3rd/4th Play-Off Preview

     Germany   v   Uruguay

        Saturday July 10th

           Port Elizabeth

The much derided play-off for the bronze medal often proves to be the most open game of any World Cup, and this year there is no reason to believe otherwise. Germany and Uruguay have been two of the most atractive and highest scoring teams over the past four weeks and they may provide a goal fest in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night.

Uruguay will go into the game more determined to finish in third place. If they had been offered such an outcome before the tournament kicked off it would have been snapped up. La Celeste will see this as an opportunity to finish 2010 on a high and cement their names in the annals of Uruguayan football history.

Germany may be the more relaxed of the two sides. Having picked up third place at home four years ago the motivation to repeat that probably wont be there. In 2006 the game with Portugal in Stuttgart was regarded as a ceremonial thank you to the fans who had come to embrace their mannschaft. In 2010 Germany had hoped to go one step further and third place will be no consolation.

With the Germans likely to make a host of changes for the game, it may be an open affair. Therefore, further young talent such as Toni Kroos, Marko Marin, Sendar Tacsi and Dennis Aogo may be in line for starting berths.

Uruguay may persist with their strongest outfit, or at least only make minor changes. Luis Suarez, villain and hero of the quarter final with Ghana, is likely to slot back into the team.

Forgetting what transpires in this match on Saturday, both teams can fly home in the knowledge that they've had successful World Cups. Uruguay played to their strenghts are were well worth their place in the semi final. Germany were the more impressive, scoring 13 goals in their first five games and dismantling England and Argentina in the process. Both can luck forward to promising futures.

The third place match is generally a high scoring affair. No match has contained less than three goals since Polands 1-0 win over Brazil in 1974 and every play-off since 1994 has had four goals or more. History suggests goals are in store.

Semi Finals: Day 2

Not Klose Enough

      Germany   0-1   Spain



Two years may have passed but the result remained the same. Spain comfortably beat Germany once again by a scoreline that didn't reflect their dominance on the pitch. In the end though the amount of goals didn't matter as Spain did enough to reach the World Cup Final for the very first time.

The introduction of Pedro to the starting line-up may have been the defining managerial masterstroke of the game. Fernando Torres's lack of form and fitness saw the Liverpool striker take his seat on the bench for his teams biggest game so far. Clearly Germany were seen as a team worth taking on with eleven players rather than ten.

Pedro offered greater width and pace to what had been a narrow midfield previously. He also gave Xavi and Xabi Alonso more outlets with which to pass to. Spain could therefore spread the ball across the pitch from left to right forcing the Germans to run themselves ragged in the process.

Spain controlled possession for the majority of the game. La Seleccion's midfield kept the ball away from their counterattacking opponents to such an extent that when Germany finally got the ball they were too tired to use it effectively. 

The Germany that the world has come to love over the last month was not on show in Durban on Wednesday night. Not only were they not allowed to play to their strenghts but the suspension of Thomas Muller was keenly felt. Muller's pace, energy and commitment to the teams cause would have been priceless to any attacking threat his team had. Piotr Trochowski, his understudy, is more of an individualist or dribbler and that was very much obvious last night.

For all Spain's intricate passing, pace out wide and domination of possession their winning goal came via the most unlikely and unglamorous of sources. A Xavi corner was met by a bullet header from Carles Puyol with only 15 minutes remaining. The Catalan was allowed to attack the ball unopposed from the edge of box, gaining the momentum that allowed him to rise above all comers and give Manuel Neuer no chance of stopping it.    

Once la furia roja took the lead the end result was ominous. In fact, it should have been more had Pedro not been so wasteful. Substitute Torres was crying out for a square ball that would have given him a much needed goal but the Barcelona youngster had something of a rush of blood to the head. His place in the starting line up for Sunday must surely be assured nonetheless.

Germany threw everyone forward in an attempt to avoid losing another semi-final but no clear cut opportunities emerged. Die Mannschaft reverted to long balls in the final minutes as they tried to force the issue but they never came close enough.  

Seven Barcelona players were the catalyst for this victory as Vincente del Bosque chose to go with proven winners in an attempt to outwit Jogi Low. In the end, the Spanish team were just too good. Following their opening day defeat Spain have gotten better and better with each passing game. In Soccer City on Sunday Spain have the chance to become the first side ever to lose their first game yet still lift the trophy.

