World Cup Buzz, Day 32 - The World Cup Final: A day on which dreams come true, heroes emerge, and history is made

So here it is, the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa has finally arrived. Whilst the standard of football has at times been below what many would have expected, and a number of games have been rather boring and predictable, the organisers have put on an excellent tournament. Further to this millions of South Africans have been given a magnificent experience that they will never forget. Most importantly of all, the World Cup will have a new winner by this evening. When asked at the beginning of the tournament, I very much doubt that many pundits, fans, experts, former footballers or casual observers would have picked Holland as finalists, so it is a credit to those intelligent few who did. Yet more than this it is a tribute to the excellent job Coach Bert van Marwijk has done in forging a cohesive, committed, professional side with the right balance between physicality, strength, pace and flair. This is not his biggest achievement however. Dutch sides of the past always had the potential to collapse amidst internal disputes, with morale and team-spirit being irreparably damaged by critical fractures within the various talented groups of players the Netherlands has had over the past twenty or so years. The fact that van Marwijk's players have been able to steer clear of such problems is a huge testament to his managerial ability, and may well be his main legacy. For these Dutch players, to realise how far they have come by sticking together and avoiding often pointless arguments, the importance of maintaining team spirit is a lesson they should never forget.

To have reached the final is a huge achievement for these players, and this cannot be overstated. Whilst Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben are considered to be among the foremost players in Europe, this Dutch squad has been more than just a flamboyant outfit, able to thrash lesser opponents but likely to crumble in the face of more formidable opposition. Having conceded a sloppy goal early on against Brazil from a simple pass through the middle of defence, Holland demonstrated huge character to come back after half-time, although obviously the introduction of Rafael van der Vaart in midfield was pivotal to the final result. Defensively the Dutch haven't looked rock solid but van Marwijk's defence has still only conceded 5 goals in the six games they have played so far. Whilst this team is almost incomparable to Holland's 'total football' finalists of 1974 and 1978, perhaps van Marwijk has discovered a new 'third way' for the Dutch to approach major tournaments. Solid but unspectacular, they sailed through the group stages and at have yet to appear out of their depth against any opponent. Tonight's game will be very different however, with the Spanish posing a very different threat to any other side in world football. The form of Wesley Sneijder will be crucial in attempting to dominate the midfield, certainly the key battlefield in tonight's game, whilst Mark van Bommel will be looking to disrupt the play of Iniesta and Xavi through his robust tackling and playing style. Arjen Robben could well be the man to break through the Spanish ranks with his pace giving him a huge advantage over Pique and Puyol if Sneijder manages to thread through the inch-perfect passes Holland's legions of orange-clad fans will be desperately hoping he can.

Spain are undoubtedly the favourites for this match, despite the fact that they have been distinctly unimpressive throughout this tournament. Having slumped to a 1-0 defeat in their opening game against Switzerland, Spain just about creeped through the group stages despite the fact that they accumulated six points and topped their group. Victories in the Round of 16 against Portugal and in the Quarter Final against Paraguay were rather fortuitous, both settled by goals from David Villa, who has essentially carried the Spanish to their first ever World Cup Final. It was against Germany that Spain really began to perform as fans and pundits alike know they are able to. A bullet header from the unmarked Carlos Puyol saw them through, and Del Bosque's side were deserved winners on the night. Having played so well against the Germans, few would expect Spain's level of performance to drop drastically, so the Dutch may well be hard pressed to hold back the Spanish tide. Whilst Spain have not been at their best for the majority of this World Cup, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta are two players the Dutch and Mark van Bommel will neither be able to play off the park nor foul out of the game. The primary question mark hanging over the Spanish side is whether or not Fernando Torres will be included. His below-par performances, almost certainly due to injury, have contributed to the rather unimpressive scorelines Spain have amassed throughout the tournament, and have put the goalscoring burden on his strike partner David Villa. Barcelona starlet Pedro, who deputised for the Liverpool forward against Paraguay and Germany, looks set to start just behind Villa, who will be tricky to stop as he bids to become the 2010 World Cup Golden Boot.

