Has a more deserving man ever held the World Cup?
The World Cup is almost at an end. On Monday, football fans all over the world will once again get on with their lives and, having recovered from their mysterious ‘illnesses,’ drag themselves back into work and reintroduce themselves to loved ones and partners who had long since given up any hope of seeing them again. Sunday, however, they will allow themselves one last hurrah in the form of the World Cup final. It will be a final that makes history, as Spain and the Netherlands, arguably two of football’s world superpowers, go head to head in an attempt to win their first ever World Cup, and be the first ever European side to lift the trophy outside their own continent.
After some truly shocking pre-tournament predictions, yours truly, Geoff ‘Kaiser’ Edwards, Martin ‘the Professor’ Palazzotto, ‘Fearless’ Fab Presilli and Matt ‘Doolin’ Dalton are confident we now have the measure of the flight and trajectory of our special, World Cup Edition Crystal Jabulanis. They’re joined by our new writers, Corey “I Wanna See a Goal Now” Pollnow, David “Mighty B” Holden and Eliot “Old Money” Rothwell in predicting the outcome of Sunday’s epic tournament climax.
Eliot “Old Money” Rothwell
Sunday marks a sad day for football fans as the World Cup, the spectacle that has captured our attentions for the past few months, comes to its climax. Sunday, however, will mark a disastrous day for one of the two sides. Holland v Spain. Total football v Tika-Taka.
Nobody knows who will come out on top but predictions are always useful, whether to gain kudos, if the right result is chosen, or to lambaste colleagues about their lack of knowledge. So here it is. It may not be a popular choice but I’m backing the pragmatic Dutch to overcome the fluid Spanish and for one reason. Mark van Bommel.
It’s been a largely successful year for Bayern Munich’s destructive midfield player. He’s won a domestic league and cup double as well as the innocuous prize of a Champion’s League silver medal. With Bayern Munich and Holland both rampant, van Bommel has been mostly overshadowed by the mercurial yet frustrating talents of Arjen Robben. The World’s biggest match, however, will be decided by the midfield battle and how Mr. van Bommel copes with Xavi and Co.
Van Bommel - key man for the Dutch
If the Dutch are to stifle the flow of the Spanish passing, then manager’s son-in-law van Bommel is going to be the key man. His ferocious tackling and accurate, yet sensible distribution will be crucial to van Marwijk’s side. We have already seen the Spanish struggle against a duopoly of holding players (Switzerland) and MvB (as he’s called on the underground scene of Bavaria) will be seeking to limit the space and time afforded to both Xavi and Iniesta in a ploy to stop the Spanish.
Whatever happens, it’s going to be close. The entertainment factor may be at a low but the tactical display of each team will be fascinating. Still, my prediction is that we will see van Bommel and Holland lifting the famous trophy for the first time.
David “Mighty B” Holden
The World Cup final is traditionally supposed to feature the two best teams in the world and I truly believe that is the case here. While Spain have been hogging the headlines, as pre-tournament favourites, the Netherlands have been quietly going about their business. I am in no way surprised that these two nations are gracing the biggest stage in world football.
Don't mess with the hair!
Both sides have very similar styles, which may make for an intriguing encounter. Each are happy to keep possession, biding their time before seeking gaps in defences and trying to exploit them. Unfortunately, that could also be bad news for viewers, because even though both sides have expert passers in their squads, watching this game could be similar to tuning in to a chess match.
However, all is not lost. Spain are also very good at counter-attacking football and I think that will be the opening they need. David Villa will undoubtedly be their outlet for directly attacking on the break, while the Dutch tend to prefer breaking down the wing and crossing into the box. There is no question that the Netherlands are deadly from this position but against the experienced Carlos Puyol, I fear that they will struggle to get the break they need.
I’ll be supporting the Netherlands for the final, but I think that Arjen Robben will have to be on top form to help the Dutch to victory. Although it pains me to say it, I expect Spain will win 2-0.
Corey “I Wanna Goal Now!” Pollnow
The expectations are extremely high for Spain. The Netherlands comes into this game having enjoyed an arguably easy road to the Finals but they’re running with that momentum, basking in the role of the underdog.
The Dutch have received heavy criticism for their dull style of play, but is it possible that the disapproval has fueled this team and could play into their favor? Spain is well known for their exceptional one-touch passing and control of the ball, but the l’Oranj have made their opponents struggle to gain control of the ball. They like to hang back, in possession, for long stretches, then strike when the opponent begins to think there is no danger. So, expect Spain to be surprised by the Dutch chemistry. Through 6 games thus far in the World Cup, the Netherlands have won the possession battle in all but 1 game (v. Cameroon).