The best team in the world over the past three years have the chance to cement their legacy, but for the Germans another day will surely come. Germany came into the tournament as underdogs but now leave as a revelation. A new wave of nontraditional and multicultural talent has captured the imagination of a nation and wowed the watching world. In two years time they should be even stronger.   

Spain head into the final now as favourites and with such momentum, talent and experience who would bet against them.

Germany v Spain: Preview

      World Cup Semi Final

                 Durban    

            June 7th 2010
        7:30pm (Irish Time)

Either Germany or Spain will take on Holland in Sunday's World Cup Final in Johannesburg. That challenge may seem so close but the likelihood still remains that a game with Uruguay awaits on Saturday. This semi final is so finely poised that either fate is equally possible for both teams.

Germany enter the game as the World Cups form team. Three four goal hauls against Australia and more recently England and Argetina has seen their stock rise since the competition began. Jogi Low's team arrived in Germany as an unknown quantity. The injury suffered by captain Michael Ballack was viewed as the end of any chance the Germans had this summer. Pre-tournament predictions have been discarded however as this new mannschaft have taken all comers by surprise.

A new generation of multicultural talent has reenergised the team since Euro 2008. No longer are Germany regarded as an organised, efficient machine but have reinvented themselves as a quick, inventive, unpredictable counterattacking outfit.

Since defeat to Switzerland in their opening game, also in Durban, Spain have adopted something of a cautious approach. A mantra of safety first has dictated their performances in their four games since. Even though la furia roja dispatched Honduras, Chile, Portugal and Paraguay to reach the semis, they did so unconvincingly, without the free flowing passing and movement they are renowned for. That said, at least they are finally here, only once have they ever reached the final four and that was when the tournament was decided by round robin in 1950.

Unlike the Germans, la seleccion have had problems with the form of their players. Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta have been the most obvious examples. Both have contributed a lot of minutes but have failed to hit top form as yet. David Villa has almost carried the team with his five goals, while the German effort has been far more collective.

Spain, however, go into the game full strenght which can't be said about their opponents. Thomas Muller, scorer of four goals so far, is suspended having picked up a soft yellow card against Argentina. The 20-year old sensation looks set to be replaced by Hamburg's Piotr Trochowski on the right hand side of the German attacking triumvirate.

Revenge is in the minds of the German players for their defeat in Vienna two years ago. Fernando Torres changed the mentality of Spanish footballers with his dink over Jens Lehmann but this is a different German team two years on. Half their team didn't play that night in the Ernst Happel Stadium while the likes of Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger will feel they underperformed that night.

Spain have also developed slightly, but not for the better. The relegation of David Silva to the bench and emergence of Sergio Busquets in central midfield has been something of a backwards step. Spain have become more defensive and far narrower in midfield because of it. Their tiki-taki approach to the game therefore has less outlets from which to score from.

The Germans may not get the space to create at will like they did against two extremely flawed sides in the last two rounds but opening will no doubt arise as the Spanish defence has been shaky at times itself.

Germany will have to be more careful at the back themsleves as Spain are likely to pose a greater attacking threat than England or Argentina, as well as control the ball for far longer spells.

With the game so delicately balanced, both have reason to dream of a final on Sunday. The Germans may be the free scoring surprise package of the last three weeks but Spain are the European champions and the best national side in the world over the past three years. Whoever wins, they'll be favourites to beat Holland.

Probable Teams:

Germany (4-3-3): Neuer, Lahm, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Boateng, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Trochowski, Podolski, Klose.

Spain (4-4-2): Casillas, Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila, Busquets, Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Torres. 

Semi Finals: Day 1

Uruguay Out Despite Dutch Courage

       

        Holland   3-2   Uruguay

Holland are through to a third World Cup final and first since 1978 having seen off a brave Uruguayan effort in Cape Town.  

Tuesday's first semi final in may not have been the best game of this or any tournament but it did contain more goals than any semi-final since West Germany's penalty shoot out victory over France in Spain 28 years ago. That game finished 3-3, but was only 1-1 after 90 minutes. Nevertheless, it will still out last this game in the memory of neutral observers.

There may have been goals but the quality of both teams was poor for much of the game. In the first half the Dutch, despite taking a lead, were careless in their passing and unable to hold onto the ball for long periods, even when the game opened up after taking the lead through Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The Dutch left back rolled back the years with a goal reminiscent of this (5:18) against Ireland ten years ago. 

