of back-passes, and that's difficult for someone used to watching Liverpool intently. True to form, Japan were well-organized and diligent, and Holland, who were bereft of ideas or incisiveness for long stretches against Denmark, struggled to cope.
Outside of a two moments in 10th – where Sneijder's dangerous free kick narrowly rose over the bar and Kuyt's acrobatic bicycle kick was headed away – and one in the 45th – where van der Vaart's speculative (but on-target) shot was smothered by Kawashima – Holland rarely threatened. And Japan demonstrated their own minor threat on the counter, with Nagatomo shooting wide while Honda and Tulio headed set piece half-chances high and wide.
Thankfully, Sneijder broke the deadlock soon after halftime with a goal that'll be blamed on both ball and keeper. But more of the blame should go to how hard Wesley struck his shot. Van Persie laid off after claiming a defensive header down, and Sneijder nearly broke the goal camera with his ferocious strike. Kawashima could only palm the ball into his own net thanks to the swerve most likely aided by Adidas' delightfully-controversial Jabulani. It never looks good when a goal goes in off the goalkeeper, but there was little Kawashima could do thanks to how hard Sneijder hit the shot.
Forced out of their shell by the deficit, Japan put Holland on the back foot, with left-winger Okubo threatening with outside-the-box strikes and both fullbacks getting forward well. Strikers Okazaki and Tamada replaced midfielders Hasabe and Okubo with 15 minutes to play, but it was the Netherlands who should have scored next, with Kawashima twice denying efforts from substitute Afellay. Notably, both chances were supplied by the other substitutes. The first came on the counter, put through on goal by Elia, only to overrun and sees his close range shot saved. Three minutes later, Huntelaar cleverly turned his defender to set up Afellay, only to see Kawashima there again, with the ball subsequently scrambled off the line.
Just as New Zealand punishing Slovakia a week ago, Holland could have conceded a late equalizer as a deep cross was flicked on to Okazawi, only to see the striker blaze over an eight-yard half-volley. And the Netherlands escape with another anti-Dutch win, at least anti- the Dutch we're used to seeing romp in the group stage. But they'll qualify for the knockout round today with a Danish win or draw.
It may not be smashing stuff, as we hope for from Clockwork Orange, but the Netherlands only have to glance in England, France, or Spain's direction to see true difficulty. They're on pace to be the first to advance from the groups. And while I'm well aware it's a bit early for the mention, I can't help but reference Italy's stereotypical "slow starts" before coming together as a true tournament team. Also applicable are the old standbys about "winning ugly." Here's hoping we soon see similar.
Van der Wiel – Heitinga – Mathijsen – Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel – De Jong
Kuyt – Sneijder – Van der Vaart
Van Persie
Kawashima
Komano Nakazawa Tulio Nagatomo
Matsui Abe Endo Okubo
Hasabe
Honda
Goals:
Sneijder 53'
Almost decided against writing a review of this one. Outside of Sneijder's goal and Holland at least being capable of passing the ball to each other, it wasn't that much more watchable than yesterday's English assault on the eyes.
I guess Japan should reap the praise for that, almost completely stifling Holland's attack, as they set out to do. They gave the Dutch possession in the less dangerous two-thirds of the pitch, but relentlessly closed down in the final third. Abe shadowed Sneijder absolutely everywhere, leaving little room to weave his magic. I lost count of the number of back-passes, and that's difficult for someone used to watching Liverpool intently. True to form, Japan were well-organized and diligent, and Holland, who were bereft of ideas or incisiveness for long stretches against Denmark, struggled to cope.
Outside of a two moments in 10th – where Sneijder's dangerous free kick narrowly rose over the bar and Kuyt's acrobatic bicycle kick was headed away – and one in the 45th – where van der Vaart's speculative (but on-target) shot was smothered by Kawashima – Holland rarely threatened. And Japan demonstrated their own minor threat on the counter, with Nagatomo shooting wide while Honda and Tulio headed set piece half-chances high and wide.
Thankfully, Sneijder broke the deadlock soon after halftime with a goal that'll be blamed on both ball and keeper. But more of the blame should go to how hard Wesley struck his shot. Van Persie laid off after claiming a defensive header down, and Sneijder nearly broke the goal camera with his ferocious strike. Kawashima could only palm the ball into his own net thanks to the swerve most likely aided by Adidas' delightfully-controversial Jabulani. It never looks good when a goal goes in off the goalkeeper, but there was little Kawashima could do thanks to how hard Sneijder hit the shot.
