Holland v Spain: tactical preview
Probable starting line-ups
So here we are, the biggest game in football. A clash of the two most successful sides in World Cup history to have never won the trophy itself, it is tactically fascinating in a historical sense.
Taking into account both the qualifiers and the six World Cup games itself, Holland are P14 W14, Spain are P16 W15 L1.
Amazingly, Holland and Spain have never met at a World Cup (or European Championships) before. This is the second time in three finals where this is the case – the 2002 finalists, Brazil and Germany, had also never met at a World Cup, which was even more remarkable because of the fact they were (at the time) the two most successful countries in the history of the competition.
The two most-celebrated players in recent footballing story have dominated the last three World Cup finals. The main story in 2006 was Zinedine Zidane, the main story in 2002 was Ronaldo, he main story in 1998 was a combination of Ronaldo and Zidane. One of the 46 players from the two squads will find themselves famous – or infamous – for the rest of their lives.
But this match probably won’t be about individual players, or even direct confrontations between opposing players, for these two sides have got this far by working as a unit, rather than relying on individuals. The most important contest will be between the two playing styles, the general strategies and more specifically, the way both sides perform when they don’t have the ball.
The Dutch approach
It would be a surprise if Spain did not dominate possession, and Bert van Marwijk must be concerned that his sidewill simply get outpassed in the centre of midfield. Xavi will drop deeper and pick the ball up from Sergio Busquets, whilst Andres Iniesta will move in from the flank and create a skewed diamond in the centre of midfield. The Dutch players in the corresponding positions – Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben – are more dynamic players but neither reliable in terms of ball retention, nor hard-working defensively. They may have to compromise their natural game to make sure Holland have a chance.
Of particular interest will be the attitude of Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong. Will they sit deep in front of their own defence to prevent Spain playing between the lines, or push up and try and disrupt Spain’s passing game? Certainly, van Bommel will play slightly higher up the pitch than de Jong, so his positioning will be key.
Another key factor will be how they treat Andres Iniesta when he is in a right-wing position. Giovanni van Bronckhorst has tended to deal with opponents by sticking tight to them, but this probably won’t be possible when Iniesta moves inside. Dirk Kuyt is a good defensive player and will have to be incredibly disciplined in this game – he’ll be the attacker with the most responsibility to get behind the ball, but his primary job will be tracking the runs of Sergio Ramos, who bombed on forward to good effect against Germany.
Arjen Robben will focus on pinning back Joan Capdevilla rather than tracking his runs, whilst Wesley Sneijder’s job will be to take up positions that worry Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso, even when Spain have the ball.
The Spanish approach
Vicente del Bosque’s first decision is whether to keep Pedro Rodriguez in the side. On the basis of his semi-final performance against Germany, he is a surefire starter, but the other options – Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva and Fernando Llorente – all offer something different if del Bosque wants to spring a tactical surprise.
But that is exactly what it would be if Pedro was omitted – a surprise. He and Iniesta will switch flanks throughout the game, and Pedro will relish the opportunity to use his pace against van Bronckhorst.
Elsewhere, it’s difficult to see Spain changing their general approach. So far, a constant criticism of Spain has been their lack of width, with their five midfielders tending to congregate in the centre of midfield. Today, however, this could suit the occasion quite well, for they will try and overrun de Jong and van Bommel in midfield, with the knowledge that Robben will stay wide, Sneijder will perform half a defensive job, whilst Kuyt coming inside will create an easy out-ball to Sergio Ramos.
The key, of course, is whether they can turn their expected dominance into goals, having scored just six goals in six games so far. Xavi has acknowledged Spain need to be more clinical, and whilst David Villa is the obvious threat, Pedro and Iniesta need to take up serious attacking positions more frequently to trouble Holland. The Dutch have looked slightly suspect against through balls towards wingers moving into central positions, as the centre-backs move too high up the pitch – think Robinho’s goal in the quarter-final against Brazil. That’s more Pedro’s natural game than Iniesta’s.
Defensively, Spain will press relentlessly in midfield, which should be interesting as Holland have generally faced teams who sit back deep inside their own half. There is no specific plan for dealing with Sneijder, and their priority might be doubling up against Arjen Robben.
A tight game that will be decided by the defensive jobs of the two midfields, and which side take the few chances that come their way.
