La Gran Final: Spain vs. The Netherlands

[Noe]

A month's worth of matches has yielded the final two National teams for the World Cup trophy.  Spain and The Netherlands are the two left standing.  Spain got by Germany, totally controlling the midfield and keeping their attack well planned and well executed.  Germany had little chances to mount counter-attacks, as they've been doing throughout the tournament, because the Spanish side stayed organized and disciplined on the defensive side.  The midfield work of the Germans also took a hit without young phenom Thomas Mueller (or Muller).  The Spanish finally broke through on a set play after failed attempts to finish attacks in the match.  On a corner kick, Puyol, the long-hair defenseman, headed the ball into the back of net and that was all that was needed to put down the young German team. 

On the other side is the The Netherlands, the squad that reminds everyone of the little train that could.  They play with resolve and tenacity and just a bit of dirty tricks (enough to piss off most futbol fans).  The Netherlands have been here before, trying to break through and win their first World Cup and they've had powerful squads at that, one time with the likes of Johan Cruyff, a player who was at the level of Pele in terms of admiration by the futbol loving world (and the first superstar I followed as a teen).   The Dutch side does not have a player of Cruyff's stature, but they have something that makes them dangerous... they are hard to keep down.  The Spaniards would be wise not to take this side lightly.  In the end, the talent on the side of the Spanish squad will win out and The Netherlands will once again get to the dance and leave empty handed.  Spain, for it's part, will be in their first World Cup Championship and will also win their first Cup.

My Pick: Viva Espana!

[austro]

All bets are off when van Bommel takes out Xavi.

[strosrays]

A month's worth of matches has yielded the final two National teams for the World Cup trophy.  Spain and The Netherlands are the two left standing. . . My Pick: Viva Espana!

I never felt strongly about Holland one way or the other.  I mean, it's a Benelux country, which is cool and all, and Hollanders were in charge of the Dutch East Indies when a whole fucking island blew up on them (I read a really good book about that a few years back.)  But, because of the Amstel beer commercial currently running about every 10 minutes on my television set, I hate the whole fucking country now; and all the wooden-shoe-wearing, tulip-sniffing, dike-building, swamp-dwelling, heroin addict people living in it.

Fuck tha Netherlands.  Viva Espana, indeed!

[austro]

... Hollanders were in charge of the Dutch East Indies when a whole fucking island blew up on them (I read a really good book about that a few years back.)

Was that book "Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded"? That was a really interesting read. I particularly liked the description of how amateur scientsts around the world recorded on their barometers the passage of the pressure wave circling the globe.

In a similar vein, I recommend "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History" about the 1900 Galveston hurricane. We're so accustomed to satellite imagery and computer models to give us days' advance warning about these storms that we tend to forget that those are very recent developments.

[AtascAstro]

I never felt strongly about Holland one way or the other.  I mean, it's a Benelux country, which is cool and all, and Hollanders were in charge of the Dutch East Indies when a whole fucking island blew up on them (I read a really good book about that a few years back.)  But, because of the Amstel beer commercial currently running about every 10 minutes on my television set, I hate the whole fucking country now; and all the wooden-shoe-wearing, tulip-sniffing, dike-building, swamp-dwelling, heroin addict people living in it.

Fuck tha Netherlands.  Viva Espana, indeed!

There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

[OregonStrosFan]

There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

You should really think about adding hippies to your list. No one would fault you.

[Limey]

All bets are off when van Bommel takes out Xavi.

...and Xavi gets carded for "simulation" as van Bommel sneaks away.

[Limey]

I never felt strongly about Holland one way or the other.  I mean, it's a Benelux country, which is cool and all, and Hollanders were in charge of the Dutch East Indies when a whole fucking island blew up on them (I read a really good book about that a few years back.)  But, because of the Amstel beer commercial currently running about every 10 minutes on my television set, I hate the whole fucking country now; and all the wooden-shoe-wearing, tulip-sniffing, dike-building, swamp-dwelling, heroin addict people living in it.

Fuck tha Netherlands.  Viva Espana, indeed!