Forced out of their shell by the deficit, Japan put Holland on the back foot, with left-winger Okubo threatening with outside-the-box strikes and both fullbacks getting forward well. Strikers Okazaki and Tamada replaced midfielders Hasabe and Okubo with 15 minutes to play, but it was the Netherlands who should have scored next, with Kawashima twice denying efforts from substitute Afellay. Notably, both chances were supplied by the other substitutes. The first came on the counter, put through on goal by Elia, only to overrun and sees his close range shot saved. Three minutes later, Huntelaar cleverly turned his defender to set up Afellay, only to see Kawashima there again, with the ball subsequently scrambled off the line.
Just as New Zealand punishing Slovakia a week ago, Holland could have conceded a late equalizer as a deep cross was flicked on to Okazawi, only to see the striker blaze over an eight-yard half-volley. And the Netherlands escape with another anti-Dutch win, at least anti- the Dutch we're used to seeing romp in the group stage. But they'll qualify for the knockout round today with a Danish win or draw.
It may not be smashing stuff, as we hope for from Clockwork Orange, but the Netherlands only have to glance in England, France, or Spain's direction to see true difficulty. They're on pace to be the first to advance from the groups. And while I'm well aware it's a bit early for the mention, I can't help but reference Italy's stereotypical "slow starts" before coming together as a true tournament team. Also applicable are the old standbys about "winning ugly." Here's hoping we soon see similar.
14 June 2010
Holland 2-0 Denmark
Stekelenburg
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel De Jong
Kuyt Sneijder Van der Vaart
Van Persie
Goals:
S Poulsen (og) 46’
Kuyt 85’
Okay, so it wasn’t a "classic," but it did entertain as both teams lived up to the tactical hype. Holland was the better side, but a 2-0 scoreline’s harsh on the Danes, especially since the opener came from a fluke own goal, the first of the tournament.
Denmark’s defense set the first half tone, allowing Holland its customary possession but ensuring very little of it came in the final third. The Dutch were restricted to a smattering of shots from distance, with Kuyt’s 10th-minute effort the lone to test the keeper. Van der Vaart and Sneijder both saw a lot of the ball, but with a packed midfield packed further by Van der Vaart and Sneijder (and Kuyt’s) proclivity to cut inside, the central pairing of Agger and Kjaer were able to mop up absolutely everything (hint, hint Liverpool).
Meanwhile, Denmark slowly but surely gained a foothold, creating chances with Dutch players caught up the field. The best of the first 45 unsurprisingly came on the break, with Rommedahl lofting a floating cross that Bendtner narrowly headed wide in the 27th. In addition, Stekelenburg had to smother Rommedahl's shot after Jorgensen found him with a lovely cross-field diagonal and palm away Kahlenberg’s blast after Bendtner's pivot and through ball.
But calamity struck less than a minute into the second half. De Jong’s wonderful ball over the top fell to van Persie's feet after a clever run. Although the striker was pushed wide, he still found space to send in a teasing cross that Poulsen somehow headed onto Agger’s back, disastrously redirecting it inside the far post. I’m still surprised FIFA credited the own goal to Poulsen – it doesn’t hit Agger, it doesn’t go in – but I’d rather a Liverpool player not have that blot (plus, I’ve got money on Carragher scoring Liverpool’s first own goal).
Denmark did well to restrict Holland’s possession after the goal – it was 60/40 in the first half and a lot closer to 50/50 in the second – but they created fewer chances as Netherlands were happy to hold what they had. Unlike the first 45, all the best opportunities came from Clockwork Orange, with Sorensen saving well from van Persie, van der Vaart, van Bommel, and Sneijder (the latter aided by a wicked definition from that man Agger again; he’s had a terrible streak of luck, whether injuries or deflections, but was probably Denmark’s best player today).
But in the 85th minute, Kuyt – yes, Kuyt – iced the game. Sneijder played a delicious through ball for the on-rushing Elia, whose shot eluded Sorensen only to ricochet off the foot of the post. Once again, Kuyt’s there for the rebound, taking advantage of Kjaer giving up on the ball. He has an absolutely supernatural sense for rebounds, and it’s worth noting that his strike came less than six minutes after moving up front. ‘A nose for goal’ doesn’t come close to sufficing.
