But here’s just some of my  thoughts on the game itself…

Spain seemed a little off…

It was one of those games where Spain’s game wasn’t exactly as planned. While they did dominate possession, usually plays that they would have connected were completely off target. Ramos was a prime example of this, missing two pretty crazy headers. I’m not taking the excuse that headers are hard to do because these are professionals that get paid millions to score goals on set-pieces and chosen as one of the starting XI of your entire country. Fabregas, who had been on a goal scoring tear this season in the EPL and UCL, missed what should have been an easy chip for him. Even David Villa’s missed attempt inside the six yard box was unbelievable.

The only thing I can think of to really explain this was the stage itself. The nerves of playing in the final could have resorted in the missed opportunities.

… but it wasn’t as bad as the Netherlands

Two words: Arjen Robben. If there was a scapegoat for their loss, it would have to be him. He had two amazing opportunities as well to win the game outright for the Dutch, but failed miserably. The first goal should have been all his, but Iker Casillas had an amazing foot save to keep Spain in it.

Why the change of tactics, Oranje?

It was obvious that the Dutch couldn’t outplay the Spaniards in a possession focused game because they’re not as precise with their passing, but they could have at least tried. Instead, they went with the tactic that isn’t really known to work… Physical play. In the end, they had a total of eight yellow cards and one red card. There should have at least been one more red card for De Jong for his ninja kick on Xabi Alonso in a lack of actual play on the ball. Maybe it was to stir up Spain and force them out of their rhythm? Well, it definitely got Spain upset and frustrated over the course of the game, as they managed to get some yellow cards of their own. They got five that game (they had only three coming into the final… for the entire tournament).

Could they have beaten the Spainards in a possession game? Probably not, but at least it would have denied possession for Spain, which is what one needs to do in order to beat them. That and press Spain in order to force them to make mistakes. That’s how the Swiss did it and they were a much weaker and just as athletic as the Dutch, maybe a little less. But they paid the price for that.

Subs making an impact

Fabregas, Navas, and Torres in for Xavi Alonso, Pedro, and David Villa for Spain, while the Netherlands had Elia, Van Der Vaart, and Braafheid for Kuyt, De Jong, and Van Bronckhorst. They all had a pretty positive impact on the game. The last sub of Braafheid for Van Bronckhorst should have come sooner, however, since Jesus Navas was creating major problems on that wing for Van Bronckhorst.

But of all six players, it was Fabregas that was the greatest impact as a sub. He created a number of great passes, as well as missing the golden opportunity late in the second half. Ultimately, it was him finding Iniesta that resulted in the game winning assist for La Furia Roja. (On a side note, I can’t wait to see him back in an Arsenal shirt again this season. He’s got something to prove now to the world, again.)

Keepers kept their teams in the game

Not really much more to say than this. It could have been high scoring if it wasn’t for some of the great reflex saves by Casillas and Stekelenburg. It was unfortunate that one of them would have to face the fact that they’ll concede a game winning goal at some point in the game. They both had excellent tournaments and some great saves for their teams all throughout.

It wasn’t as ugly of a game as critics described

Sure, there were a lot of yellow cards, but when you have changes in tactics to combat the other team’s tactics, what would you expect? Overall, the game provided a lot of great moments, nail-biting plays, and a lot of “Oh my gosh!” moments throughout. It’s good that the game didn’t go to a penalty shootout because that would have been an awful way to decide this game. Each team had found some great chances and while they might have missed golden opportunities to take the lead, you have to credit the keepers for getting those saves as well.

Spain still managed to get their characteristic passing game going, while the Dutch showed a lot of energy, heart, and grit to fight it out with the Spaniards to the dying minutes of the game, something that they’ve done all tournament.

Final thoughts on the final

Again, it was just a great game to end the tournament. Like I predicted, it was going to come down to a single goal that eventually went to the men in red. Both teams fought hard and with great emotion (hence all the cards from Spain and some from the Netherlands). But that’s what the world wanted to see. Sure, it might have not been a high scoring game as people imagined, but I can’t see how good it would have been for the game on the world’s biggest stage if that was the case. Both teams had solid defenses to complement their even stronger midfields and attacks.

Having a scoreless game built up the drama and intensity of the game going into extra time. The only certainty of it was that a goal would prove to be the climax of the game. As the game progressed, you knew it was going to happen too. Congratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup. Very much deserved for La Furia Roja.