For a few minutes the Oranje stepped up the pace but once Demmy De Zeeuw was kicked in the face by Martin Caceres the game slowed down again, allowing Uruguay to recover from the shock of conceding such a shockingly spectacular goal. 

In time the South Americans clawed their way back into the game as the Dutch players failed to make the most of their advantage. Their attacking quartet were not playing in tandem and any time Robin van Persie got the ball he lost it to a Uruguayan defender. 

Diego Forlan did his best to trump van Bronckhorst by equalizing from distance but in his case the Netherlands goalkeeper gave him a helping hand. The captain made space for himself 25 yards out by faking a shot with his right before shooting with his left. The unsighted Maarten Stekelenburg could only get a weak hand to Forlan's swerving shot and it was 1-1 at half time. 

Holland's inability to control the game was a worry. The potential for an upset became very real once the Celeste levelled the scores.

Rafael van der Vaart's introduction in place of de Zeeuw may have been enforced through injury but it was also an encouraging suggestion that Bert van Marvijk had decided to throw another man forward. If their was one thing the Dutch didn't want it was penalties and a goal was needed to avoid that fate.

Footballers from the Netherlands subconsciously view penalty shoot outs as unsporting. If one cant win on the pitch in 120 minutes then one doesn't deserve to win at all. Defeats in 1996, 1998 and 2000 have proven that. Most famous of the three was the European Championship semi final of 2000 against Italy. Everything was on Hollands side, they were in Amsterdam and playing against ten men but they transpired to miss two penalties in 90 minutes and then lost the penalty shootout 3-1. 

No spot kicks have been needed in South Africa so far as the Dutch scored the goals they needed to reach the final. A borderline offside was ignored by the Uzbeki assistant referee for the second goal. Van Persie didn't touch the ball but was definitely active and interfering with play. His right foot may have been beyond the last defender but it didn't connect with the ball and Wesley Sneijder's strike was allowed to stand. The Uruguayans were unimpressed but many would argue it wasn't offside at all. 

Minutes later Arjen Robben settled matters with a rare headed goal. The flying Dutchman diverted Dirk Kuyt's cross in off the bottom of the post, leaving Fernando Muslera motionless in the goal. With the score at 3-1 the match was all but over and South American heads clearly dropped.

They fought on however although they never looked like scoring, and Diego Forlan's withdrawal looked to be the end. Forlan was central to everything his team did once again and has raised his stature and cemented his legacy with his performances in South Africa. 

A smart free kick in injury time gave Maximiliano Pereira the chance to close the gap but it was too late. La Celeste threw a few hopeful balls into the 18-yard box but their aerial bombardment came to nothing. Despite the defeat they can leave with their heads held high. Their achievement of reaching this stage has been surprising and a romantic story. For those who thought that Uruguayan football was dead, they showed that they are still capable of fighting for World Cups despite their size and the continued expansion of the game around the world.

Holland will count themselves fortunate to be in the final and they will be major underdogs on Sunday no matter who they play. They rely to heavily on players like Mark van Bommel and, although absent today, Nigel de Jong.

They don't encapsulate what it is to be a Dutch footballer, a factor that has made many old romantics turn against this new generations style of play. Their two central midfielders spent more time fouling than playing football and not only was it a miracle than van Bommel wasn't yellow carded against Brazil, but hat he wasn't sent off or booked earlier against Uruguay. For all his persistent fouling, the Bayern Munich captain was only booked in the final minute for kicking the ball away. 

If Holland are going to take away the trophy from Soccer City on Sunday night, they will need to step up another level.

Holland v Uruguay: Preview

        World Cup Semi Final

                Cape Town

            Tuesday June 6th
          7:30pm (Irish Time)

Tonight's first World Cup semi final in Cape Town is seen as a fore gone conclusion. The Netherlands are expected to beat Uruguay and reach a third World Cup final especially having overcome favourites Brazil in the quarter finals. Uruguay's passage was slightly more fortuitous as they relied on the crossbar to get by Ghana in an emotionally charged game in Soccer City.

The red card awarded to Luis Suarez for his hand ball will see him miss the semi final but not heir final game, be that the final or the third place match in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. The Holland based striker is not the only major absentee from this semi final however.