And it should have been three less than three minutes later, only to see Simon Poulsen make amends for his earlier error by replicating Cannavaro’s heroics from that recent Nike commercial. Kuyt got down the left to send in a cross that Afellay reached first, poking towards goal, but Poulsen somehow got back to bicycle the shot off his goal line. Jaw-dropping. Don’t let anyone tell you this was a boring match.
If the Danes ignore the result – which is obviously hard to do in a World Cup – both sides lived up to expectations. Denmark is a well-organized side led by two tremendous center backs in Agger and Kjaer. Sorensen’s probably taken Reina’s title as the most underrated keeper in the Premiership. With a firm foundation, they can make sides pay if Bendtner and Rommedahl (and Tomasson off the bench) convert chances.
But Holland is rightfully one of the favorites if they stay defensively solid. In Sneijder, van Persie, van der Vaart, and Robben, they’ve attackers that’d stroll into any side in the world bar Spain and Brazil. Van Bommel and De Jong are excellent holding midfielders; De Jong was simply superb today. And Kuyt plays a key role – I expect him to keep one of the ‘magic quartet,’ probably van der Vaart, out of the side even after Robben’s fit. He’s crucial to protecting van der Wiel’s forays forward, making a fair few necessary defensive tackles and headers today, and once again demonstrated his predatory instinct. I will be howling about how underrated he is even if he leaves Liverpool this summer. (Stop now. I'm not saying he will.)
I’m truly interested to see how Cameroon and Japan fare in the upcoming match. Holland and Denmark should still be odds on favorites to progress, and I think that this match only decided the group winner. Both Cameroon and Japan will find it difficult to break down the Danes (unless Eto’o gets his head right), while the Netherlands just needs to avoid a mental breakdown – which is never outside the realm of possibility.
Either way, I’m still excited to see both of these sides going forward. The World Cup is the best.
Van der Wiel Heitinga Mathijsen Van Bronckhorst
Van Bommel De Jong
Kuyt Sneijder Van der Vaart
Van Persie
Goals:
S Poulsen (og) 46’
Kuyt 85’
Okay, so it wasn’t a "classic," but it did entertain as both teams lived up to the tactical hype. Holland was the better side, but a 2-0 scoreline’s harsh on the Danes, especially since the opener came from a fluke own goal, the first of the tournament.
Denmark’s defense set the first half tone, allowing Holland its customary possession but ensuring very little of it came in the final third. The Dutch were restricted to a smattering of shots from distance, with Kuyt’s 10th-minute effort the lone to test the keeper. Van der Vaart and Sneijder both saw a lot of the ball, but with a packed midfield packed further by Van der Vaart and Sneijder (and Kuyt’s) proclivity to cut inside, the central pairing of Agger and Kjaer were able to mop up absolutely everything (hint, hint Liverpool).
Meanwhile, Denmark slowly but surely gained a foothold, creating chances with Dutch players caught up the field. The best of the first 45 unsurprisingly came on the break, with Rommedahl lofting a floating cross that Bendtner narrowly headed wide in the 27th. In addition, Stekelenburg had to smother Rommedahl's shot after Jorgensen found him with a lovely cross-field diagonal and palm away Kahlenberg’s blast after Bendtner's pivot and through ball.
But calamity struck less than a minute into the second half. De Jong’s wonderful ball over the top fell to van Persie's feet after a clever run. Although the striker was pushed wide, he still found space to send in a teasing cross that Poulsen somehow headed onto Agger’s back, disastrously redirecting it inside the far post. I’m still surprised FIFA credited the own goal to Poulsen – it doesn’t hit Agger, it doesn’t go in – but I’d rather a Liverpool player not have that blot (plus, I’ve got money on Carragher scoring Liverpool’s first own goal).
Denmark did well to restrict Holland’s possession after the goal – it was 60/40 in the first half and a lot closer to 50/50 in the second – but they created fewer chances as Netherlands were happy to hold what they had. Unlike the first 45, all the best opportunities came from Clockwork Orange, with Sorensen saving well from van Persie, van der Vaart, van Bommel, and Sneijder (the latter aided by a wicked definition from that man Agger again; he’s had a terrible streak of luck, whether injuries or deflections, but was probably Denmark’s best player today).
