Spain's reign is Holland's pain
Coming in people knew that the Spaniards had the advantage over the Dutch as slight as it may be.
Clockwork Oranje 3.0 might not have been the sharpest and most stylish of teams to have ever walked a football pitch, but they were able to have the pragmatism that few Dutch teams have ever had. This is part of what made them so dangerous throughout the World Cup. They still had the skill to face a team and beat them in just a couple of opportunities. Just ask Brazil.
While many thought that this would be the coronation of Rinus Michels' theory on how to play football, it ended up being a grudge match where finesse was able to breakdown ruffian tactics.
With this they were able to muddy up the waters for a Spanish side in the midfield, mucking up passing lanes for the Spaniards and limiting opportunities on Maarten Stekelekburg's goal for extended stretches. The Spaniards imposed possession but the Dutch imposed where the game was to be played.
Unlike previous rivals, Holland came into the game going out and pressuring Spain's possession from the outset. They weren't allowing them any space to accomodate themselves in the Dutch defensive third. They were able to out-physical the smaller Spaniards and make them think twice prior to every challenge. Those were the rules of engagement established early by the Oranje.
Still with all of that to consider, we thought that La Roja was going to steamroll over their rivals. Sergio Ramos rocked the Dutch goal when he headed a corner kick toward Maarten Stekelenburg and the Ajax keeper parried it away from danger.
Part of the reason Spain weren't able to control possession he way they really wanted to. If there was a particular play that changed the tide temporarily was that flying karate kick by Nigel De Jong on Xabi Alonso. The fact that English ref Howard Webb did not follow that action with a red card set the tone for the rest of the match.
If there was any indication of how the game was being played, the record for most cards in a final was six. That record was shattered in the first 36 minutes of the match. Thus gives way to the argument of whether this is a product o the players or the referee being too permissive and filing the players' ears with empty promises of red cards. One player that once again escaped the possibility of seeing red was Mark Van Bommel. After being the official lumberjack of the World Cup and being the eternal pest that he is Van Bommel continued to play the role of destroyer.
Time and time again he was successful in short circuiting the Spanish midfield. Still Howard Webb refused to give him his marching orders after fouling a midfielder for the nth time. Hand it to Van Bommel, he is a master of working the game and working the refs from the moment they step onto the pitch for warmups.
If you looked closely at warmup footage, he was one step away from buying Webb candy and roses. That is perfect in the name of gamesmanship, but when it comes to getting away with cards, that's another story.
As the match wore on the goalkeepers became protagonists. Iker Casillas made two brilliant one-on-one saves on Arjen Robben, robbing him of clear scoring chances on two instances. in the match. Meanwhile Stekelenburg took the mantle of responsibility by saving the Dutch net when Cesc Fabregas and David Villa (with the help of Joris Mathijsen) made some serious threats to goal.
As the extra time rolled on, you saw that Dutch beginning to wear out. This led to the eventual sending off of John Heitinga. That threw the backline into a fritz and the original intentions of Rafael van der Vaart going on the attack were thwarted as he would ahve to stay back and defend a little more. That matchup favored Spain in the end.
His slip up in the 116th minute on the clearance and the ball bouncing back to Andrés Iniesta put him on the big stage to score the second biggest goal in his career after the one he scored at Stamford Bridge a little over a year ago.
For the Dutch, one of their best performances of the past 32 years went by the wayside as they became bridesmaids yet once again. To their credit, they were able to implement their style, as much as it went against all of the Cruyff purists that saw their failures not reach where Bert van Marwijk's side got to.
What comes next for Spain?
Many can say that Spain was not the most explosive team in World Cup history; statistically they are correct. They were the lowest scoring champion in history. Part of the reason has to be attributed to the way that other teams played against them. They played four matches that ended up with a 1-0 result; one ended up 2-1.
There was talk that this could be Carles Puyol's final World Cup as well as his final cap with the Spanish national team. This could be strongly doubted as there is no true substitute for Puyol in the middle of the defense. One of the people that was being looked at as the future of Spain was remembered by Sergio Ramos- Antonio Puerta. The one player that could come to mind is Sevilla youngster Cala. We'll see how he develops in this coming season.
Another player that could be making his premature exit-much to any fan's discontent- is Xavi. At 31, his presence on the national team could be in its final stretch. Although with his physical form and style of player, he could be making an appearance in Brazil. The Barcelona playmaker could still be in form for the upcoming Euro2012 as Spain look to repeat this title.
This victory will start to see the beginning of the transition to the Fran Meridas and the Bojan Krkics to begin to take over, but for the time being I see that Vicente del Bosque will take some time to enjoy this victory.
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