Final thoughts on the tournament

I think that this World Cup was great. The power of the European game came out the eventual winners of the tournament, but we got a great look at the rest of the world as well. The storyline of South America vs. Europe was great, along with the smaller teams (Slovakia) and unexpected ones (Ghana, United States). It also showed that just because you’ve won it in the previous tournament, have the all-star attack, are favored to win it, or came close doesn’t guarantee anything. Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and France all learned that lesson. But that’s what makes the World Cup great. All these story lines happening in the span of one month.

But even greater was the unity of the entire world for one event. It didn’t matter if your country was in the tournament or not, everyone was keeping an eye out on every single game. People that didn’t speak the same language still celebrated and cried together. It was just an awesome sight to see all this. Soccer isn’t just a beautiful game, but it’s a unifying game. You don’t need to speak the same language to speak and play the game.

So who came out winning and who came out losing?

Cavs

Major loser. They lost on so many levels. From the organization to the fan base. The organization itself made a lot of sacrifices in order to get LeBron a chance at winning a NBA title. Lotsa trades, new signings, kissing his butt endlessly. All of that resulted in no real gain aside from the fact that all their work was wasted and the person that they catered to is now gone. The fans also got slapped in the face. Cleveland fans worshipped the “King” these past seven years. They supported him a lot. Then he goes. I think that they would have been more understanding if he had went to the finals several consecutive years and failed, then wanted to be traded to try to win one. Or if it was later in his career. But he still hasn’t reached either stage. Why support a guy that doesn’t keep trying to help your team? Why support a guy that you’ve been loyal to but not vice versa?

Heat

Major winner. This is pretty obvious. You now have arguably the best player in the league right now, one of the better big men in the league in Bosh, and one of the better offensive players in the league in Wade. They have hope of winning another title since the days of Shaq and Wade. The only losing part here is that everyone that follows the NBA now hates the Heat, but they don’t care. They care as much about everyone else’s opinion about their NBA team as they did when they were voting between Gore and Bush in 2000. Remember those hanging chads, Miami residents?

Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh

Winners (for now). This one is fairly self-explanatory as well. I guess there is some kind of strong relationship between Dwayne Wade, Bosh, and LeBron. It’s borderline bromance between them. But this does give them a legit shot of winning a title (or another one, as in Wade’s case). The question is how do you integrate all three players into an offense that will work? Wade needs the ball. So does LeBron. Bosh can just rebound all the outside shots that they miss and try to put them back in. How this chemistry will work has yet to be seen.

The U.S. national team doesn’t really shed any light, however, as that team was very much different than this Miami team. A lot of leaders, a different coaching staff (an extremely solid one for that matter), and a different focus and motivation after the past failings.

The NBA

Minor losers. Two have two big stars leave cities where they were the face of the team that they were on is bad. The market for the NBA in that city drops because there is less support for that team. The fan morale drops as well. Losing LBJ for the Cavs basically dropped them out of the top four and probably into the bottom five teams in the league, which as a result means the following for the NBA there will crap out a bit.

But you want teams where their arenas are sold out and people come to games. By having all stars on one team, it really hurts the rest of the market, as it’ll result in empty seats for other teams. Keeping stars spread out over various teams creates buzz in other cities, not just the major ones. It keeps rivalries strong, and not one-sided. This move doesn’t help them out one bit.

LeBron James

Minor winner, major loser. I’m going to be frank here and just say that. The way that he went about this was pretty bad. Making everyone wait, putting all the attention on him like that, having an interview to force people to have to watch to see where he was going  created a lot of publicity for him. But in the process, it wasn’t really that positive. Instead, we get an image of a guy that just wants attention. Not a humble, NBA title focused player.

The other thing is that it really damaged his legacy as a player. If he wanted to be compared to the legend that is Michael Jordan, he should have stayed. By leaving to join two other major stars, he won’t compare to that of MJ. Remember how MJ got his six titles. He did it without the need of any big stars. No Clyde Drexeler, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajawaan, or other people like that. He worked with a bunch of support players and got there. LBJ definitely had the talent to do so as well, as well as the personnel. But in the process, he chose the easy way out. Now people will assume that the only way that he can win a title is by being on the same team as other big name stars and not by himself. That right there is the key concept. We’ll now never know whether or not he could have done it by himself. He came close, but never got there. He had the potential to do so this year, but he crashed and burned.

The only thing that really came out of this for him is now he has a shot at winning a NBA title. Like I stated earlier, if he was reaching the end of his career and bolted, it might have been more understandable because it’s still hard. But still questions his legacy as to whether or not he’s up there as the best player of all time.