Holland v Spain: tactical preview
Any special reason you have put Pedro on the left ZM? I can see that you write that he will swap positions with Iniesta during the game, but have they been doing this previously often? Pedro on the left, might use the space Robben leaves behind better (plus that he might press Robben better), but on the right he can threaten van Bronckhorst with his pace (something Iniesta is not that good at)
Also Pedro is really disciplined about tracking back to defend (thanks to Guardiola), has boundless energy and can be substituted late in the game to good effect. Iniesta on the other hand, while he does track back and defend, does get tired and is harder to effectively replace at the end of the match. Given that they can and will both play on either side, it makes sense to start Pedro on the left so that he can help out on Robben, while still attacking.
Pedro, if used on the wing, will receive the ball wide but then immediately look to come inside to be involved with the play. He is incapable of using any space left or stretching the play as a direct result. Spain will always compress the game centrally regardless of how they nominally set up on paper. Navas is the exception to the rule but his inclusion is pointless because Spain have no-one to take advantage of his runs or crossing.
I think that’s a little harsh on Pedro. Even if he does come inside he can hold a good position wide and with his pace can also get behind the dutch defence, which does create space and stretch the play.
There is no ‘even if’ about it. Pedro will always look to cut inside to be involved with the play or to get into a shooting position. His pace is largely irrelevant as he is cutting inside into a congested area of the pitch. It plays directly into the hands of his opponents as they can form a bank of four defenders with De Jong and Van Bommel shielding them and Kuyt tracking back. Instead of having a full back to beat Pedro instead has over half a team all behind the ball. It makes it increasingly difficult for Spain to find space and make any meaningful final ball. In previous games it has led to Villa being isolated which is the last thing Spain want.
Pedro can still stretch the play by getting behind the dutch defense when he doesn’t have the ball. He can provide the runs between the dutch centre back and full back for the other Spanish defenders to play him in with.
As he did at the end of the Germany game (albeit with Germany pouring players forward) and with barca last season.
Who would you play on the wing for Spain?
I would have personally went for Mata on the left and Navas on the right. For Valencia Mata and Villa regularly change positions to drag defenders out of positions and enable them to be more involved on the ball. Replicating that for Spain would limit the chance of Villa being isolated in a forward position and also, at least nominally, ensure that one player was on the left flank. Obviously both would look to cut inside but that is no different to what any other Spanish option on that flank would do but you gain the understanding of the Villa/Mata combination. Navas will stick to the right flank so Spain would at least have one wide option to stretch the play, hit the byline and deliver crosses from that side. It means you lose a central passer in Iniesta but I think you gain a lot more by having a more balanced approach with players who would be more direct. It would also help Xavi as it would open up the field ahead of him like he is used to at Barcelona with their direct players creating space for more dangerous passes to be made.
Obviously none of the above is going to happen but that is why Spain have struggled thus far.
Not in particular, nah could have been either side. I think they’ll swap around during the game.
I would classify Pedro as a forward, not a midfielder, hence better to say that Spain’s four midfielders do tend to congest in the centre. Pedro has a brief to switch to whatever flank appears most inviting. Look at the Brazil-vs-IUtaly game in 1982 and you hear coach Tele Santana shouting at Eder (the equivalent of Pedro)”Eder move over to the right…Eder open up the pitch…etc”.
But Iniesta is not expected to take on Van Bronkhorst along the right-hand side for starters. He nominally starts from a wideish right-midfield position (whereas Pedro is playing in a more advanced band up the pitch)and is given licence to move closer to Xavi in central areas in the middle third of the pitch, sometimes even inverting positions which explains why Xavi, who despite having played most of this tournament in the hole, has been so difficult for opposing holding midfielders to completely nullify. Credit to Del Bosque for avoiding any overreliance on just one fixed enganche.
Again, I’m sorry to keep banging on about Brazil ‘82 for the umpteenth post, but there are clear similarities between the two sides in terms of structure and movement; watch how Zico and Socrates both switched positions or sometimes even just stood right beside each other whenever the passing triangles became really tight. Opponents didn’t have one single playmaking NO.10 to fix their marking on.