As with any final, predicting the result is an incredibly difficult and really rather pointless task, unless of course you are planning to to back one of the finalists with your hard-earned money. This year's game is no different, and we can take few things for granted. Yes the Spanish will dominate possession and play an attractive passing game. Yes the Dutch will be committed and passionate, and this will probably manifest itself in a number of bookings from referee Howard Webb, the first Englishman to officiate a final since Jack Taylor in 1974. Spain go into the match as favourites, and it would certainly take a herculean effort from the Dutch, matched in terms of skill and technique, plus no small degree of luck, for them to overcome Del Bosque's side. However Spain will not just be able to turn up, walk out onto the pitch and effortlessly play with Holland before finishing them off with an impeccably-crafted goal as an when they wish to. Holland will be looking to disrupt Spain's flow, whilst the Spanish will be hoping Iniesta's superior ability will tell in the many clashes the Barcelona playmaker will inevitably have with the robust, to put it kindly, Mark Van Bommel, who has incredibly been booked just once so far. Therefore my final score prediction of this tournament would be 1-0 to Spain, simply because of the superior quality of the Spanish midfield and my growing belief that Vicente Del Bosque's side was destined to win this tournament. Despite not playing particularly well, despite not being the most deserving finalists, Spain have reached the final and look to be finally recapturing the form that saw them triumph in the European Championships two years ago. With a Dutch side desperate to right past wrongs standing in their way, the Spanish are the bookies' favourites, many fans' favourites and judged simply on ability, I guess they have to be my favourites as well. Oh, and Paul the Octopus said they'd win, so it's bound to happen...

World Cup Buzz, Day 28 - Rampant Germany meets limp-wristed, lucky Spain: surely a foregone conclusion?

There may be little to choose between these teams on paper, but on current form they are poles apart. Saturday's Quarter-Final ties could not possibly have produced two more distinct results and performances. Whilst Spain dug deep and, with a sizeable amount of luck were able to overcome a stubborn Paraguay side by the narrowest of margins, Germany destroyed Diego Maradona's Argentina in the most ruthless manner through a devastating display of attacking football marked by clinical finishing. Logic would therefore dictate that the Germans will simply roll in and effortlessly play their Iberian opponents off the park before marching on triumphantly to the Final, where they will surely triumph. However football is immune to the stipulations of logic, and in Durban on Wednesday evening current form will count for absolutely nothing. Having demonstrated my confidence in this German side, although not to the extent I perhaps ought to have done, by placing my money on them to win the competition outright, I am not about to jump ship and join la fiesta Espana. However I still believe that tonight's game will be closer than any other in the tournament so far. Two score 8 goals in two games against sides ranked, rightly or wrongly in the case of England, in the Top Ten of the FIFA World Rankings, is no mean feat, and Joachim Low's side have proven themselves to be devastatingly effective on the counter-attack. Bastian Schweingsieger was the best player on the park by a country mile on Saturday, and even such consistently excellent players as Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas will struggle to replicate such a performance, even on a very good day.

The main saving grace for the Spanish has been the form of David Villa, whom I believe to be a one-in-a-generation goalscorer of the absolute highest standard. Ten years ago, it was Raul Gonzalez whom young Spaniards wanted to emulate. In the past few weeks it has been David Villa, hero of Spain's 2008 European Championship campaign, who has netted five times already at this tournament, and is just one goal away from becoming Spain's all-time top goalscorer. Whilst the mercurial midfield pairing of Iniesta and Xavi is probably Spain's main strength, and certainly gives the side its edge in terms of creativity, passing and maintaining possession, without Villa's contribution Spain would not be competing at the Semi-Final stage. Without his goals against Paraguay, Honduras and Portugal, who else would have stepped up to the plate, and shouldered Spain's goalscoring burden. Sadly Fernando Torres, another hero of Euro 2008, is clearly not at full fitness, and the fact that Del Bosque can only call on Pedro of Barcelona and Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao, who can boast just four goals between them, would be a worry for most supporters of La Roja. In midfield Spain are almost in a class of their own, and to prove it, let me give you the following list of names. Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Francesc Fabregas, Juan Manuel Mata, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Javi Martinez, David Silva, Jesus Navas. None of these would fail to get in England's starting line-up, and quite frankly such an exceptional collection of players puts Germany's midfield ranks firmly in the shade.