Last Thoughts

In the end, the game of basketball, as a whole, lost. Who was assumed as the best player in the league jumped ship and basically makes the claim that he can’t do it by himself and needs big time help in order to win a title. The publicity and energy created for the game of basketball wasn’t positive at all. Heck, the free agent signing period that’s been going on hasn’t really created any waves. It’s just more of a circus with players switching teams here and there, with this being the big act. Who’s to blame for all this? Stern? The NBA rules for signing players? The league as a whole? The Cavs? Probably a combination of all these things.

Maybe it’s a good time to jump ship from the NBA and follow something that’s more interesting, less of a circus, and worthwhile… European soccer anyone?

So it begs the questions: Who do you think is going to win it all?

There’s a lot of things to consider. Each team’s attack vs. the other team’s defense, the midfield battle, and other intangibles. Here’s my analysis of those:

Spain’s attack vs. Netherlands’ defense

Spain’s attack is lead by David Villa up top. He’s been probably Spain’s best player, although he has been struggling as of late. What’s scary is that struggling still has resulted in him currently in the lead for the Golden Boot, with five goals for the men in red. However, their attack is supported by midfielders Andres Iniesta (arguably the most underrated midfielder in the game), Xavi, and Pedro (or Torres). That support alone can undo any defense. It’s just a matter of time, as seen with Portugal and Paraguay, two teams who hadn’t given up goals until they played Spain. But this team is also very much a team that involves all their players in the attack. It’s not uncommon to see defenders making runs up to assist in the attack.

The Netherlands defense has been good. With defensive midfielders in Van Bommel and De Jong ahead of the back four, they’ve managed to keep control of possession and snuff out most attacks against them. But they’ve been exposed before, as seen with Uruguay and Brazil. While they do have the leadership and experience, they are a step slower than the Spaniards. That’s the big question. Can this Dutch defense handle the passing game of the Spanish? As good as they have been this tournament, Spain have a lot more speed, youth, and unpredictability that favors them over the Netherlands.

Advantage: Spain

Netherlands’ attack vs. Spain’s defense

The Netherlands have a pretty nasty attacking team. It is as formidable as the Spanish attack. Precision passing, fast counters, confident strikers/wingers. Van Persie hasn’t done a whole lot this tournament, but he still provides the threat (unlike Torres). But the key here is very much like Spain’s attack: the midfield support. Sneijder has been absolutely astonishing, single-handily winning the game against Brazil with his two scores. His passing has been superb and vision great as well. With Kuyt and Robben providing support on the wings, it’s difficult for most teams to handle the kind of raw attacking power that the Oranje have. They have the passing. They have the shooting ability. They have the creativity.

The Spaniards have only conceded two goals all tournament. However, like Real Madrid, the person that they can thank for that is Iker Casillas. However, this is where problems arise. Though they have conceded only two goals all tournament, they’ve been very iffy in the back line. They definitely have had some mistakes here and there, getting caught off-guard with their wingbacks pushing too far forward or misplaying balls. A prime example of this is the goal by the Swiss in their loss in the opening game. If anything, Robben and Kuyt have the capability of exposing the wing defense of Spain and creating some chances there. Xavi Alonso and Busquets have been good holding defenders however. But they’ll struggle to contain this Dutch attack.

Advantage: Netherlands

Netherlands’ midfield vs. Spain’s midfield

Now this is where the battle between the two teams will be won. Spain have a all-star midfield in Xavi Alonso and Busquets in holding positions and Xavi, Iniesta and Pedro (or whoever they place in there) in more advanced positions. Most of their game depends on the power of this midfield controlling the possession. By doing this, they stifle pretty much all opposing attacks in the most logically sound method: Don’t let your opponent have the ball in the first place and they can’t score. Most of their games have had them dominating possession at least 60% of the game. And don’t let the Germany game fool you with the 51% possession. They were up to 70% before the last 10 minutes of the game. But their ability to make solid, smart passes and have the creativity to find open players and runs has been their path to success. Tire out the opposing defense and then go in for the kill.

The Dutch midfield is quite formidable as well. Like stated earlier, Van Bommel and De Jong provide in the holding positions, with Sneijder, Kuyt and Robben in more advanced positions. They’re very much about the possession game as well, but also provide the creativity to create goals and grit and tenacity to win the ball as well. Kuyt is probably the overlooked player here, as he provides a strong box-to-box option on the wing, with his amazing work ethic. However, their passing isn’t as precise as the Spaniards, unfortunately but pretty close.

