Final will be won in midfield

TODAY’S final of the 2010 World Cup will be won in the midfield. Spain and the Netherlands have two of the best midfields in world football, and so today in Soccer City stadium, we are going to witness, two sides that have underachieved for decades battle for the right to be the next world champion. In Xavi and Iniesta, Spain have the best midfielders in the world, their telepathatic understanding can unlock the raguediest of defences and talking of defences, Netherlands don’t seem to boosts the best backline so is Spain. After the small matter of the ‘third-place’ game out of the system, it would be safe to assume that all roads now lead to the Soccer City Stadium where two European heavyweights clash with each other in the final, for the ultimate prize in world football. But going into the final game of the first world cup on the African continent, it would have taken a lot of character to predict the outcome of today’s game as the finalists happen to have much in common than not. When the South American nations of Brazil and Argentina were running riot in the initial stages of the tournament, Spain and Netherlands were having a relatively low key start but with both Argentina and Brazil shown the exit door in the quarter-finals and the African nations not quite turning up at their own party, it is time for one of these European super-powers to break its duck at the World Cup. Having seen Spain and Netherlands in action over the last decades or so, it is difficult to understand that they do not have a single World Cup title between the two of them. Netherlands having twice stumbled at the final frontier, while Spain having not even made it to the final ever before - and it is a pity that come referee Howard Webb’s final whistle, one of the teams will still be without a world title. Both teams have been models of some very aggressive, free-flowing football and though they have shown glimpses of that here in South Africa, their respective journey to the final, can ironically be attributed to more than just one factor. Netherlands The Netherlands are the only side yet to taste defeat of draw at this World Cup, Bert van Marwijk’s Dutchmen have been very effective, without playing the trademark Dutch style of ‘total football’. They seemed to have, along the way, acquired the skill of doing ‘just enough’ to go past opponents and seem to be doing so without expending much energy. Wins over Denmark, Japan and Cameroon meant Netherlands cruised into the knockout stages and it was only in the quarter-final match against Brazil, that they were really tested but still managed to pass test with flying colors. In the semi-final, the Oranje boys dispatched off Uruguay without much difficulty but they will have to do what they haven’t done since the start of the tournament on June 11 and that’s to play and win against a team as dominant in the midfield as the Spanish. Spain So often, major tournaments witness the ‘favorites’ tags being disrespected as teams glorified with them are sent crashing out in the initial stages as Brazil, Germany, England and Argentina will testify. For once though, Vicente Del Bosque’s men have managed to carry the tag on their shoulders, and even though they have not set South Africa on fire with their performances, they have ensured consistency in the way they have taken apart opponents’ defences. The loss against Switzerland in the first group match made fans fear for the worst, but the European champions have, since then, learnt the art of tackling teams who aim at breaking up play rather than trying to score themselves the way they did with Chile, Paraguay and Germany. While credit goes to striker David Villa, the favorite for the ‘Golden Boot’ and easily, Spain’s best player on show, due mention also needs to be made of the midfield engine, powered by the quartet of Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets. It’s this department that will decide who of these two sides joins the exclusive club of world champions. The Netherlands, like Spain boost of one of the best midfields in world football, in Roben, Sneijder, De Jong, Van Bommel, the Dutch have a quartet capable of matching their Spanish counterparts to the ‘bitter’ end, and whoever dominates this department, will surely break the duck of a world title. nku78@yahoo.com