The Netherlands are the only undefeated team left in the FIFA World Cup 2010, and they face Spain in the World Cup Final for championship on Sunday. The Dutch team has played their hearts out for coach Bert Van Marwijk despite some internal dissension after the first couple of games of group play.
Netherlands' Undefeated Road to the World Cup 2010 Final
Netherlands remains undefeated in World Cup 2010. After a perfect run through group play Netherlands held on to beat Slovakia 2-1 in the round of 16, and rallied in the second half to beat Brazil 2-1 in a huge upset in the quarterfinals. Netherlands beat Uruguay 3-2 in a wild, high-scoring semifinal game.
Netherlands - Current Form
The Netherlands will enter the World Cup Final with a 25 game unbeaten streak including14 consecutive wins, Their offense is firing on all cylinders, having scored the most goals of any team in the tourney to date, and their defense has done what it has had to do in every case. And good offense and defense starts at midfield, which the Dutch have managed to control in almost every match so far. But controlling the middle will be no easy task against Spain's intricate passing attack, and the Hollanders will likely have to show patience on offense and not let David Villa slip through unmarked..
Injuries and Penalties/Suspensions for the Dutch
Unfortunately, the ribs of goalkeeper Maarten Steklenberg have gotten worse rather than better and he is now listed as questionable for the final. Otherwise, the Dutch have few significant injuries, but they do have four players with yellow cards including Golden Boot contender Wesley Sneijder.
Netherlands Has Both Talent and Belief in World Cup 2010
The knock on the Dutch, even the great teams of yesteryear, has been lack of heart. The talent level was and is obvious for all to see, but talent was never enough to bring home a World Cup Championship. Will the third time be the charm? Netherlands striker Dirk Kuyt was interviewed on Wednesday and he spoke with great confidence.
"We are not afraid at all," Kuyt told The Guardian.
"You could see the Germans were afraid of Spain. They didn't try to attack. We are going to attack and then you will see weaknesses coming to the surface. f you play like the Germans you are definitely going to lose. We don't have players who are afraid and we don't have players who feel small against the big opponents. There is respect, but not fear."
Check out these links for more information on FIFA World Cup 2010:
FIFA World Cup 2010-Netherlands vs Spain World Cup Final Preview
FIFA World Cup 2010 - Villa and Sneidjer Chase the Golden Boot
FIFA World Cup 2010 - Germany vs Spain Semifinal Preview
FIFA World Cup 2010 - Germany 3 Uruguay 2-Germany 3rd in WC 2010
FIFA World Cup 2010 - Netherlands vs Uruguay Semifinal Preview
World Cup 2010 - Spain 1 Germany 0 - Spain to World Cup Finals!
Clayton Browne - Clayton Browne has a BA and an MS in Anthropology, and has been writing professionally since 1994. He worked for many years in both ...
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