Spain scored seven goals in six games, ZM. Not really that surprising given Torres his form and playtime + defensive strength of their opponents so far though, albeit you expect more from Spain’s armada …
It has little to do with Torres as his scoring record for Spain over the last couple of seasons has been negligible. Villa gets the goals while the direct play and pace of Torres is used to stretch the play and create space for others to operate in. Any goals he manages to score are an added bonus. Yes he has had injuries but even going back to the entire Euro 2008 campaign Torres has always been behind Villa.
As for the so-called defensive strength of opponents it is only because Spain refused to deviate from their style of play. There were simple solutions to overcome the defending they faced but Spain flatly refused to take them. Obviously you need to credit their opponents to an extent for being successful in their game plan but you also must ask questions of Spain for being incapable of reverting to a Plan B and, as a direct result, being reliant on fortuitous play, incorrect decisions and Villa in order to progress.
“Spain for being incapable of reverting to a Plan B ”
Have you watched Spain at all?
Spain’s first goal against Honduras was a solo play. The second goal was scored after a pacy out-and-out winger (Navas) ran all the way down the flanks and cutback to Villa who scored after a deflection off a defender.
The third goal was a gift from the Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Iniesta’s goal against Chile was the only one accomplished with their Plan ‘A’.
Against Portugal, Spain needed a lanky striker to hold off the Portuguese defence so that Xavi and Iniesta could assist Villa.
Against Paraguay, they brought on Fabregas (runs into the box from midfield) and Pedro (width) who all played a part in Villa’s goal.
And Spain needed a typical English goal from a corner to advance past Germany.
Only one of their goals was accomplished with their Plan ‘A’. They’ve got this far only because they were ABLE to revert to a Plan ‘B’.
If anything they need to incorporate Llorente (target man), Navas (width), Fabregas (attacking midfielder) in their first XI to be better. But for that to happen, Iniesta and Torres/Pedro must be dropped and Xavi must play in Xabi Alonso’s position.
I tend to agree with you, pretty much in every match Del Bosque has had to bring on players to change up the match. Barring the backup goalkeepers, only an injured Albiol has not played for Spain. How many squads can say that?
Indeed, it speaks to del Bosque’s coaching that he has brought on the right players when the job needed to get done, and didn’t rely on one or two subs like other teams. He won’t be shy about bringing Navas and Llorente on if he sees the need to go wider with crosses to a big striker.
I think you are confusing personnel changes with a change in approach.
For instance:
(1) When Villa was initially isolated Torres was used on to lead the line with Villa dropping to the left flank. To me that is a negligible change as you still have one striker leading the line (although in a different way) and you also have a player on the left constantly cutting inside to get involved on the ball and shoot.
(2) Spain’s use of numerous players in wide positions did little to change their overall approach because all of them continued to receive the ball and cut inside congesting the central area of the pitch. The only exception was Navas but he was completely wasted as Spain did not use him as an outlet nor made the most of his running and crossing. I will agree that it is an attempt at changing things around but an ultimately futile one.
(3) Llorente for Torres is no more than a straight swap as is Xavi for Fabregas.
I could continue.
As for goals which one does not fall into one of the following three categories?
(A) Villa being direct
(B) Spain’s Plan A
(C) An opposition mistake or fortuitous incident
For me the answer is none. Are you honestly trying to make the claim that scoring from a corner is somehow proof that Spain reverted to a Plan B???
I’m trying to say that if Spain’s Plan A was good enough, they wouldn’t have to resort to a corner or a fortuitous incident.
Llorente is very much different from Torres. In the first game against Switzerland, even though Navas was putting cross after cross, Torres wasn’t winning any of it. Compare it with Llorente who in the few minutes he was on, could have scored 3 headers. Llorente has scored most goals from headers the past season in the Spanish premier league. Torres relies more on pace while Llorente relies on his height.
With those personnel changes, Spain brought on the things they lacked in their Plan A: width, a midfielder who tries to get into the box, etc.
In terms of goals which ones do not fall into the following categories?
(A) Villa being direct
(B) Spain’s Plan A
(C) A fortuitous incident
For me the answer is none.
I also think you have failed to take the opposition approach into account. In some games their opposition have completely sat back, in others than have got players behind the ball quickly when possession is lost and in some they have pressed Spain high up the pitch. A few of Spain’s goals have been the result of Spain winning back possession while their opponent had pushed men forward. The sudden increase in available space, time on the ball and reduced opposition defenders plays directly into Spain’s passing game. To some it might appear to be a different, quicker and more direct approach but it is simply Spain being able to take full advantage of their Plan A instead of having to constantly pass the ball around in the hope that an opportunity will present itself.
