Netherlands laboured to a 1-0 victory over Japan in Group E second round encounter of the FIFA World Cup match at Durban, courtesy a Wesley Sneijder 53rd minute strike. iSporter Praneet Mhatre reports on the match and analyses the trend of low scoring matches in the current World Cup.
Oranje Fail to Add Colour to Drab World Cup
Let's face it - this World Cup has seen very little goalscoring action so far. Many teams that were expected to put on a show (read Spain, England), haven't really turned up.
Although it is too early in the day to start passing judgments, the purists won't be happy with what they have seen. After a less than convincing 2-0 victory over the Danes, the Netherlands took on Japan at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, as the Oranje Brigade watched the game expecting more attacking flair from their team.
But it wasn't to be. The Dutch managed just three shots on goal in the first half. Every time a Dutch attacker got the ball, one could see three white shirts charging towards the player and he would have no option but to pass the ball back to where it came from.
Fortunately, the Uruguayan referee let common sense prevail and blew the whistle only when it was absolutely necessary. I can't imagine the look of things, had the referee decided to stop the game for every petty foul! In a nutshell, the first half was a complete bore and I don't remember waiting for the half-time whistle so eagerly in recent times.
Both teams showed more intent in the second period. Games such as this are usually decided by a one off moment of brilliance and it came in the 53rd minute.
Wesley Sneijder sent a ferocious shot in from just outside the box. Although the goalkeeper could have dealt with the shot better, one would probably argue that the quality of the strike deserved a goal.
Things changed a little after this point, but the game never really took off and ended with the Netherlands having all but qualified for the knock out stage.
After the game, Dutch boss Bert Wan Marwijk admitted that his team didn't play the prettiest. He said, "Of course, we want to win playing great football but the important thing is that we learn to win ugly games." And winning ugly they did.
In fact, it is this ability of his team to grind out a result when the opposition refuses to go do down easily that might just make them better than the ever underachieving Dutch teams in the recent past.
However, one thing that has got me wondering is the lack of landslide games so far. Like Germany's 8-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia or Argentina's 6-1 mauling of Serbia in the 2002 and 2006 editions respectively. And this can be attributed to a variety of factors.
No more minnows
The gap between major footballing powerhouses and smaller nations is not as vast today as it used to be. Even the 'minor' teams have got a couple of players each with the experience of playing a in a major European league. This means that World Cup newbies do not cower at the prospect of facing multiple Cup winners anymore.
Strategy over flair
Be it Inter Milan's victory over Barcelona in the Champions League or Ronaldinho's exclusion from Brazil's World Cup squad, people at the very top seem to be convinced that playing with discipline and sticking to a strategy can help you get better of teams with superior individuals. Japan's dogged refusal to allow any space in the area to the Dutch was an example of this.
Cat and Mouse game
Most games are being played with the assumption that only one team is supposed to attack and the other is to sit back and defend. The skewed possession numbers only prove this trend. However, this can also work to the advantage of the weaker team, if the attacking team repeatedly fails to score and their players start getting frustrated.
The Spain-Switzerland game was an example of this where the Spaniards relentlessly attacked without managing to put the ball in the back of the net. And as soon as the Swiss got their first, everything seemed to fall part for Vicente del Bosque's men.
All strategy and no flair is always a bad idea (if you disagree, Football is not meant for you). And I would love to see everything change in the remaining group stage games and if it starts raining goals again. In fact, nothing would make me as happy as Spain crushing Honduras in their next game and proving all my analyses wrong! But the changes are here to stay.
The world of football is shrinking and the competition is only going to get fiercer. Let's hope that we soon reach an equilibrium and Football fanatics around the world are treated to the perfect combination of flair and strategy!
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
Show/hide comment form
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
