Netherlands v. Spain

Here it is. The one we have all been waiting for. The two greatest footballing nations never to have won the World Cup. Two countries famous for their attacking talents, their passing ability, their brilliant football, and their unpredictable temperaments. I think it will be epic. I think we will see brilliance on the pitch.

Football is often a game of attrition. This is an era where the biggest concern is conceding goals, and the aim of most managers is not to lose, rather than to win. Even with those for whom the win is important, 1-0 is the preferred tally. But I don't believe that mentality will rule the day tomorrow. I believe both of these teams want to win, and win in 90 minutes, and they want to accomplish that by scoring more goals than their opponent. It sounds silly to say, but it is never the goal of a team like Italy.

My prediction is that Arjen Robben will put on a show, and David Villa will match him firework for firework, aided by the superb passing of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Wesley Sneijder. Look for Robin van Persie to get a goal, but it will not be enough. Spain 2, Holland 1. The World Cup Trophy can go on display next to the European Cup from 2008.

Netherlands v. Brazil - Part 2

I am hoping for an epic battle akin to the 3-2 match last decade. Both teams have looked solid defensively, but spent most of their time going forward. It will be interesting to see if one side is able to dominate possession, and how the other will respond.

The man to watch for Brazil is Robinho. He has been their creative force so far in this tournament. Luis Fabiano is getting the goals, but Robinho is the one scaring his opponents, specifically right-backs, as he has done most of his damage on the left flank. Holland has alternated between two right-backs in this tournament, the young, attack-minded Gregory van der Wiel, and the veteran, more defensive Khalid Boulahrouz. Which of these names appears on the team-sheet will tell us a lot about the Dutch tactics going into this match.

Brazil's defenders will have to keep a close watch on Arjen Robben. He is just returning from injury, but he has continued the phenomenal form he showed in leading Bayern Munich to a domestic league/cup double and a place in the UEFA Champions League Final. Robben usually plays on the right because he is so effective at cutting inside and shooting with his dynamic left foot.

The man charged with stopping Robben for Brazil will primarily be Michel Bastos. Bastos plays as an attacking left winger for Lyon, but Dunga has moved him to left back for his country. THis is an important match-up to keep an eye on. If Bastos is sitting deep to cover Robben, he is not getting involved in the Brazilian attack. This is a huge advantage for the Dutch, as Brazil depend heavily on their full-backs to give them width going forward.

I predicted before the tournament that the Dutch would knock Brazil out at this point on their way to the Final. I am sticking with that prediction. 3-2, Oranje.

World Cup - Netherlands

The babysitter, uh, excuse me, manager of the Dutch team is Bert van Marwijk. The talent he has at his disposal is as good as any team in the tournament, and he honestly does not need to do much tactically. What he needs to do is control the, let's call it eccentric, personalities of his superstars.

Many think the Oranje are weak defensively, and that may be true, but I think there is just enough at the back to keep them advancing through the later rounds. The goalkeeper is shaky, two of the defenders are "veterans," to put it kindly, and Johnny Heitinga is probably the most reliable guy in the back 4.

The real defense will need to be played in midfield. Luckily for Holland, Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel are both outstanding at this. De Jong might be the best holding midfielder in the world.

The attacking ability of this team is just ridiculous, even with Arjen Robben nursing an injury. Young left winger Eljero Elia may actually keep Robben on the bench when he does return. The lightning quick 23 year old scored 5 goals from the wing and created another 7 in only 20 appearances for Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Ibrahim Afellay, Ryan Babel, Klass-Jan Huntelaar and their big reputations will start most matches from the subs bench.

Dirk Kuyt of Liverpool will do all the running and hard work up front, even though his strike partner, Robin van Persie, believes Kuyt is not good enough to be in the Dutch team. Van Persie himself has a good chance to be the leading scorer in the tournament. And those opportunities will be created by Wesley Snejder. He just led Inter Milan to a league, cup, and Champion's League winning season, and he will pull the strings in the center of Holland's midfield. That is, if he and Robben have sorted out their feud.

So, to summarize, it all comes down to the manages ability to control the egos of the squad. If he can maintain harmony in the Dutch camp, they just may get all the way to the final, facing an opportunity to finally exorcize the ghosts of 1974 and 1978.

Injuries (or) Why I hate Andrea Pirlo and Love Didier Drogba

It is always unfortunate when somebody gets hurt, and it can be rough for a player, his team, and his supporters when he misses a big match. But to miss the World Cup?? That is absolutely heartbreaking.

Rio Ferdinand was named captain of his Country, and was preparing for his fourth World Cup, then he got hurt in training. Michael Ballack, Germany's captain, will miss what would have been his final chance at lifting the trophy. Now Arjen Robben, whose spectacular form this season led Bayern Munich to the Champion's League Final and put him amongst the top 10 players in the world, has hurt his hamstring and looks doubtful.

