Time to Shine!

First, a confession; I have been a Holland fan for over 30 years now - even own one of those bright orange shirts.

Ever since Mario Kempes scored twice to condemn the Dutch to a 2nd consecutive World Cup final defeat in Beunos Aires all those years ago, I have  been a staunch Dutch sympathiser, living through the Euro glory days of Rijkaard, Gullit and van Basten; and plumbing the depths of despair brought on by penalty shoot out woes at Euro 92, Euro 96, France 98 and Euro 2000. Of course, the one thing that's been missing in all those years is another trip to the championship game at the World Cup final and an opportunity to ease the pain of 1974 and 1978. Until now.

You'll probably understand my angst then, that now that the world cup is finally within reach, the one team that stands in the way of Dutch glory is the very same one that has, over the last three years , stolen my heart with its very special brand of the beautiful game - Spain.
So, can this latest incarnation of the Oranje succeed where their illustrious forebears faltered and trounce the best team on the planet to make history? And on which side of this divide will I now sit?

I'll tell you this much; the first question is easier answered. As world cup runs go, Holland have been pretty solid at this tourney having won all six of their games so far. They've scored 12 goals and let in 5 - but that number doesn't do their defensive record justice when you consider the manner of those conceded goals. Two were from the penalty spot - one for handball in the wall from a Cameroon free kick; the other an injury time consolation for Slovakia in the round of 16 - and another, late against Uruguay came after the game was effectively over. That might indicate lapses in concentration, but, save for a torrid 1st half against Brazil Holland's backline has hardly been troubled. Johnny Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen have looked competent enough in central defence, especially with van Bommel and the tigrish Nigel de Jong patrolling in front of them. Oddly, their biggest defensive tool may well be flankman Dirk Kuyt, whose tireless efforts down the left wing stifled the overlapping tendencies of Brazil's Maicon. Expect him to play in like mode against Spain's Sergio Ramos.

On the attacking end, much will depend on how much of the ball Wesley Sneijder sees, and if Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie get in the game. And the Dutch bench looks good too, with the likes of Ibrahim Affelay and the tricky Eljero Elia offering alternatives to the tried and tested. (By the way, if Holland really mean all the pre-match talk about attacking Spain, they have got to find a way to play Elia - he's skilful and quick). The Dutch will look to keep the ball and build patiently, as they have done to great effect on their run to the final, and again look to Sneijder to make things happen. 

For all the positives though, Holland enter this final as clear underdogs. What else is there to say about European champions, Spain? High quality in every position and unbelievable team cohesion; team depth to die for - Fabregas, Torres, David Silva on the bench - and that mental steel that enables great teams to eke out results even on a bad day.

Spain for me, arrived South Africa as favourites so it's perhaps not surprising that they've made it this far. No one doubted they had the skill, but they've displayed immense character to overcome the extra pressure that early defeat to Switzerland must have imposed - practically forcing them into the knockout phase right from their second game. It's hard to bet against a team that has Xavi and Iniesta carving openings for David Villa - especially if they are on their game and bad luck doesn't have it in for them. But la Roja isn't just about offence; Pique and Puyol are as good as any defensive pairing anywhere; Busquets is underrated but very effective and Xabi Alonso never stops running.
    
I think this game will be decided in two areas: For Holland, van Bommel, de Jong and Sneijder will have to close the spaces in midfield, and Robben will need to do a lot of tracking back on the right wing if they are to keep Spain at bay. Spain must watch for the quick long diagonal pass, especially from Sneijder to Robben - but of course they prefer to defend by keeping the ball.  
 
It should be great game to watch - if you love watching passes like I do - and after the last three rounds the smart money must be on another 1-0 win for Spain. I wouldn't wager money on the scores, but I think it's Spain's time to shine.

Oh, and as for my side of the divide; a big part of me will always support the Dutch but for this one, I think I'll be rooting for Spain. We'll see........