I think most recent world cup winners/finalists have relied on their best players to get them to the final, chastising Spain for relying on their best player in Villa is unduly harsh.
Very few teams are going to win the world cup without the world class players in their team coming up with some virtuoso performances.
I think Del Bosque will put Pedro in a wider position in order to have some width, like he did against Germany.
Except Pedro did not provide width.
I was thinking, will the two destroyer policy be a bad idea against the spanish,considering both the team will rely on possession as a medium of defence.May be put van der vart in, could help retain position up the pitch,distribution again will be crucial.pressing will be high,so asuming the deep midfielders will have very little time on the ball,shoulnt the dutch go for the kill from th start
Agreed. With the midfield 5 as is, the Dutch have no chance of beating the Spanish. They will not have enough possession, van Persie will still be isolated, and chances for individual brilliant/fluky goals will be few and far between. I’d expect a pretty comfortable victory for the Spanish.
If the Dutch dropped RVP and picked another midfielder, they might improve their chances. Spain can’t just gallop forward while threatened by Rocket Robben on the right: he’d surely be enough to pin three defenders back?
may be one other preffered idea would be to swap robben with kuyt,considering ramos,dutch would be better with him pinned and kuyt tracking back the right midfielder leaving a weaker midfild with possibly only open player being the spanish right back.knowing xavi,he will drop deep for the ball,and this actually might help them defend better and organised
I really love your idea. ^_^
Even though Capdevilla will probably have problems with Robben, I don’t think Robben can really pin back three defenders.
Also if you drop RVP the you have zero presence in the center which means the Spanish center backs will be able to pass to their central midefielders too easily.
You also won’t have anyone to hold the ball up to play in Robben and Sneijder’s runs.
Great preview ZM. The real shame I find with Spain is that they are not able to find a place for Fabregas in the team, such a brilliant player with fantastic vision and a real goal threat from midfield. For all the statistics from the game against Germany, I think a great deal of their chances were long range shots from players like Xabi Alonso, so I think they will need some more of a threat.
I’m not sure if Robinho’s goal against Holland was a red herring (capitalising on some uncertainties in a new central defensive partnership). I think the inclusion of De Jong and v der Wiel will see a more robust Dutch side without the frailties seen in the Uruguay game.
As admirable as it was for the Germans, their hesitancy to sink to the level of little disruptive fouls played into Spain’s hands, as they were allowed to play keepings off, like bullies from a higher grade. I don’t think this Dutch team will let them, as their contest against Brazil showed, this is a team that battles with provoking the opposition and puts the referee to the test to control the game. This will test the togetherness of the Spanish team.
The other obvious weaknesses for Holland seem to be with the goalkeeper and van Persie. Thankfully, Huntelaar is an able replacement, or even Elia can come on and Kuyt shift forward if needs be. However, the GK will really need to improve on his showing in the last game. At times, he appears nervous in his distribution, and I imagine he’ll be put to the test by the intense pressing of the furious Spaniards. Looking forward to it HHH!
I believe, the team built for the next tournament (Polish Euro) or the tournament after (Brasil 2014) will be based on Fabregas, as Xavi will be 32 and Iniesta 31 || Xavi 34, Iniesta 33. The funny thing is that Iniesta will find his place in a line-up, but it will be harder for Xavi, as there is not quite a comfortable place for him in 4-2-3-1 (maybe the Alonso’s place), because AM position is certainly not his best. Too bad Fabregas has to wait so long, but the greater sin would be to ommit one of Xavi-Iniesta than Fabregas
. This is a classic dillema of wealth.
Not mentioning that Catalonia should have their own national team in FIFA (they have one, but only allowed playing friendlies)
.
Huntelaar is so bad at the moment, I thought he was eleventh Brazil player in quater-finals.
Iniesta is 4 years younger to Xavi..so it will be Xavi 32 Iniesta 28||Xavi 34 Iniesta 30..the only way Cesc will start at Euro ‘12 is at Xabi Alonso’s place..i don’t think Xavi will be irrelevant by then..and even then Javi Martinez is a more like-for-like replacement for alonso..tough times ahead for Cesc!