Andrea Pirlo is also hurt, although Italy are still hopeful he will feature in later matches of the tournament. I'll be honest, I can't stand Pirlo, and I hate watching the Italians, I hate the way they play, the playacting every time a defender breathes on them, the sense of entitlement at International tournaments, the accepted bribery and match fixing in Serie A, I despise all of it. I hope they lose every match 10-0, and that Pirlo has to sit and watch from the sidelines. In fact, I hope he gets bitten by a rare spider while watching from the sidelines and all of his hair falls out.

All of that aside, the real heartbreak is for the African players who have seen their dreams of representing their countries on their own continent shattered. Michael Essien is an outstanding player, and he will be sorely missed by Ghana, but the entire Black Stars midfield is looking extremely delicate. Sulley Muntari is nursing an injury, and Stephen Appiah has only played 2 matches all season. It was this outstanding midfield that got Ghana into the last 16 in 2006, and they had high hopes for this summer.


We all know the big one though. Didier Drogba, probably the world's best striker, the supreme ambassador of African football, the captain of Ivory Coast's "Golden Generation", has broken his arm. It is hard to understand for a lot of people how much Drogba means to African football. Most people know he helped to stop a civil war, but hearing these words does not really convey their meaning. Drogba has spoken out about issues such as AIDS and poverty that most professional athletes wouldn't go within a mile of. The video of Didier Drogba moving around during the World Cup following by tens of thousands of adoring supporters from all corners of the continent would have been a sight to behold, and might have given the rest of the world just a tinge of what he means to the nations of Africa.

If's and buts...

I can't help but think how different today's match between Bayern Munich and Manchester United would have been if Arjen Robben had played. Some might think that irrelevant since Bayern won by 2 goals to 1, and probably could not have asked for a better result, but hear me out.

Because Robben was unable to play, Hamit Altintop started on the right wing for the Germans. Save for one tricky run, which ended in a relatively tame shot straight at Edwin van der Sar, Altintop was terrible. He often gave the ball away, when he did get into a good position his crossing was poor, and he didn't really provide any help defensively.

Now, in some cases, nothing can be done about this sort of thing. Players get injured, it's part of the game. But in this case, I think the Bayern Munich brain-trust is to blame. I won't single out Louis van Gaal because Bayern Munich, much like Real Madrid, don't really give their manager a whole lot of autonomy. All of the "directors" sitting in the stands have a great deal of say over what happens on the pitch. Given that, the questions I would have to ask them is, "Why the hell was Robben playing against Stutgart over the weekend?! With a Champions League quarterfinal 3 days later?!" It just makes no sense.

Manchester United were thoroughly outplayed though, in all honesty they were lucky to only lose 2-1. But Rooney got the away goal, as I predicted he would, and Bayern couldn't get another goal to put the tie away. In fact, they barely got the win, scoring late in injury time when Patrice Evra was careless with the ball in his own box.

I have to believe that Robben, with his finishing ability and the form he is in, could have gotten another goal for the Bavarians, even if he had only come off the bench. And that makes me think, despite their victory, Bayern Munich missed an opportunity to really put themselves in the driver's seat. Manchester United will make them pay, and I suspect the English club will win quite handily at Old Trafford next week. Although I do have to add one caveat. Wayne Rooney limped off the field at the end of the match with what looked like an ankle injury. Alex Ferguson played it down as not serious, but if it does turn out to be serious, that makes things far more difficult for United, and gives Bayern a much better chance of advancing.

Bayern Munich v Manchester United - Update

Arjen Robben looks unlikely to play in the first leg of this tie at The Allianz Arena in Munich. This is a huge blow for the Germans, as Robben has been their best player, and one of the best players in Europe, this season. If Robben doesn't play against Manchester United, Bayern has about a 1% chance of advancing.

As for the English club, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand both sat out the win against Bolton Wanderers, but are expected to start today. As I mentioned earlier, I don't think the Bayern defenders will capitulate in the way AC Milan did a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean they will be able to stop Rooney either. His form is so good that it will almost be a surprise if he doesn't score an away goal.

When it was first announced, this one looked like an intriguing match-up, but given the injury concerns and Munich's loss of form, it could be an easy one for Manchester United.

Champions League Draw - Bayern Munich v Manchester United

I find the talk about 1999 to be largely self-serving on the part of the English and utterly irrelevant to the match itself. Of the 36 players in the squads that day, 3 still play for Manchester United, plus 1 who was suspended, and none still play for Bayern Munich. It just has no bearing on this game.

Bayern are one of the few club teams left in Europe who play 2 true wingers, in Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. And both are very good. Robben, in fact, has been one of the best player sin Europe for the past 6 months. He will get the Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher treatment whenever he ventures forward. I still think Bayern will manage goals in both legs. The real questions is, can Manchester United score more goals than they allow. There is no central defender from the German side that can "handle" Wayne Rooney, so to speak, but he will not have the uncontested free reign he had against AC Milan.

I am going to go out on a limb here and make a detailed prediction. I think Bayern Munich win 2-1 in Germany, and Manchester United win 3-1 in England, with the winning goal coming late on in the 30 minutes of extra time.