However it's form that counts, and I believe the performance of Schweingsteiger in the last game, Muller against England, and Ozil in the group stages give them an edge over their certainly more illustrious, and arguably more talented opponents. The weakest link in the German side has to be Manuel Neuer, who with just 10 caps is perhaps not ready to be facing a player of the calibre of David Villa. His opposite number Iker Casillas on the other hand has accumulated 109 caps during his years as the Spanish number one, and when called upon should produce the goods for his side. The most pressing concern surrounding Casillas would be his ability to claim the ball from corner-kicks, but frankly similar issues still surround Neuer. Therefore it would be reasonable to suggest that whichever team uses set-pieces more effectively may well triumph. My score prediction for this game is 1-1 in normal time, heading to extram-time and perhaps penalties. Unsurprisingly I see David Villa continuing his excellent form and cementing his position as 2010 Golden Boot, whilst Miroslav Klose could just be in the right place at the right time to start today's Semi-Final party off early on. The winner is more difficult to predict, but given that I saw fit to invest my hard-loaned money in a German victory, over the course of the past few weeks I've seen little that would make me change my mind. The Spanish of course pose a huge threat, but form-wise they are out-of-sorts, and the spriteliness and raw potential of players such as Muller, Ozil, Khedira and even the still relatively young Podolski and Schweinsteiger might just see the Germans progressing to the final at Soccer City on Saturday evening.

World Cup Buzz, Day 27 - Will it be an all-European final, or can South America salvage some pride through an unlikely hero?

Following the final round of Group Stage matches, it very much appeared as though the 2010 FIFA World Cup belonged to South America. With six sides from said continent still in the tournament, as opposed to two from Asia, Ghana as the sole African representative, and just six from Europe, traditional dominators of previous World Cups, some pundits were talking up the possibility of an all-South American final. Admittedly the two most likely sides to be involved in such a final were Brazil and Argentina, but having lost Italy and France in the Group Stages, and given how poorly England and Spain had been performing. Now though the situation is rather different. Three out of the four sides involved in this week's Semi-Final matches are from Europe, suggesting perhaps that towards the latter stages of any World Cup, the greater experience of the European players, and perhaps higher standard of coaches comes into play. I may be doing a disservice to the other sides in the World Cup, but certainly Argentina's failure to reach the last four cannot be blamed on any shortage of talent in their squad, whilst Ghana's defeat demonstrated a lack of experience in highly pressurised situations. Furthermore had Brazil been able to maintain their discipline and adapt themselves tactically and mentally to cope with the greater threat posed by Holland after half-time, the tournament would be guaranteed a non-European finalist. As it is Uruguay, the final South American side standing, face an uphill battle to reach the final for the first time since 1950, when they upset perennial champions Brazil to claim the Jules Rimet trophy.

Perhaps not everybody's favourite team right now, Uruguay's route to the Semi-Final stage had been relatively simple until last week's exhilirating match against Ghana, which ended with a penalty shoot-out, after a few minutes of high-drama at the end of the extra time period. Following an outrageous and unmistakable handball by star striker Luis Suarez, who was rightly sent-off and will miss today's game, Ghana's top scorer Asamoah Gyan smashed his shot against the bar, leading to a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out loss for the demoralised and devastated Ghanaians. The fact that Suarez was seen to have been heading down the tunnel in tears following his blatant act of cheating, only to break out in celebration as Gyan failed to convert from the spot has angered many, whilst in the unjust nature of Ghana's defeat has left their many supporters, both native and adopted, feeling extremely hard done by. Personally I am hoping for today's game to restore a sense of justice a decency to the competition, and I feel that Holland as a side that represent more than most the values of attractive, technically-sound, passing football, are best placed to do just that. On a purely footballing level meanwhile, I can't imagine there would be many able or willing to predict anything other than a Dutch victory. In Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben they have the players, but as they showed against Brazil, Holland also have the mental strength and self-belief to claw back victory from the jaws of defeat. Bert van Marwijk has done an exceptional job in forging a committed but most importantly unified Dutch squad, which has so far avoided petty-squabbles and infighting, and focused entirely on the job at hand.

Uruguay for their part have done very well to get this far, although it is fair to say that having been on the 'easier' side of the draw, games against South Korea and subsequently Ghana haven't been quite as difficult as the test Oscar Tabarez' side face today. It would also be reasonable to suggest that after friday's game Uruguay may well have tired themselves out to such an extent that they cannot maintain the level of performance they will be required to for at least 90 minutes in order to progress. The loss of Luis Suarez is a huge blow, but Uruguay can still rely on the prolific Diego Forlan and strike partner Edinson Cavani up front. However I still believe van Marwijk's to be superior to the Uruguayans in every way, and having come into this game off the back of a superb victory against five-time champions Brazil, one has to say they have the momentum to boot. My score prediction would be 2-1, for I believe Uruguay to be capable, almost certainly through Forlan, or breaking through the by no means watertight Dutch defence. If Uruguay can utilise the long-ball tactic, as Brazil did to great effect for Robinho's opener, they may well be able to expose the weaknesses of Heitinga and Mathijsen. However as they have proven throughout this tournament, Holland are capable of scoring crucial goals as an when required, and Arjen Robben could well prove to be the difference today.