The key here is possession. Which team can possess the ball longer? Which can tire the other out? The game will be won here in the midfield and with Spain’s experience and cohesion from playing together for so long (and the majority of the team being either from Real Madrid or Barcelona), it’s hard to really go against them. Especially after their game against Germany today, it’s quite convincing that this Spanish midfield is arguably the best out there.

Advantage: Spain

Netherlands’ bench vs. Spain’s bench

There’s definitely the possibility that this game could go to extra time. This means the importance of the bench. This is where Spain might be lacking a bit. They’ve relied heavily on Fabregas to provide the spark for the attack, in addition to Pedro. But beyond that, the rest of the bench hasn’t been counted on or as effective. David Silva hasn’t played since the loss to the Swiss, though he did come on versus Germany yesterday. Marchena, who’s been solid for Valencia, hasn’t seen much play either. Most of the other players have been used at least one, but especially with injuries and ineffectiveness, they’ve definitely been lacking here.

The Netherlands’ bench, on the other hand, has been quite good. They’ve definitely shown their depth with injuries and suspensions from various players. With Elia, Van Der Vaart, and Huntelaar coming off the bench to help the attack, and the depth in the defense (as seen after Mathijsen’s injury right before the Brazil game) and De Jong’s injury, they have players that can step up in short notice and fill in at any position.

Advantage: Netherlands

Intangibles

There are a number of intangibles for each team right now. Spain’s intangibles are pretty big. They’ve only lost two games in the past two years: One to the U.S. in the Confederations Cup last year and to the Swiss in the opening game. They’ve managed to break down some stingy defenses in Portugal, Paraguay, and Germany. The unity of the team is quite strong and their knowledge of each other’s games is quite visible, as the majority of the players play in Spain. Things that go against them is their inability to provide results when it really matters. Aside from this year, they’ve been known for just collapsing and self-exploding from being inconsistent or just not being in the game at all.

The Dutch have not lost all tournament. They’ve been on a roll and the team is extremely confident, as though they’re invincible. The unity of the team has been pretty strong, even with known rifts among some of the team’s stars (see Sneijder vs. Van Persie). There’s been this professionalism that’s just unheard of when it comes to intrasquad rivalries. However, like the Spanish, their inability to provide results when it really matters has shown and their ability to keep their nerves as well (Euro 2000 is a great example, losing on several missed penalties).

But the key here has to be the style of play. The Dutch explosive attack vs the Spanish precision passing game. It’s hard to really go against the passing game, as they’ve used it to win game after game. But it has a lot to do with the unity of the squad and their understanding of each other. Without that, they wouldn’t have the success they have had. By the majority of the squad coming from the major clubs in Spain (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia), it’s provided such great experience playing with one another that the Dutch nor anyone else can really match that.

Advantage: Spain

Who do you think will win?

Even with all this knowledge, it’s still hard to say. My inkling is on Spain, however. How they win is as such: They look to dominate the ball possession, force the Dutch attack to resort to just counter-attacking, and eventually tire them out to the point that they can get a goal or two and win the game. That’s how Spain have played and will continue to play. If the Dutch start pressing against the men in red like the Swiss did, they might have a chance. They do have a lot better talent than the Swiss to do it. However, will they conform to such a strategy or continue to follow their own success and tactics that have gotten them to where they are? I think they’ll stick with the latter and trust that. However, it’s hard to beat the Spanish at their own game. Again, you can’t dominate possession when you don’t have the ball in the first place.

My prediction is Spain wins this by a single goal.

Conclusions and Last Thoughts

Regardless of the result, I think this will be a great game and one that everyone will enjoy, whether you’re watching soccer for the first time or followed the beautiful game your entire life. It’s hard to really root against any one team because they’ve both been deserving to hoist up the trophy. What’s more exciting is that fact that a team will win the trophy for the very first time. It won’t be Brazil or Argentina or Germany. It’s going to be a new team and one that’s fun to watch score goals and slick passing and creativity. It won’t be a shootout, but you’ll see the beautiful game in action in the biggest stage in the sporting world.

Everyone will be watching these two teams go at it and no one will be disappointed.

Who do I have winning it all? Spain. Had them since before the tournament started. Heck, I had this match-up before the tournament started.

I’ll post my analysis of this match-up in the next few days, as well as the third place match between Uruguay/Germany.

EDIT: It’s not really worth analyzing the third place match. Germany is far stronger than Uruguay. Germany should win it handily. It’s all about the championship game.