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July 11, 2010

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Home » Sports » Soccer

Artists, artisans duel for world glory

Source: Agencies | July 11, 2010, Sunday | Print Edition

SPAIN'S artists meet the artisans of the Netherlands today in a World Cup final that will end with one team taking the title for the first time.

European champion Spain has steadily improved with each game in South Africa until the point where it controlled last week's semifinal against Germany with a measured performance that denied a previously impressive team any space or opportunity to counterattack.

The Dutch gladly embrace the win-at-all-costs mentality that was anathema to the "Total Football" generation that reached the 1974 and '78 finals. But those sides, which included the likes of Johan Cruyff, Johnny Rep and Johan Neeskens, only attained the status of the best team never to win the World Cup.

Glorious failure is not on the agenda this time.

"I'd rather play an extremely ugly game and win, instead of a beautiful one and lose," Netherlands winger Arjen Robben said.

Neutrals may have baulked at the destructive pair of Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong at the heart of the Netherlands' midfield, but the Dutch have scored five more goals than Spain at the monthlong tournament.

And playmaker Wesley Sneijder shares the tournament scoring lead with Spain's David Villa on five goals.

But the Netherlands still suffers in comparison with its 1970s counterparts, the 1988 European champions of Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, and even the 1998 World Cup semifinal team that included Dennis Bergkamp and the De Boer twins.

"In the past, we heard often enough how beautiful it was, but there was no payback," Robben said. "We have yet to show our most beautiful football.

"But we have always been able to fall back on a good organization."

Spain's organization and control is such that the players seem so confident in their ability to deny opponents possession and chances that they do not feel the need to create chance after chance.

That has led to the incongruity of what is arguably world football's most attractive team scoring just seven goals to reach the final.

Spain lost the only game in which it trailed, 0-1 to Switzerland in its opening match, so it would be intriguing to see the Netherlands score first for the sixth time in seven tournament appearances.

Having ranked his team's dismantling of Germany as one of Spain's best-ever performances, coach Vicente del Bosque is expecting a more equal contest against a Dutch side boasting the attacking powers of Robben, Sneijder and Robin van Persie.

"They're very similar to us, players of great technical ability in midfield," Del Bosque said. "Players of great quality and very fast that don't improvise as much as we do but play a more dangerous direct game. A very dangerous team."

There is no argument over the potential damage the Netherlands could do.

Sneijder could become the first European player to win the World Cup in the same season as the Champions League and a domestic league and cup double. He clinched the European title, Serie A and Italian Cup with Inter Milan.

"Sneijder is such a great player and he showed it this season with the treble at Inter Milan," said Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets, who will likely be detailed to keep tabs on Sneijder. "To stop him, we have to try and be one unit so that he doesn't even have a moment to think."

Del Bosque is not expected to make many changes to his starting lineup, which contains seven players from Spanish champion Barcelona.

That means backup defender Carlos Marchena is unlikely to start despite coming on in the last three matches and holding the record of 55 consecutive international appearances without losing.

"It's guaranteed (that we will play well), since Barcelona is the best team in the world," Marchena said. "They know each other to perfection and it's a pleasure to be at their side."

But the Netherlands can go top of FIFA's world rankings for the first time if it wins the title without going to a penalty shootout.

Whatever happens, one nation will be the eighth to win the World Cup in the tournament's 80-year history and the first new name on the cup since France 12 years ago.
Soccer



 

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