Oh, I thought Iniesta was a year younger than Xavi. Now I got it – he is one… centimeter smaller than Xavi
There is also a possibility, that the tactics will be changed.
I think you could play Xavi next to Besquets (drop Alonso) and then play Fabregas further forward.
Yeah I would have been inclined to do this earlier in the comp, though would be surprised if VDB does it now.
Cannot wait for this game.
Thanks for all the great tactical previews. ZonalMarking became my companion guide for this World Cup, and from these write-ups, I am a more educated fan.
Thanks so much ZM. I look forward to more of these . Perhaps during the season you could do something on Justin TV and have a tactics chat with all of us. Just a thought.
Only way Dutch can win this match is, they should not compete for possession. Give it to the spanish, they will have it any way. Dutch players are contrary to all the news reportes are not possession players they are best suited for counter attacking. But they should be more direct thaan Germany when they counter attack, never try to string passess through midfeild they should use long ball to strikers like kuite who can hold the ball like malito did for inter. Possession wont win you games. When barcelona was playing chelsea in CL second leg in standford bridge they had a possession of 70% compared to chelseas 30% but score was chelsea-3, barca 0. They dutch shold lern from inter and should not try to take possession” They should go against the basic instinct of a footballer, which to kick the ball but what they should do is run in to imaginary positons where ball might come. hail the special one.
Although you’ve expressed your points with the grammar of a dyslexic 5 year old, you do make some valid and interesting points.
Going long and direct would put pressure on Pique and Puyol, but would it bypass and isolate Sneijder, and maybe Robben, arguably the Dutch two best players?
Sorry about my grammar. Dutch should play in such a way that Kuiyte, Van persi stays near defenders. Snider stayind deep. Roben on the wings but closer to mid line. Van Bommal and Dejong when they grab possession from spanish should immediatly pass it to sneijder then he pass it to front line through long ball or to roben to take it to the frontline through quick running. Teams should always play to their strength of their players. If you have watched sneijders game you will see he is excptional in giving long passes and spoting players and their runs. watch some heighlight in youtube if you doubt it, better than xavi, xavi is best in short passing and pass and move. Snijder should never go forward he should stay back then once he have made long pass to the front players then he should join the attack, he should stay close to van bommal and dejong when spain is attacking. This is the best use of him. the is the way inter used him. Team who plays to their players srength always have upper hand. If they try to play like spain they will get thrashed.
Hmmm but no. Sneijder is not at all a quarterback. He plays rather high up the pitch for Inter and at times even further than Etoo and Pandev.
It is because Etoo and Pandev tracks back to help the full backs. But if you notice when inter switch to attack first think that will happens in most of the time is motta or cambiaso wins the ball and pass it to sneijder from where he pass it to one of the counter attacking players or Micon then run towards the penalty box to join the attack that is why inter considered as the link between attack & defence. Since he have no defencive responsibilities you may see him staying so up in the pitch than Etoo and Pandave but not so up but near mid way line where he can recive pass from cambiaso and motta then pass it to the counter attacking players. When inter counter attacks seijder who is way up than eto and pandave gets the ball (he is at mid line of the pitch not near opposition penalty box) wait for the eto and pandave or malito to run towards opositon penalty box and give a super pin point long ball. You check Chelsea vs inter heighlights in you tube it will be clear
Cheers
Thanks ZM for such a fantastic preview.I think that if the dutch want to win the game then Dirk Kuyt ,Van Bommel and De Jong need to have the game of their lives.The way these three perform is very crucial both attacking wise as well as defensively,as De Jong and VanBommel would look to quickly move it to Sneijder or Robben to trigger a counter attack after winning the ball or cutting it out(assuming they can do this)hence their distribution is going to be vital or rather ability to play quick accurate passes to their attacking trio is going to be crucial, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the dutch score from a quick break,and i think that is the only way they can score apart from a set piece,quarter final v/s Brazil anyone??
Two things that Holland need to do differently from Germany:
1. Put Puyol, Pique, and Busquets under pressure. Do this to limit Xavi and Iniesta’s possession, by forcing the backline to make longer passes. This will frustrate the Spanish. This can’t be done for 90 minutes, and, other than Kuyt, none of the Dutch offensive four are used to doing this – but this is the final of the World Cup, so they’ll probably do it if instructed to. Many teams try to put a man on Xavi, but this is not sufficient, because his agility and vision make him a slippery prospect to mark. It is therefore essential to cut off the supply to him as much as possible. Paraguay and Chile both tried to do this, and both Pique and Puyol were often forced into being sloppy in possession.