Uruguay are also without the suspended defender Jorge Fucile and potentially captain Diego Lugano, who came off injured in the first half of the quarter final with the Black Stars. Nicloas Lodeiro, billed as the next big star of Uruguayan football, is out for the remainder of the tournament having sustained a broken bone in his foot. The absence of up to three guaranteed starters should hinder La Celeste's changes of reaching the final once again.

In good news, Diego Godin should return from injury to replace Lugano while Barcelona misfit Martin Caceres is ready to step in for Fucile. Oscar Tabarez looks likely to return to 4-4-2 with Suarez absent, meaning there is no place for Friday's hero, Sebastian Abreu.

Holland are not without problems of their own. Nigel de Jong and Gregory van der Weil are both suspended having picked up second yellow cards against Brazil. The absence of de Jong in particular could be crucial for the Dutch. He may not be everyone's favourite player but the Manchester City midfielder knows how to break up opposition attacks and is not afraid to put in a tackle, which is why he's suspended in the first place.

Khalid Boularhouz and Demy de Zeeuw have no game time thus far and will be the two most likely to be thrown in at the deep end tonight.

Both sides have reached this point with contrasting performances. Uruguay's progress has been something of a fairytale. The two time winners have not reached such a stage since 1970 and their prominence as an international football nation has long been forgotten. What an irony it would be if the one team to break the monopoly of the World Cup by the footballing superpowers was the one country who have done it before. With only 3.5 million people they are already the smallest country to have won the trophy but to do so in this era would be an unprecedented achievement.

The Uruguayans have been one of the tournaments most impressive teams. The are strong at the back but attack with purpose, having such a talented forward line helps in that regard. They are organised but possess a goal threat. Winning their group has ultimately been the catalyst for their adventure to the semi finals.

Holland meanwhile, were always expected to reach the quarter finals. Their showdown with Brazil was always going to be the defining game of their tournament. Victory would mean a successful 2010 but defeat would suggest failure. Win they did and now a place in the final is expected with only Uruguay standing in their way.

Despite beating Brazil, the Dutch have stuttered their way through their first five games. Teams have defended against them more often than not and the penetration has not always been their to break down negative sides like Japan and Denmark. The return of Arjen Robben has seen an improvement and greater variation in their options in the midfield. That may prove to be the difference tonight.

The two countries have met at a World Cup only once before. Hollands emergence as a footballing power coincided with Uruguay's demise. In 1974 the Dutch beat the South Americans 2-0 in Germany. Uruguay have won their other three encounters though.

Also, Uruguay have broken the record for World Cup matches played in a single tournament. 25 games have been negotiated over the past three years to get to this point, including 20 to qualify and five in South Africa already. Two more are guaranteed.

Tonight's game should be a tight affair as both teams are on the cusp of achieving something unexpected. The Dutch will just be hoping it doesn't go to penalties.

Probable Teams:

Holland (4-5-1): Stekelenburg, Boularhouz, Heitinga, Mathijsen, van Bronckhorst, de Zeeuw, van Bommel, Kuyt, Sneijder, Robben, van Persie.

Uruguay (4-4-2): Muslera, M Perriera, Godin, Victorino, Carceres, A Perreira, Gargano, Alevano Rios, Perez, Cavani, Forlan     

Quarter Finals: Day 2

A New Low

      Argentina   0-4   Germany

Germany continued their unstoppable march to the World Cup final on Saturday in Cape Town . Jogi Low's team thoroughly dismantled Diego Maradona's Argentina despite being the slight underdogs beforehand.

Argentina had steamrolled their way to the last 8, wiping the floor with their group opponents and even Mexico, although with the help of an assistant referee. Their attacking improvisation was no match for Germany's calculated approach this time however as El Diego's luck finally ran out. The South Americans were finally shown up for what they are once they came into contact with a worthy adversary.

For four games Argentina had been impressive going forward but suspect at the back. While they may have got away with it against Nigeria and Greece, a team with no right-back and no Walter Samuel was always going to struggle once formidable opposition presented themselves.

It only took three minutes for Die Mannschaft to unlock the door. Tomas Muller has been an ever present for Bayern Munich over the past season, even playing in a Champions League final, but they jury was still out before the tournament, but not now. The German forward headed home Bastian Schweinsteiger's free-kick unchallenged from no more than ten yards out. Argentina's defensive failings had been exploited before the game had even got going.