But in the 85th minute, Kuyt – yes, Kuyt – iced the game. Sneijder played a delicious through ball for the on-rushing Elia, whose shot eluded Sorensen only to ricochet off the foot of the post. Once again, Kuyt’s there for the rebound, taking advantage of Kjaer giving up on the ball. He has an absolutely supernatural sense for rebounds, and it’s worth noting that his strike came less than six minutes after moving up front. ‘A nose for goal’ doesn’t come close to sufficing.
And it should have been three less than three minutes later, only to see Simon Poulsen make amends for his earlier error by replicating Cannavaro’s heroics from that recent Nike commercial. Kuyt got down the left to send in a cross that Afellay reached first, poking towards goal, but Poulsen somehow got back to bicycle the shot off his goal line. Jaw-dropping. Don’t let anyone tell you this was a boring match.
If the Danes ignore the result – which is obviously hard to do in a World Cup – both sides lived up to expectations. Denmark is a well-organized side led by two tremendous center backs in Agger and Kjaer. Sorensen’s probably taken Reina’s title as the most underrated keeper in the Premiership. With a firm foundation, they can make sides pay if Bendtner and Rommedahl (and Tomasson off the bench) convert chances.
But Holland is rightfully one of the favorites if they stay defensively solid. In Sneijder, van Persie, van der Vaart, and Robben, they’ve attackers that’d stroll into any side in the world bar Spain and Brazil. Van Bommel and De Jong are excellent holding midfielders; De Jong was simply superb today. And Kuyt plays a key role – I expect him to keep one of the ‘magic quartet,’ probably van der Vaart, out of the side even after Robben’s fit. He’s crucial to protecting van der Wiel’s forays forward, making a fair few necessary defensive tackles and headers today, and once again demonstrated his predatory instinct. I will be howling about how underrated he is even if he leaves Liverpool this summer. (Stop now. I'm not saying he will.)
I’m truly interested to see how Cameroon and Japan fare in the upcoming match. Holland and Denmark should still be odds on favorites to progress, and I think that this match only decided the group winner. Both Cameroon and Japan will find it difficult to break down the Danes (unless Eto’o gets his head right), while the Netherlands just needs to avoid a mental breakdown – which is never outside the realm of possibility.
Either way, I’m still excited to see both of these sides going forward. The World Cup is the best.
13 June 2008
The much-malinged Dirk Kuyt
Little has pleased me more than Kuyt’s performance this past week. One goal and two assists so far (in 134 minutes), and he’s been a standout for one of the top three teams (along with Spain and Portugal). It’s not as if Holland has done it against lightweights, beating both the World Cup finalists by three goals.
But most importantly to me, he’s been doing it in a position similar to the one he plays in at Liverpool.
de Jong - Engelaar
Kuyt - van der Vaart - Sneijder
van Nistelrooy
Alonso - Mascherano
Kuyt - Gerrard - Babel
Torres
Kuyt clearly improved as the season went on (with his low point coming during the poor winter, when he couldn’t buy a goal), growing into his role in the 4-2-3-1 on the right wing as well as could be expected. And he did it in the big games, scoring against Inter Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea. That he continues to do the same for Holland can only be a good thing for Liverpool.
The fact that Holland scored three, winning 4-1, after Kuyt went off isn’t a knock on the player. There’s a reason van Basten, who’s proving himself an excellent (and brave) manager, left both Robben and van Persie on the bench: not only were both just returning from injury, but their speed and ball control were the difference against a tiring France that had to chase the game. And they were chasing the game because of Kuyt's early goal, which was an excellent header, out-fighting Malouda for the corner.
If anything, today’s game was an argument for having players of both stripes in the squad, as Kuyt plays a vital role for both Liverpool and Holland. With the number of attacking players in the Dutch team, Kuyt’s industry and workrate are needed for balance, especially if the fullback he’s partnered with bombs forward. And if you look at the attack Liverpool’s building (Torres, Babel, Gerrard, and possibly an addition or two this summer, plus purchases at fullback which seem to show that’s where Benitez wants to get width from), he has a similar role to fill.
I’m not saying he’s the end all, be all on the right wing, and it’s not a surprise that we’ve seen Liverpool linked with attackers like Bentley, Downing, Riera, Milner (sigh), and Villa (I wish). But if he continues to play like this, he’ll continue to get games for Liverpool.