Will the orange hoards party at the final whistle?
Goals have not been a problem,either. They have many players that can score. Sneijder and Robben have shown that they’re forces with which to be reckoned. The duo has showcased their skills and will prove that this run wasn’t a fluke. Yet Spain can’t overlook van Persie, Kuyt, van der Vaart and, coming off the bench, Huntelaar. Call me crazy but the Dutch will control the game via possession. The Spaniards will be lulled to sleep and the train the Netherlands is riding will not come to a halt. It will be the Dutch who party through the night!
Netherlands 2 — Spain 1
“Fearless” Fab Pressilli
So I am not a fortuneteller (or some psychic Octopus). However, I was able to predict some things correctly.
Starting with the hosting nation: they were eliminated in the first round. OK, they had a chance beating France and all, but to me they never seemed like a real contender.
Spain and the Netherlands are in the final. If Brazil had beaten the Dutch, then the Selecao would be in the final with Spain. That quarter-final match was more of an early semi-final.
Potty mouth!
Fernando Torres didn’t really show his true skills in South Africa. I always get my hopes up with some players who doesn’t deliver. In the last World Cup I chose Luca Toni as the top scorer. Another, Nicolas Lodeiro started the World Cup in the news,sent off in amazing 14 minutes. Angel di Maria and Lucas Barrios also failed to live up to the hype they were creating before the tournament. Kaká was not having the best of times, either. Injuries and a temper, never seen before, led some Brazilians to create the “Kaká Bad Boy Facts”(translation required) online.
The surprise of the tournament was not the USA, as I had thought, but Uruguay. An easy bracket that looked like a fast track to the semis was on their way after conquering Group A, but that is the sort of luck which only winners have.
Spain, on the other hand, seems to have a solid group, with Andrés Iniesta and David Villa shining a little bit more than the rest of the pack. The Netherlands will win the final game, though, that is just my feeling. The Dutch are having a great season, some of them have been key to their clubs. It is their most balanced team, the right mixture of young reckless players with experience from older ones.
Martin “the Professor” Palazzotto
The only things about which I was right, before the tournament, were why my picks would fail. Fail they all did, though, many of them spectacularly.
I can console myself that I was spot on about the French, yet with the same breath, I did give the Italians a little too much credit.
Because the draw didn’t shake out exactly according to my specifications , Maradona’s Argentina lasted longer than I anticipated. Given the way Uruguay played, however, I’d like to think that they’d have put paid to the Argentines, had they indeed crossed paths, as I’d hoped.
As for the US, I called that one. Sort of. The opportunity was there for them to make the semi-finals but coach Bob Bradley didn’t heed my advice to put more trust in Edson Buddle and Hercules Gomez. As well, it was unfortunate that Oguchi Onweyu didn’t have the legs to give the back line the lift it needed.
Finally, before you ask, I don’t even want to talk about Wayne Rooney.
Oh, sorry. After my previous dismal performance you still want to know who I think is going to lift the If-he-ever-does-the-world-a-favour-and-retires-it-will-someday-be-named-the-Sepp-Blatter Trophy? Well, there’s only two teams, so why not? There’s just enough margin for error.
Robben lands in the tuck position, scoring high with judges.
If they hadn’t drawn the Brazilians in my so called bracket, I would have taken the Dutch then. I felt very good about the potential chemistry between the two Real Madrid castoffs and eventual Champions League finalists, Arjen ‘Greg Louganis’ Robben and Wesley ‘Off The’ Sneijder. At the time, I was concerned about the health of Robben and again, who’d have thought they’d bitch slap (can I say that on the internet?) the Brazilians like it was Leonard v Duran?
Don’t forget, either, that the Afrikaaner community has made the Dutch feel very much at home in South Africa. I am aware that this is Spain we’re talking about but I’m thinking that’s just more fuel por los fuegos burning in the Madrid memories of Robben and Sneijder. Call it 3-2 for the Dutch but they’ll need 120 minutes.
Matt “Doolin” Dalton
With the World Cup final almost upon us, I am pleased to say that my tip for the winners, Spain, are still on course. Their hopes are intrinsically linked to the form of a certain David Villa, well on his way to snatching the Golden Shoe award, also forecast by yours truly. Other than that, though, I have done rather badly in anticipating some other things.
My picks to contest the semi finals were Spain, Argentina, France and Brazil. Only 1 out of 4 there! I did have 5 out of 8 of the quarter finalists, with France Italy and England being incorrectly selected and Uruguay, Ghana and Paraguay all missing. In the Round of 16, I managed to get 12 correct predictions, with Italy, Cameroon, France and Nigeria wrongly selected in place of Uruguay, South Korea, Paraguay and Japan.