I have found the Dutch, Arjen Robben excepted, to be a classy people.  I have no beef with the Spanish either, and they're women are smokin'.  Neither has won this tournament before; the Dutch twice pipped in the final while Spain has never before made it past the quarterfinal stage.

I am completely torn.  I will have to see on which side my my support falls as the game progresses.  The first pathetic Robben swan dive may swing it.  Or boredom with Spain's technically excellent but pointless tiki-taki style of endless passing triangles in midfield.  Or a van Bommel assault that (as usual) goes unpunished.  Or Puyol's hair.  I won't know it until it happens, then it'll be game on, motherfuckers!

[BudGirl]

I have found the Dutch, Arjen Robben excepted, to be a classy people.  I have no beef with the Spanish either, and they're women are smokin'.  Neither has won this tournament before; the Dutch twice pipped in the final while Spain has never before made it past the quarterfinal stage.

I am completely torn.  I will have to see on which side my my support falls as the game progresses.  The first pathetic Robben swan dive may swing it.  Or boredom with Spain's technically excellent but pointless tiki-taki style of endless passing triangles in midfield.  Or a van Bommel assault that (as usual) goes unpunished.  Or Puyol's hair.  I won't know it until it happens, then it'll be game on, motherfuckers!

I am so glad I was not the one to comment on the hair.  It is bad though.

[Bench]

I've always liked the Dutch from the Bergkamp era (sorry Limey, but I went through an Arsenal phase as well).  I've never cared one way or another about the Spanish, for obvious reasons.  They've never really done much of anything.  Plus, I've had more good times in the Netherlands than I had in Spain.

Basically, I'm willing to go Dutch.

[Limey]

I am so glad I was not the one to comment on the hair.  It is bad though.

Left fullback: so easy, even a caveman can do it.

[Ty in Tampa]

Left fullback: so easy, even a caveman can do it.

I didn't know Dee Snider played the futbol.

[BudGirl]

Left fullback: so easy, even a caveman can do it.

He's no Michael Ballack, that's for sure.

[Limey]

I've always liked the Dutch from the Bergkamp era (sorry Limey, but I went through an Arsenal phase as well).  I've never cared one way or another about the Spanish, for obvious reasons.  They've never really done much of anything.  Plus, I've had more good times in the Netherlands than I had in Spain.

Basically, I'm willing to go Dutch.

They've had some incredible players down the years, including Bergkamp, but also the likes of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and the Johan Cruyff, who once jinked a defender so comprehensively that they named the move after him.  The fact that they've never won the World Cup before is part bad luck, part getting fucked.

[AtascAstro]

So what would you pick as a score?

I'm thinking a low scoring game favors Spain (1-0).  Similar to their other games they bore everyone for the first half with a draw and then find the net midway through the second and shut it down.

An early Dutch goal opens everything up.  I don't know how Spain would react but I'm pretty sure they have the talent to keep up.  So a Dutch win might be soemthing more like 3-2.

**DISCLAIMER**
I intend to use any and all information provided in the pursuit of profit.  I find myself currently in 6th place in the office pool and a correct winner and score pick could put me in the money.  If the English speaking participants hadn't tempted me as sentimental picks, I'd be perfect since beginning the round of 16 and likely in first place.

[subnuclear]

2-1 Spain.

[Noe]

2-0 Spain

[Limey]

2-0 Spain

Concur.  You have to have the ball to score, and the Spanish will keep it.  They'll score one and then nick another one at the end as the Dutch push for an equaliser.

[Noe]

They've had some incredible players down the years, including Bergkamp, but also the likes of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and the Johan Cruyff, who once jinked a defender so comprehensively that they named the move after him.  The fact that they've never won the World Cup before is part bad luck, part getting fucked.

Cryuff was my favorite player as a teen and to this day I still remember watching him play with a lot of fondness for his skills.  That he did not participate in the World Cup in 1978 was a damn shame, but knowing that in 1978, so very shady, unethical things were happening in the world of futbol is a worse dagger to my already fandom of the Big Orange Machine and Cryuff.  As I understand it, Cryuff received death threats to himself and his family if he showed up in Argentina, so that is why he did not play in that tournament.  That Netherland squad was the best in the world that year, but since Argentina won, it smacks of very crooked dealings.  I'll always remember how hurt I was to watch it all unfold and especially since I was not very fond of Kempes and his mates.