2. Don’t allow your defensive line to be at the edge of your 16 yard box, but 10 yards further up the pitch instead to further disrupt Spain’s approach. It is inevitable that Spain will have most of the ball, but that makes it imperative that the Dutch make sure that as much of Spain’s possession is frustrating for both teams, and not just for them. They need to turn the disadvantage of having less of the ball into an advantage.
Having said that, I think Holland’s chances are being underestimated by many. This is a final, so mental strength and discipline will be incredibly important. The Dutch have shown against Brazil that they have tremendous mental strength, whereas Spain lost a lot of their discipline when they went behind to the Swiss. Additionally, Holland haven’t quite been able to recapture their form from the Euro 2008 group games, or their preparation friendlies for this World Cup. If they manage to be as crisp on the counter attack as they were then, I can see them nicking it. If they don’t, they will lose. Either way, it will be a tight game.
Apart from the Swiss match, the rest of the tournament the Spanish side has shown great fortitude. Every single match has been extremely tense and they never lost their head.
Very well said. While everyone references Inter’s victory over Barcelona as the template to follow in order to beat Spain, many people tend to forget the way Arsenal played Barcelona during the second half in London and the way they turned the game around to earn a 2-2 draw. The key to that turnaround was Theo Walcott. When Walcott came on, Barcelona’s shape was thrown into disarray because their fullbacks had to concentrate on defending and the central midfielders were drawn away from the middle to help out. As the back line was put under pressure they were forced to play long passes over the top and Xavi was left ball watching. Barcelona effectively gave up the central midfield and the rest of the game was played on their half of the pitch. So while everyone’s awestruck by Spain’s possession play we still haven’t seen them play against a team that’s going to put pressure on their fullbacks and back line. If the Brazil match is anything to go by, expect Robben to run at Capdevilla every chance he gets and Kuyt to do the same against Ramos.
Spain are the favourites but Holland have a chance.
With the exception of Villa the 8 other certain outfield starters for Spain don’t offer enough of a goal threat. Inesta, Xavi and Alonso have had fine tournaments but haven’t provided the goal threat you might expect.
Pedro is more of a goal threat then Inesta and performed so well in the semi final that he should probably start, Torres is an option but lacks fitness and sharpness. He moved like a hippo when running onto the pitch for the semi final! Sad to see. Fabregas offers more of a goal threat then the rest of the midfield but Spain don’t really need another central player… Fernando Llorente has an outside chance as Villa hasn’t done very well when playing upfront alone recently and Spain would benefit from the tactical options he would give them.
I think Torres will start at the expense of Pedro. If Holland can score before Spain they have a great chance. If Spain take the lead it could be all over.
Hi ZM,
I discovered your website just before the start of the world cup and have followed you throughout. Wanted to give you a big thank you for such great articles over the last month, it has made the world cup very interesting from a tactical viewpoint and I have leant a lot, thanks.
Enjoy the game tonight and keep up the good work.
No worries, glad to hear you’re liking the site!
I’d expect some danger from the Spain left back, Capdevila. Kuyt’s work-rate should be enough to prevent attacking runs from Sergio Ramos, but I’m a bit worried about Dutch right-hand side. If Capdevila is given time on the ball, he might provide some good crosses and that’s where I can see a danger from Holland’s perspective.
The only problem with that is if they don’t play Torres Spain don’t get many players in the box for crosses.
Well, they not necessarily have to put in crosses. They could create 2 against 1 situations with Pedro and Capdevila vs. van der Wiel. There will be some danger there I’m sure.
Hi, long time reader here (but first time posting). I think one key aspect in this match is whether Spain can maintain superiority in both flanks. In the match against Germany this was evident with Pedro and Iniesta drifting wide (occupying Boateng/Lahm), thus giving room for Ramos to surge forward. However this wasn’t the case in the 1st half against Paraguay — they were playing too narrow & had too few triangles in midfield.
