Looking forward from English Despair and American Regret

Before I get to the crushing losses of this weekend I will address the Dutch team, my adopted team for the remainder of this World Cup. As Ryan alludes to below, Arjen Robben must be deployed on the right where he is allowed to cut in on his left foot to create or shoot. This happened to great effect in Holland's game earlier today, a 2-1 victory over Slovakia, where Robben clinically finished his first real chance at goal and was only denied a stunning second by a diving save from the opposing keeper. The Dutch Gaffer, part of my All Name Squad, wisely removed the injury prone Robben with 20 minutes to go, preserving him for the mouthwatering matchup with Brazil. Related to Robben's age, apparently he joined the first team in Groningen, his first professional side, at age 16. He later made his debut for PSV in 2002, moving to Chelsea in 2004, Real Madrid in 2007, and finally to Bayern in 2008. For such a young lad, he really has been around the block (of European powerhouse club teams).

As a fan of none of the sides remaining in the Cup considering my English heritage and my American citizenship support avenues haven't turned out as planned, I vow to switch allegiance to the Dutch for this tournament. They have the attacking players in Robben, Kuyt, Sneidjer, Van Persie, Huntelaar, Babal, Elias, et al to score with the best in this tournament and a passing style that is pleasant to witness. Additionally, they tend to play 6 defensive minded players, with Van Bommel and De Jong sitting centrally in front of the back four making odd man rushes and counterattacking goals very unlikely. What was worrying against Slovakia today was the inability to score a second goal until the mid 80s when really the game should have been put to rest. Perhaps the players relaxed looking ahead to the Quarters but they escaped when Vitek scuffed his wide open shot directly at Stekelenberg midway through the second half. Mistakes like these will be costly against Brazil.

The make up of the Dutch starting XI bears resemblance to this Cup's Brazil side. Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano, and Dani Alves (replacing the injured Elano against Slovakia) make up the attacking quartet while Ramires (replacing the suspended Felipe Melo against Slovakia) and Gilberto Silva (who never seems to get yellow carded despite the staggering number of fouls he commits) make up the defensive midfield in front of the back four. While the Brazilians likely have the attacking edge (not to mention history), Kaka has been underwhelming recently and Fabiano can be wasteful, it is always unwise to bet against the Samba Boys and their ability to score. The Dutch defense seems better organized, more physical, and less prone to space cadet moments (like when Brazil allowed North Korea to score in the last minutes of their match) than the Brazilian back line but again, it is true the Brazilians generally play up to their competition and will not likely have a defensive mistake in the quarterfinals- anyone who does would risk Dunga's fearsome wrath.

All in all this game seems to have classic written all over it. Both teams play the same formation essentially, both will try to possess the ball, pass around the opponent, and wait for the perfect time to pounce. Both teams are extremely organized defensively and rarely get caught out of position. Brazil likely has the edge at Keeper but it seems that Julio Cesar has been suffering from some back injuries recently so maybe the healthy Stekelenberg has the edge currently. Both benches have players that can come on and immediately change the game. It is too soon for predictions but if the Dutch lose, well, there is always Euro 2012, right? As I've blabbered considerably here I will leave the lack of English commitment, the question of To Capello or Not to Capello, and the disappointing US loss to Ghana for another column.

And as John Harkes, the one and only, would say, "He picked a really opportune time to score."

Thanks John.

- Matt

"It's crazy how good Robben is at 51 years old."

I'm quoting Scottie in the title of this post, but I think he's absolutely right. Arjen Robben is a monster on the right wing. The Dutch international/Bayern Munich winger absolutely terrorizes the flank, as evinced by his goal scored for the Oranje in this morning's match against Slovakia. His pace and touch are truly menacing, and although Bert van Marwijk had originally hinted towards using the naturally left footed Robben on the left wing to feed balls into the box, (rather than on the right, where he usually plays for Bayern) stating at some point something along the lines of "Well, Bayern are not the Oranje...". Looks like ol' Bert has changed his thinking since Robben's return from injury, as he has played him on the right not only against the Slovaks, but against Cameroon as well in their final group stage match. In the match against Cameroon, Robben helped facilitate a goal by taking much the same course he did today (where he scored), in which he swooped in from the right wing fooling the defenders, struck the ball with his left foot putting the ball off the post which was eventually put in by 'el cazador' (Klaas Jan Huntelaar).

Having watched each of the 4 matches 'Clockwork Oranje' have played in the 2010WC, it seems to me that if they're going to make a serious run at winning it all, Robben is going to have to keep up playing the way he's playing, while at the same time keeping that calf healthy. Also, the Dutch have put Liverpool striker/winger Dirk Kuyt (whose work ethic comes as a result of him being the son of a fisherman, as put by Martin Tyler) on Robben's opposing wing. Kuyt has a fantastic work ethic, and certainly gives his all when playing, but he just doesn't have the pace that a player like Elia adds towards the potent Dutch attack. I would hope to see Elia (or even Ryan Babel/ 'Babar' the elephant) on Robben's opposing flank when they match up against tournament favorites Brazil this Friday. This one's certainly shaping up to be a doozy, though.

Anyway, above I've provided a picture of Robben above for those of you reading this (Kristi) that don't know what he looks like. Let's just say looks can be deceiving... Per my wikipedia search, Robben was born January 23, 1984... which makes him 26?!? You have to be kidding me... He looks to be about 51, as Scottie put it. Absolutely ridiculous, seriously. What do you think he looked like as a 12 year old? Think they were serving him adult beverages back then? I bet they were... Anyway, I wonder what he's going to look like when he's actually 51? I'm going to put my money on him looking exactly the same...

Here's to hoping for an KNVB win on Friday,

Ryan