Maradona must have thought that his attacking options were capable of prevailing whoever they faced. In dropping Juan Sebastian Veron for Maxi Rodriguez the 1986 winning captain threw caution to the wind, assuming his star studded attack could compensate for any goals conceded. He assumed wrong.

With no method to their madness, the striking triumvirate had no answer to falling behind. Leo Messi was forced to drop deep into his own half to get moves started which took him to far away from the areas where he is most dangerous, Carlos Tevez huffed and puffed but to no avail and Gonzalo Higuain has been no more than a goal poacher in this tournament but he had no scraps to feed off on this occasion. 

Between the first and second goals an hour passed, a period in which the albiceleste had a lot of possession but did little with it. Despite raising the tempo at the start of the second half no real chances were created. Messi and Tevez were restricted to shooting from range but as seen throughout this tournament, such a tactic is regularly pointless.

With their goal advantage the Germans were able to soak up the limited pressure they were under and counter attack at will. A defensive lapse let Miroslav Klose in for the second. Schweinsteiger's dribbling opened up the Argentine defence for Arne Friendrich to score his first international goal and the scoring was rounded off by Klose in what was the move of the match.

The Bayern substitute has now scored 14 World Cup goals, an unbelievable achievement for a striker with such a modest club record. Klose now sits just one goal behind Brazil's Ronaldo and is level with countryman Gerd Muller, although matching his goal rate of 68 in 62 games is impossible. The Polish born striker will need to score twice in the next two games to usurp the Brazilians four year old record because a fourth World Cup appearance in 2014 is unlikely.

Once the third goal was scored the Argentines fell apart. With absolutely no way back at that stage the Europeans were able to toy with their opponents. A chorus of oles accompanied every pass towards the end of the game, much as it did in the England game.

Any previous talk of revenge for 2006 had been forgotten. Diego Maradona's team were well and truly beaten and could have no complaints this time. Maradona lit up the tournament with his pitch side theatrics and humorous press conferences but his abilities as a coach have been unveiled.    

Spain Ride Their Luck

         Paraguay   0-1   Spain

Oscar Cardozo had the chance to put his country into a first World Cup semi final. His penalty after an hour could have put Paraguay in front, a position from which Spain famously fail to recover from. Conceding first to the US and Switzerland have resulted in Spain's only two defeats in their past 53 games but Cardozo's miss was just the spur la seleccion needed.

David Villa has carried this Spanish team on his back. Barcelona's new signing has scored five of his country's six goals since that initial defeat to the Swiss. His 80th minute goal settled this game once and for all and without him they wouldn't be facing the Germans on Wednesday. From that point the European Champions passed the ball around confidently and didn't give the Paraguayans any hope for an equalizer as the minutes ticked away.   

Many thought that Paraguay would be spent from their endeavours to get to this stage, especially following the 120 minutes of boredom against Japan. Coach Gerardo Martino made six changes however and his side showed renewed vigour and energy from their second round game. 

The South Americans pressed high up the pitch and threw themselves into every challenge with confidence. Spain didn't get the chance to string any meaningful passes together. Andres Iniesta couldn't get into the game and Fernando Torres was as profligate as ever as Spain struggled to create openings. In fact, they  were luck to go into the break level as Paragauy had a goal disallowed for no apparent reason.  

The penalty madness half way through the second half will define this game in years to come and it could have decided this game had either team scored, especially the South Americans. Cardozo's tame effort was followed immediately by Xabi Alonso's at the other end. The Real Madrid midfielder scored his initial spot kick but had to retake it due to encroachment. He missed the second attempt.

A second look at the Paraguayan attempt shows the same infractions taking place. Perhaps the referee subconsciously felt guilty for awarding a penalty so soon after the first and hoped to even things out by making Alonso take his penalty again. If that was the case his plan worked perfectly as both teams cancelled each other out. 

Ten minutes after the madness Villa popped up to slot home off both posts after Pedro's initial shot bounced back off the upright into the path of Villa. That goal signalled the end of what was a valiant Paraguay effort and it was the first they conceded since Daniele de Rossi equalized for Italy in their opening match. 

Spain will need to improve if their to conquer Germany once again, as they did two years ago. Reliance on one man will not suffice against such a potent attack. One gets the feeling the Spanish defence is always one step away from a disaster and no other team are as capable of exploiting those deficiencies than the Germans.