While Villa and Torres drifted wide in that game, they weren’t good at doing link-up so high on the pitch. Therefore it’s logical to play Pedro in lieu of Torres + ordering Xavi/Iniesta to help the flank. This may be effective to combat Netherlands’ wing-play. (as was Germany’s)
If Spain can isolate Kuyt/Robben a la Podolski/Trochowski few days ago they should be close to dominance. Honestly I can’t see Van Bronckhorst doing much with Iniesta-Ramos threat…
About the Dutch: I predict they will resort to more direct ball to the wing (a la Robben vs Slowakia). They have better chance of winning if: (1) they can steal the first goal, and (2) nobody got sent off. (yes I’m looking at you Van Bommel
)
Just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for all of your excellent posts during the World Cup. Your knowledge has allowed me to enjoy the sport on a dimension that 1000 TV commentators had not even hinted existed. I’ll be following your writing closely in the future.
Seconded!
Second that!
Hope to see a couple of Dutch players get sent off. Even better if van Bommel stays on the field until the end frantically trying to get the ball.
ZM, before “everything” is over wanted to give you an electronic shake of hands and say THANK YOU for a fantastic work that has helped me to appreciate, and enjoy, the WC in quite a different way than previous ones. Cheers!
This site has been a revelation for me. Congratulations, outstanding job!
As the game is not over, I will from now on use the term “playing Dutch” for playing dirty. They can thank God for this referee.
Howard Webb has some explaining to do. How could he not see that it was a corner kick?
The fouling was epic and they deserved to lose.
“So far, a constant criticism of Spain has been their lack of width, with their five midfielders tending to congregate in the centre of midfield. Today, however, this could suit the occasion quite well, for they will try and overrun de Jong and van Bommel in midfield, with the knowledge that Robben will stay wide, Sneijder will perform half a defensive job, whilst Kuyt coming inside will create an easy out-ball to Sergio Ramos”
At times, Holland’s 4-2-3-1 involved the left-hand midfielder as part of the 2. Both Elia and Kuyt were stationed deep, trying to cork Pedro/Navas, and Ramos.
/losing fanmode
Disappointed, not gutted. Best team won, pity the ref had such a big influence IMHO. Decided to quote van Gaal instead of giving my own (clouded and intoxicated) opinion, Webb should have given a corner just before the goal, Puyol should have had a second yellow as well earlier, but the best team won.
“Sometimes the best team does not win, but this was not one of these times”.
/losing fanmode off
Sorry for you. I started the game with deep sympathy for the Dutch side, as I like Robben and Sneijder. But de Jong, awful van Bommel and nearly the whole rest of the team played so dirty and tried to literally break the Spanish midfield, I switched sides. Holland was not worthy of winning. Van Marwijk was lucky he could substitute de Jong later the game.
The Dutch tactic in the first half was getting into infight with the Spanish side with everyone hitting hard until the yellow card, then the next took over this part. The epidemic stepping on the opponents toes by van Bommel is just unbelievable. Later in the game, the Spanish could play easier, because nearly every Dutch player was booked and no one could afford a tactical foul anymore. But anyway poor finishing by the Spanish. In earlier games the Dutch had a couple of lucky strikes by Robben and Sneijder, this time Robben had great and well played opportunities, but was denied by a fabulous Casillas. No. 22 of Spain, the one with this strange strong blue eyes, was a constant threat to Holland and played much better then Pedro. He made the game much wider. So good choice, I think his inclusion was one of the tipping points for Spain, pushing Holland even deeper into defence. It opened the space for a Fabregas Alonso substitution.
“No. 22 of Spain, the one with this strange strong blue eyes” (that looks like a vampire, especially when dressed in Sevilla shirt with a collar) is called Jesus Navas
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Agreed, the Dutch played dirty. De Joong should be sent off, but Puyol also fouled for a card and it felt like Spaniards got less cards than deserved (although Robben wasnt sent off while Xavi got a card in the end…) Still I think the right team won the game.
So much talk about cards, but that’s about the match, I guess
Agreed. There are some surprisingly prescient comments here, too. Ultimately, I think Webb was a good choice for this match: he got most of the fouls right, didn’t need to send anyone off until the fourth half, was right with all his cards, and managed to keep the game (such as it was) going with as much flow as possible. I was also impressed that both sides pushed the game throughout, with Holland bringing on Elia and van der Vaart and Spain bringing on Navas, Fabregas, and Torres.