One match from the Golden Ball?
All in all, I am pretty happy with my picks. But for a few strange results in the proceedings, I don’t think I was too far away. I tipped Ivory Coast and Steven Gerrard to disappoint and I think it’s fair to say they both did. South Africa fared a little better than I had expected, pushing France into 4th spot in their group. Vlad Weiss was the player I tipped to be the shock of the tournament, but he didn’t quite to live up to that. Although, he was solid throughout.
Lionel Messi was undoubtedly a driving force for Argentina, as I, and probably everybody else on the planet, had said. Unfortunately for little Leo, I think Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder might just pip him to the World Cup’s award for the best player. He has been in excellent form throughout, scoring 5 goals to propel Holland into the World Cup final.
I still believe that Spain will go on to win this year’s tournament as they simply bring more to the table than any other team. They have been quietly efficient throughout the tournament and even managed to play a game of pass and move against the dynamic Germans. Holland have been excellent and their solidity is sure to give the Spaniards some trouble. Sneijder and Villa are the key men in this game.
Geoff ‘Kaiser’ Edwards
Who in their right mind would predict Argentina and France to get to the semi-finals? As it turns out, I did. That has to be the worst pre-tournament prediction I made, as Maradona’s ‘Albiceleste’ were outfoxed by Germany and ‘Les Bleus’ were outfoxed by just about everyone, not least their own coach. I placed too much faith in Kaka and Luis Fabiano to get the ‘Selecao’ to the final and in Cameroon and Nigeria to get out of their groups.
On a more positive note, I tipped Paraguay and Slovakia to eliminate Italy from Group F and for Paraguay to go on to the quarter-final. I’ll be dining out on that for months. Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira also did me proud.
Another tip I got right was for Spain to get to the final, and I’ll stick with my prediction that they will lift the trophy in Johannesburg. ‘La Furia’ haven’t been entirely convincing on the way to the final but against Germany, in the last 4, they showed that they may well be peaking just at the right time. If Spain play in the final as they did in that game, I just can’t see them coming away as losers.
David Villa will hope to get some joy against Holland's defence.
The ‘Oranje’ have a good defensive record in this World Cup and showed their quality against Brazil in the quarter-final, but I think Heitinga, Mathijsen and co will struggle to cope with the movement of Villa, Pedro and Iniesta. Van Bommel and de Jong will also have problems with Spain’s ball circulation in midfield.
One thing that could, surprisingly, work in Holland’s favour is the selection of Fernando Torres. There have been rumours in the media that some of the Spanish squad have been unhappy with the Liverpool forward being picked in the starting eleven. The rumour may be far-fetched, but it’s been interesting to note how Spain awoke from their early-tournament slumber against Portugal when he was withdrawn, and recorded their best performance to date (against Germany) with him out of the side. On the other hand, in Robben, Sneijder and van Persie, the Dutch have players capable of winning any match, so they can’t be discounted.
There you have it, WFC’s brave writers have once again stuck their necks out, safe in the knowledge that there is a 50% chance we will be proved correct. What do you think? You have the same odds. Vote on your pick as World Cup Champion below and enjoy the match!
Who will win the World Cup on Sunday?
- The Netherlands (67%, 10 Votes)
- Spain (33%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 15
Loading ...PS. For those of you, who may be curious, look for a translation of the Kaka Bad Boy link in the comments section, coming soon.
Written by Martin Palazzotto, Eliot Rothwell, David Holden, Corey Pollnow, Fabricio Presilli, Matt Dalton and Geoff Edwards
Tags: crystal jabulani
This entry was posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 and is filed under Predictions, World Cup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Kaká is well known in Brazil for being a religious guy. His football top prize was once displayed at his church. So many Brazilians were surprised to see him cursing after so many wrong plays in South Africa.
This is why some teenagers (who apparently have nothing else to do) created the “Kaká’s Bad Boy Facts”, inspired by a Chuck Norris’ list somewhere. However, this time the facts are trivial, things some of us have done several times and we thought Kaká was not capable of doing, such as:
-Kaká belched at the lunch table during a family gathering;
-When he was in school, Kaká glued gum to the bottom of his desk;
-Kaká went to bed once without brushing his teeth;
-Kaká farted in the elevator;
-In an unthinkable act, Kaká ran in the rain while having a sore throat;
-Kaká punished Felipe Melo after Brazil’s disqualification by making him listen to the hole set of Justin Bieber’s songs.
Obviously, as it usually happens with things online, the joke escalated and you can find fake facts related to Dunga or Felipe Melo, as well as some current events in Brazil.