Coaching will put Holland in Final

Holland is the clear favorite here and should be able to take this game in regular time. If they do falter however, and end up playing Brazil in the 3rd place game, expect to see another run up of the score against a Brazil side that is clueless against the intelligence and efficiency of European football.

In this Holland vs Argentina match we need to look at several slices of this clash of two strong teams. First, we look at the group. The group of 23 players that each team coach has at it's disposal. On the whole, Holland has a stronger group of 23 players. But Argentina can present a slightly stronger starting 11 if we assess it on the basis of units of individual talent alone. With the absence of DiMaria however, that changes the equation. DiMaria is essentially the offensive motor of this team. Messi, despite all the undeserved hype around him, essentially does absolutely nothing all game. He walks, I repeat WALKS around the final third of the pitch, doesn't run, doesn't defend, doesn't pressure the opponents. He simply cherry picks and gets about 40 balls a game - which he promptly turns over to the opponent.

Argentina being a highly defensive team already, will be more so with the absence of DiMaria. This could change if Holland gets an early goal and forces them to open up.

Tactically, it's as big a mismatch as we saw yesterday. Holland having an absolute coaching mastermind who has succeeded at the highest levels of European football. He coaches at the cutting edge of excellence. On the other side, Sabella is a typically incompetent South American coach. One who has no success at the European club level and in many ways is stuck in the past thinking that previous South American success can somehow overcome the huge gap in quality between the European game and the weak South American game.

One strength the coach has though is his ability to keep Argentina tactically disciplined. He knows that having a one man attack (DiMaria) is not a recipe for success so he orients them into a very defensive posture with three central defenders and a cluttered midfield. It will be difficult for Holland to maintain consistent attacking under these circumstances. Again, an early goal could change that dynamic though. When it has the ball, argentina normally keeps 5 men at or behind the ball. Bery defensive, very conservative, inoffensive football is its status quo.

In terms of individual talent, Robben is heralded along with Messi as the star of their respective teams, Robben deserves the accolades. Messi does not. Robben is excellent and causes havoc with every touch of the ball. Messi gets the ball passed to him many times and quickly turns it over to the Defence. Van Gaal knows he has better offensive weapons and needs to tell his team to be patient with the argentine defensive wall. Enzo Perez and Mascherano are very dirty players and will offer many dirty fouls. Holland has to keep their cool and hold the ball, circulate, make Argentina chase it and eventually their offensive stars like Robben and Van Persie will make the difference as they always do. Argentina also has a very poor Keeper but he plays behind some stellar defenders. Rojo and Garay are as good as it gets and Holland must not lose confidence after being stopped time after time by Argentina's stellar Defence.

If the game stays tied at half, the coaching will make a difference as Van Gaal will be able to make better adjustments than Sabella. Both because he has a better bench and because he is smarter and knows the game at its highest level - the European level.

All said, I can't conceive of a way Argentina can win this game. The question is by how many will they lose. If Holland scores early, it could be a 2 or 3 goal difference by the time all is said and done. If Argentina can hold on until half time and keep it scoreless, then Holland may get more cautious and orient the team to more of a counter mode hoping for a simple 1-0 victory which capitalizes on Argentinian errors (of which they make very few). If it goes to extra time or shootout, again holland has the advantage as they simply have better and more offensive talents which could make the difference at any moment. My final prognosis is that Holland wins this game by 2 goals or more in regular time.

Then Argentina will go on to humiliate Brazil.