As a Dutch fan, I was screaming at Elia to take the ball into the corner at 115′ but I’m glad he didn’t, even though he shortly gave away the ball and thus the goal. There was too much fouling — from both sides, but the Dutch moreso — but the game was thoroughly enjoyable.
I don’t know about waiting for fourth half though, that De Jong’s karate kick into Xabi’s chest is a clear outright red if there ever was one. I can understand all about it being a final, only first half and so on but a tackle like that can really cause serious injury…
I’d like to say as a Dutchman, first of all, that the best team won. The Spanish play the kind of football Holland has been known for, and that we SHOULD be known for. After the Total Football of the 70s, Johan Cruyff exported it to FC Barcelona and Spain are now reaping the rewards that Holland never did.
Second of all, i’d like to say that i REALLY hope that Holland gets back to playing the kind of football they’re good at, and that they’re teaching to all the youngsters. An attacking-minded, positive game that entertains the masses, even if it may not end up being a prize-winner. I still remember the games against Italy and France two years ago and i don’t think anyone, including myself, will remember anything positive about Holland’s games this tournament two years from now.
It should be said i don’t mind the tactics so much against Spain because we were in the final and in the final only one thing matters and that’s winning. It’s no shame realizing and admitting Spain would outplay us in the technical department so a stifling, negative approach is nothing to be embarrassed about. However…..
My third comment: I’d like to say i am absolutely embarrassed by the filthy thuggish play of Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong against Spain. I still feel people were being too hard on Van Bommel for the games against Brazil and Uruguay, but that tackle from behind was not only dirty but endlessly stupid. Why flying-tackle someone from behind on THAT spot of the pitch, even aside from the dirtiness? Van Bommel is a player opponents love to hate, but fouls like that make the hate richly deserved.
The less said about Nigel de Jong the better. Even in Holland he is known as a “repeat offender”. After hard fouls in friendlies against Japan and the U.S.A. (a legitimate leg-breaker), his studs forward two-footer against Denmark (group phase) and now his impression of Bruce Lee against Spain, us in Holland really need to call for his exclusion from the squad. He is a thug, he is stupid (for not “getting it” as to why we don’t like him doing those things), and he is arrogant (insisting he’ll keep doing it because it’s part his game).
Despite all of this, i am affraid that the spot in the finals will mean that both managing staff and a number of Dutch supporters think that we are “onto something” will this so-called style of play, and that everything that made us special will be in the dustbin forever.
Which would be a completely unnecessary mode of thinking, as the Spanish victory has shown.
sad, terrible, and awful game. I was gutted. The ref did the ebst he could do in a game where the dutch played dirty (Last world cup,I blamed Portugal when they played the dutch) Dutch played soo dirty that I was about to stop watching.
For those who tried to watch the final for the first game (in the USA) I think soccer did not do itself a favor.
Again, the ref did the best he could do. De Jong should have been sent off so did Puyol. Best team won… a final to be forgotten.
you blamed portugal? were you on amsterdam? cause you should be on shrooms or something. Go watch the game again the dutch played dirty too
Where the hell was Braafheid, the replacement left-back, on the goal??
Braafheid is an abysmal player. He looked out of his depth in the SPL, so it’s amazing he was playing in a World Cup final.
All the subs played horribly.
Elia played badly because he was asked to make an impact in a game where nobody will release him. And he can’t be asked to dribble past 2-3 men like Robben does. Elia’s a good player and a talent, but he’s not Robben.
V.D. Vaart has been a big disappointment, as he quite frankly tends to be for Holland. Every time he’s played this WC, he’s been practically anonymous, with the exception of one assist against Cameroon. If someone plays for De Jong, i would always put Sneijder aside Van Bommel as Sneijder is quicker and has a great long pass, whereas i find him less refined in the short passing game and in the combination, which v.d. Vaart is better at imho. V.D.Vaart would also work much better as a tandem with V.Persie. Sneijder is too selfish (ego-driven) to work with Robin.
Braafheid was bought by Bayern, proved to be not good enough so they shipped him to Celtic, where i’ve heard he’s not even good enough for a starting place either. He was absent at the goal, most likely because of concentration issues. The problem is: us Dutch really don’t have an alternative at left-back. The best other option is Urby Emmanuelson (Ajax), who is just as poor defensively.
Two worrysome positions for Holland in the near future with talent-drought: left-back and striker.