BTW - want to see a Suarez-like play in the quarterfinals by Mario Kempes to help them win a match?  Scroll to the 2 minute mark to see how amazingly similar to the Suarez play this really is.

[Limey]

BTW - want to see a Suarez-like play in the quarterfinals by Mario Kempes to help them win a match?  Scroll to the 2 minute mark to see how amazingly similar to the Suarez play this really is.

The rules back then didn't dictate a red card for that, so he got to stay on the field, which was a joke.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

I'm interested in watching the game but not knowledgeable enough to have any idea which is the better team. I've had swell vacations in both countries. Since I generally prefer the artistic greatness and stylistic weirdness of Spaniards like Gaudí, Dalí, Buñuel, Miró, Lorca, and Picasso, over the greatness and stylistic quirkiness of Dutch artists like Van Gogh, de Kooning, Escher, van Doesburg, Citroen, Verhoeven, and Kloos; I'll be rooting for España. Which means der Nederlanden will win.

[Navin R Johnson]

So where is everyone watching the match?   I like both teams, and was planning on rooting for a team that had never won it all before, now we got two of them heads up.   My wife is from Nederland, TX, so she has adopted the Netherlands as her team, so I guess that is who I will be pulling for.   I really am just pulling for a good match.

[Guinness]

I'm interested in watching the game but not knowledgeable enough to have any idea which is the better team. I've had swell vacations in both countries. Since I generally prefer the artistic greatness and stylistic weirdness of Spaniards like Gaudí, Dalí, Buñuel, Miró, Lorca, and Picasso, over the greatness and stylistic quirkiness of Dutch artists like Van Gogh, de Kooning, Escher, van Doesburg, Citroen, Verhoeven, and Kloos; I'll be rooting for España. Which means der Nederlanden will win.

That's quite an esoteric way of choosing who to root for...

[Noe]

So where is everyone watching the match?   I like both teams, and was planning on rooting for a team that had never won it all before, now we got two of them heads up.   My wife is from Nederland, TX, so she has adopted the Netherlands as her team, so I guess that is who I will be pulling for.   I really am just pulling for a good match.

For The Netherlands to win, they're going to have to take some chances.  That means they will have to force the attacks and commit to players moving forward.  If you put the Spanish side back on their heels, you have a chance.  It will also mean some good control of the ball, which the Netherlands can do, but not as good as the Spanish side.  If the Netherlands were to score a goal and go up on the Spanish, they could use that to their advantage and commit to every midfielder marking in the last 1/3rd of the pitch.  The Spanish rely on sharp, precise passing off triangles on either side of the pitch.  They don't usually attack up the middle until they get into the last 1/3rd.  By using a precise, build-up attacking strategy, the Spanish thus have control of the ball quite often, rarely giving up a stray pass or mistake on their end of the pitch.

What you'll see on Sunday is the Spanish control the ball for the majority of the match, using small, precise passing, usually requiring a midfielder to midfielder pass and a defense man trailing the play to triangulate on said passes.  If a Dutch midfielder challenges, a quick one-two pass will get them into trouble and the Spanish will be off and running into space and attacking from that point on.  Inesta has been very good at being the guy who gets behind the defense and initiates attacks, opening up the spaces for David Villa to shoot dead on to goal.  If Torres shows up and plays as he's capable, that is one more weapon for the Spanish that could be deadly.  Xavi is the guy in midfield that basically looks for the openings to pass the ball forward but usually his job is to control the ball and do the build-up work.  The Spanish defense is well disciplined, they are not usually caught off guard and if they are, they're quite physical enough to make it difficult for the opponents to get clean shots on goal.