A quote from Torres last week is insight into what his teammates think of his role:
Torres obviously isn’t going to bash his teammate, but the interview wasn’t about Kuyt, and it’s noticeable that’s who he singled out. Kuyt’s two assists and workrate (especially in defense) in the first match against Italy are those parts of his game at their best.
One of the complaints about Kuyt this season has been his first touch, which hasn’t really been an issue in the last two games and contrary to the fact that he’s often the one receiving a long goal kick for the Dutch. His crossing also seems to be better, although the Dutch fluidity in passing and movement is something Benitez would love to bring to his team. Kuyt does need a better goal return, even more so if he’s playing as a striker, but when he’s out on the right it’s far less of an issue, especially if he continues to pop up with a goal when it matters.
During the course of today’s match, Adrian Healey asked Andy Gray whether or not Kuyt’s unfairly criticized in the Premiership, which was a laugh given Gray’s habitually one of his critics. But today Gray sang a different tune, comparing Kuyt to Ray Kennedy, who was a center forward for Arsenal before becoming one of the best left-wingers Liverpool’s ever had. That’s an enormous stretch -- surprising that Gray’s complimenting Kuyt but unsurprising in his hyperbole -- but if that comes anywhere close to fruition, we’ll won't hear the complaints about Kuyt anymore.
But most importantly to me, he’s been doing it in a position similar to the one he plays in at Liverpool.
de Jong - Engelaar
Kuyt - van der Vaart - Sneijder
van Nistelrooy
Alonso - Mascherano
Kuyt - Gerrard - Babel
Torres
Kuyt clearly improved as the season went on (with his low point coming during the poor winter, when he couldn’t buy a goal), growing into his role in the 4-2-3-1 on the right wing as well as could be expected. And he did it in the big games, scoring against Inter Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea. That he continues to do the same for Holland can only be a good thing for Liverpool.
The fact that Holland scored three, winning 4-1, after Kuyt went off isn’t a knock on the player. There’s a reason van Basten, who’s proving himself an excellent (and brave) manager, left both Robben and van Persie on the bench: not only were both just returning from injury, but their speed and ball control were the difference against a tiring France that had to chase the game. And they were chasing the game because of Kuyt's early goal, which was an excellent header, out-fighting Malouda for the corner.
If anything, today’s game was an argument for having players of both stripes in the squad, as Kuyt plays a vital role for both Liverpool and Holland. With the number of attacking players in the Dutch team, Kuyt’s industry and workrate are needed for balance, especially if the fullback he’s partnered with bombs forward. And if you look at the attack Liverpool’s building (Torres, Babel, Gerrard, and possibly an addition or two this summer, plus purchases at fullback which seem to show that’s where Benitez wants to get width from), he has a similar role to fill.
I’m not saying he’s the end all, be all on the right wing, and it’s not a surprise that we’ve seen Liverpool linked with attackers like Bentley, Downing, Riera, Milner (sigh), and Villa (I wish). But if he continues to play like this, he’ll continue to get games for Liverpool.
A quote from Torres last week is insight into what his teammates think of his role:
"This Liverpool side also works its socks off. Dirk Kuyt, for example, is spectacular in how cleverly and how hard he works to make sure I get top-quality possession near goal."
Torres obviously isn’t going to bash his teammate, but the interview wasn’t about Kuyt, and it’s noticeable that’s who he singled out. Kuyt’s two assists and workrate (especially in defense) in the first match against Italy are those parts of his game at their best.
One of the complaints about Kuyt this season has been his first touch, which hasn’t really been an issue in the last two games and contrary to the fact that he’s often the one receiving a long goal kick for the Dutch. His crossing also seems to be better, although the Dutch fluidity in passing and movement is something Benitez would love to bring to his team. Kuyt does need a better goal return, even more so if he’s playing as a striker, but when he’s out on the right it’s far less of an issue, especially if he continues to pop up with a goal when it matters.
During the course of today’s match, Adrian Healey asked Andy Gray whether or not Kuyt’s unfairly criticized in the Premiership, which was a laugh given Gray’s habitually one of his critics. But today Gray sang a different tune, comparing Kuyt to Ray Kennedy, who was a center forward for Arsenal before becoming one of the best left-wingers Liverpool’s ever had. That’s an enormous stretch -- surprising that Gray’s complimenting Kuyt but unsurprising in his hyperbole -- but if that comes anywhere close to fruition, we’ll won't hear the complaints about Kuyt anymore.
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