World Cup Buzz, Day 23 - Surely there can be nothing better than watching your enemies fight to the death?

After last night's injustice, where lethal marksman Luis Suarez demonstrated his talent, not for goalscoring, but cheating in order to ensure his side's progression to the Semi-Finals, today's Germany vs. Argentina showdown should provide a bit of much needed relief. Despite showcasing some of the world's foremost players, it will also be a good opportunity to watch either German or Argentinean fans, players and coaches crying at full-time, a sight to savour for the millions of downhearted England fans across the country. On a purely footballing level the match is deeply intriguing, for it will almost certainly be the first time that the managerial credentials of Diego Maradona, as well as his tactical knowledge and understanding, have been tested at this tournament. No disrespect to the following sides, but games against Nigeria, South Korea, Greece and Mexico haven't been the most taxing, and generally Maradona has been able to dispatch his extremely talented charges and watch them overcome their opponents with ease. The test Joachim Low's Germany will almost certainly provide will not be easy in the slightest. Fresh from a convincing 4-1 victory over England, which I think a few news outlets in this country may well have covered, the Germans are a force to be reckoned with. Despite the innane and pointless comparisons with previous German sides, Low's players proved to the world that they are resilient, tactically sound, technically excellent and most of all extremely talented. On paper Argentina have more experience, and it is fair to say that Germany, like their opponents, have not been tested against opponents of the highest calibre as of yet.

Mesut Ozil will continue to attract the interest of commentators, fans and pundits alike, as I imagine will Lionel Messi's percieved underachievement at this tournament. It will be interesting to see whether Argentina's defence will be able to cope with Germany's lethal counter-attacking, especially when it's array of attacking stars are pushing forward hoping to break the deadlock, or in search of an equaliser. Having said that I doubt that even a manager as tactically dubious as Maradona will afford Low's side the amount of space that England's generous defence did on Sunday. The most intriguing battle could be in midfield, where I actually believe the Germans to be superior to their opponents. Schweingstieger was for me the man of the match in Germany's thrashing of England, and was able to dictate the play and control possession with ease. Up front the devastating combination of Messi, Higuain and Tevez constitutes Argentina's main threat, and I doubt it will go away from this game empty handed. My score prediction for the game is 2-1 to Germany, a result which may well only be achieved after extra time. Perhaps it's the disappointment of Sunday, perhaps it's my low opinion of Maradona, but something tells me it will be Deutschland Uber Argies tomorrow.

The second game of the day may appear to many a foregone conclusion, a match that Vicente del Bosque's Spain simply need to turn up to in order to win by a handsome margin. Whilst I do believe that Spain will ultimately progress, the relative difficulty they've had in progressing to this stage appears to suggest that tomorrow night's Quarter Final clash will be close, and by no means a classic. With Fernando Torres patently unfit and almost entirely ineffective as a result, the goalscoring burden has fallen on Spain's second most successful player in that regard, David Villa. The new Barcelona forward has been in vintage goalscoring form, and I would back him to be the difference against opponents Paraguay. The seemingly unbeatable midfield partnership of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta should allow the Spanish to dictate the pattern of the game, but expect resolute, 'backs against the wall', to borrow yet another footballing cliche, defending at all times. Paraguay for their part will be hoping to steal a goal on the break, and in Roque Santa Cruz they have a forward well versed in playing up front on his own, and capable of scoring from set-piece situations, where the Paraguayans ought to be most successful.

Having disregarded Spain as contenders to lift the famous Jules Rimet trophy in my pre-tournament prediction piece, and betted accordingly, nothing would please me more than to see the Spanish knocked-out, in time honoured fashion, just as the competition hots up and the pressure is really put on them to succeed. However I simply cannot see it. After all, any side able to justify leaving Cesc Fabregas on the bench is undoubtedly rather well endowed. However the fact that Spain have just four strikers in their squad, and that two of these are Pedro and Fernando Llorente, who boast just four international goals between them, suggests that if Fernando Torres really is as unfit as I believe him to be, Spain will have trouble locating an adequate replacement. It is unlikely that Paraguay will reach this stage of a World Cup for a long time to come, no disrespect intended, but unfortunately it is even more unlikely that they will be able to progress tomorrow evening at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Therefore I predict that Spain will triumph by two goals to nil, and carry a significant amount of hope that both will be scored by David Villa, my pre-tournament prediction for top scorer, who could earn me a handsome £6 if am proved right.