What the Netherlands brings to the table is tenacity.  They have some skilled players, but not in the same class as the Spanish.  What they have is a Rocky-ish attitude of never say die.  That creates a little bit of havoc and can shakeup a disciplined side like Spain.  If the Spanish go up first by a goal, then the Netherlands will play a little more helter-skelter.  I had a feeling that The Netherlands were going to be able to shake up Brazil and get them to play off kilter.  If Spain gets frustrated with the style of play on the Netherlands side, they will fall just like Brazil.  I'm sure their coach is telling them not to play an ugly game like Brazil did with the Dutch, instead control the match, wait for the opportunity and then strike.  If the Spanish play uncontrolled futbol, they will play right into the hands of the Dutch and lose.

[Matt]

Spain cut the German attack to pieces at midfield most of the time. It was quite astounding to watch.  Also, Paul the Octopus picked Spain to win.

[JackAstro]

So what would you pick as a score?

Dutch win 2-1

[chuck]

That's quite an esoteric way of choosing who to root for...

I thought for sure he was going to poll his "friend" to find out which country has better hookers.

But using Sphinx's methodology I will assert that in a battle of titans Vermeer gets his ass kicked all over the 17th century by Velasquez, so game over.

[Bench]

Also, Paul the Octopus picked Spain to win.

But Paul's record is limited to games in which Germany played, so I think he (it?) loses some credibility for this one.

[Matt]

But Paul's record is limited to games in which Germany played, so I think he (it?) loses some credibility for this one.

Paul is a wanted cephalopod in many countries, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt since he has the balls to keep making bold predictions.

[strosrays]

I'm interested in watching the game but not knowledgeable enough to have any idea which is the better team. I've had swell vacations in both countries. Since I generally prefer the artistic greatness and stylistic weirdness of Spaniards like Gaudí, Dalí, Buñuel, Miró, Lorca, and Picasso, over the greatness and stylistic quirkiness of Dutch artists like Van Gogh, de Kooning, Escher, van Doesburg, Citroen, Verhoeven, and Kloos; I'll be rooting for España. Which means der Nederlanden will win.

I just found out Hieronymus Bosch was Dutch. . . so now I'm having to rethink my position on this.

[Alkie]

I just found out Hieronymus Bosch was Dutch. . . so now I'm having to rethink my position on this.

I just found out people from the Netherlands are Dutch...so now I have to rethink mine.

[chuck]

I just found out Hieronymus Bosch was Dutch. . . so now I'm having to rethink my position on this.

The most fantastic Hieronymus Bosch painting I know of is in the Prado in Madrid so I take that as a clear sign.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

The most fantastic Hieronymus Bosch painting I know of is in the Prado in Madrid so I take that as a clear sign.

This one?

[chuck]

This one?

Nosir.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights

[AtascAstro]

Nosir.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights

Apparently he didn't think much of backgammon.

[Tralfaz]

2-2, Holland win on PK's.

er, Netherlands, Holanda, Oranje, Whatevah.

RO RUTCH!

[Bench]

FIFA announces that officiating at the World Cup has been a big success.

Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda said Saturday that an analysis of the first 62 matches showed referees got more than 96 percent of their decisions right.

"It is a big success," the Spanish official said at a news briefing. "We have to say it is not an opinion [but] facts."

"I think the refereeing in this tournament has been more than good," Garcia-Aranda said.

And then, to really give Alkie a migraine:

"There is no point us sitting here as match officials and saying everything is absolutely perfect," said the [World Cup final referee Howard Webb], who is one of the few professional referees among the 29 FIFA selected for World Cup duty.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

The third place game is a real slug-fest, 2-2 at the 56 minute.

[JackAstro]

"There is no point us sitting here as match officials and saying everything is absolutely perfect," said the [World Cup final referee Howard Webb], who is one of the few professional referees among the 29 FIFA selected for World Cup duty.

Woah woah woah woah woah. Back the fuck up. The majority of these guys aren't professional refs? Did they win a fucking contest?

[BizidyDizidy]

Well how do you define professional refs? Arguably the NFL doesn't have them.

[Noe]

The third place game is a real slug-fest, 2-2 at the 56 minute.

I love it!

- Don Coryell

We do too!

- The Phoenix Suns

[Bench]

Uruguay lives by the crossbar, and dies by the same.

That was rollicking fun meaningless game.  It's nice when two world class teams can play without any apprehension or tentativeness and just play for pride at the end of a great tournament run.

[JackAstro]

Well how do you define professional refs? Arguably the NFL doesn't have them.

With a dictionary. Not sure how FIFA does it.

[Navin R Johnson]

Uruguay lives by the crossbar, and dies by the same.

That was rollicking fun meaningless game.  It's nice when two world class teams can play without any apprehension or tentativeness and just play for pride at the end of a great tournament run.

Agree, that was a lot of fun to watch.  Tons of scoring opportunities and a wide open game.

Can't wait for tomorrow.

[Limey]

Lots of yellows so far.  All deserved.  Feel bad for the ol' spam head as he's going to send someone off today, and it's just a shame when that happens on a day like this. 

As I type De Jong escapes a straight red for re-enacting The Matrix.  These fuckers need to start playing football and give up the MMA shit. 

[Limey]

Arjen Robben = Karl Malone.

[JaneDoe]

What are the rules if it ends tied?

[BizidyDizidy]

What are the rules if it ends tied?

Octopus decides it

[Limey]

What are the rules if it ends tied?

30 minutes extra time - no sudden death.  Then penalty shootout if still tied. 

[JaneDoe]

30 minutes extra time - no sudden death.  Then penalty shootout if still tied. 

Thank you.

[Limey]

Octopus decides it

Paul remains 100% through the 3rd/4th playoff game.  He says Spain win today.

[Alkie]

Paul remains 100% through the 3rd/4th playoff game.  He says Spain win today.

Proving that 1 in 128 is not impossible.

[HudsonHawk]

Lots of yellows so far.  All deserved.  Feel bad for the ol' spam head as he's going to send someone off today, and it's just a shame when that happens on a day like this. 

As I type De Jong escapes a straight red for re-enacting The Matrix.  These fuckers need to start playing football and give up the MMA shit. 

How is putting your foot, spikes first, right into a guy's chest not a red card?

[BudGirl]

i can't stand this dutch team.

[Limey]

How is putting your foot, spikes first, right into a guy's chest not a red card?

Referees are under pressure too.  He doesn't want to spoil the party with ejections. 

[Limey]

i can't stand this dutch team.

They're not endearing themselves to neutrals.  Or Spanish kneecaps.

[HudsonHawk]

Referees are under pressure too.  He doesn't want to spoil the party with ejections. 

Well then, if I'm the Spanish, I know I can pretty much chop a guy off at the knees with a machete and stay in the game.

[Limey]

Well then, if I'm the Spanish, I know I can pretty much chop a guy off at the knees with a machete and stay in the game.

Have you not been watching?   That's pretty much exactly what's happening. 

I'm now at the point that I believe this game needs a red card to wake it the fuck up (a missed sitter each notwithstanding).

[Limey]

Heitinger's the latest beneficiary of Webb's red reticence. 

[Limey]

FTR, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney have been sent off at the World Cup Finals (but not in the final match itself), for acts of petulant retaliation no more damaging than Iniesta on Van Bommell.

[JackAstro]

Lord, can Webb just send one off from each side real quick?

[HudsonHawk]

FTR, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney have been sent off at the World Cup Finals (but not in the final match itself), for acts of petulant retaliation no more damaging than Iniesta on Van Bommell.

Are they as big of whiny little bitches as the entire Dutch team is?

[HudsonHawk]

Lord, can Webb just send one off from each side real quick?

Won't be long until everyone has a yellow card.  Then let the machete war begin.

[Limey]

Lord, can Webb just send one off from each side real quick?

I thought Imiesta and Van Bommell were both in the showers.  I'd send of Robben just because he a selfish, wasteful douchebag.

[Limey]

Won't be long until everyone has a yellow card.  Then let the machete war begin.

Last 3 minutes.  Suarez-time.

[Limey]

Playing on after the whistle is a yellow card offense.  Especially as the clock ticks down.  Van Persie joins the list of players who should no longer be on the field.

I don't want the ref to decide this, but all the shenanigans are really getting on my tits.   

[HudsonHawk]

Playing on after the whistle is a yellow card offense.  Especially as the clock ticks down.  Van Persie joins the list of players who should no longer be on the field.

I don't want the ref to decide this, but all the shenanigans are really getting on my tits.   

This game should be 8 on 7 right about now.

[Limey]

Are they as big of whiny little bitches as the entire Dutch team is?

Yeah. Spain.

[HudsonHawk]

Two observations: 

1.  Spain have certainly had their chances.

2.  Robben certainly is a major douchebag.

[JackAstro]

Well, there we go.

[Alkie]

Two observations: 

I'm impressed.  You made it further than I did in this tourney.

[BizidyDizidy]

I'm starting to think this is just not a very entertaining sport.

[Limey]

Two observations: 

Two dives by Iniesta get two yellows for e Dutch in two minutes.

[chuck]

Funny, the foul that earned the red card was not nearly as egregious as most of the fouls committed by these Dutch fucks.

If Spain had a little bit of patience or a little bit of common sense they'd have won 4-0 in regulation.

[Alkie]

PKs seems like a fairly crappy way to end the tourney.   Do they ever propose that the Final game just go until someone wins?

[BizidyDizidy]

PKs seems like a fairly crappy way to end the tourney.   Do they ever propose that the Final game just go until someone wins?

I was thinking the same thing

[Limey]

I'm starting to think this is just not a very entertaining aport.

The World Cup Final is just too important for the coaches to take the shackles off and the players to relax and play.  The Final typically is a tight, testy affair like this one.  Contrast this to yesterday's 3rd/4th playoff.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Yesterdays match was a pretty good game. This is just ugly ugly ugly.

[Alkie]

At least it won't go to PKs.

[BizidyDizidy]

That fucking octopus

[T. J.]

He finally got to kick one with his right foot. He should've had two earlier if he could use his left.

[Alkie]

That fucking octopus

How you say...pulpo a la plancha in Dutch?

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

The Dutch need to pull their goalie.

[Limey]

PKs seems like a fairly crappy way to end the tourney.   Do they ever propose that the Final game just go until someone wins?

They used to come back a few days later and play again.   And again.  And again. 

TV people didn't like how that fucked with their schedules and the authorities didn't like having to put on the extra games. 

[HudsonHawk]

Funny, the foul that earned the red card was not nearly as egregious as most of the fouls committed by these Dutch fucks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that wasn't a red, it was a yellow, his second, right?

[austro]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that wasn't a red, it was a yellow, his second, right?

Correct.

[chuck]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that wasn't a red, it was a yellow, his second, right?

Correct.

[Limey]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that wasn't a red, it was a yellow, his second, right?

Correct.  But could've been a straight red. 

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Could anyone tell what Iniesta had written on his undershirt?

[Savage]

PKs seems like a fairly crappy way to end the tourney.   Do they ever propose that the Final game just go until someone wins?

They could just do a dive-off.

[HudsonHawk]

Could anyone tell what Iniesta had written on his undershirt?

"Fuck you, I'm from Spain"?

[chuck]

Could anyone tell what Iniesta had written on his undershirt?

I couldn't read the first words very well because the material was folded but the last three words were 'siempre con nosotros,' always with us. I assume the first two words were names.

[HudsonHawk]

I couldn't read the first words very well because the material was folded but the last three words were 'siempre con nosotros,' always with us. I assume the first two words were names.

Dani Jarque...Spanish player who died last year.

[CarolinaStro]

Pure Joy...better than 10 Super Bowls and 20 World Series wins...The Saint of Stamford Bridge can add Johannesburg to his church...Yo soy Espanol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CarolinaStro]

Dani Jarque...Spanish player who died last year.

Jarque an Espanyol player who died during pre-season last season on pitch...class by Iniesta since Barca and Espanyol are fierce inter city rivals

[Alkie]

Pure Joy...better than 10 Super Bowls and 20 World Series wins...The Saint of Stamford Bridge can add Johannesburg to his church...Yo soy Espanol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sir, we have reason to believe that you are here illegally.  Can we see some papers?