I don't think they really had it in them. They really needed another creator in the midfield. Kuyt had no ideas, probably should have attempted some crosses at least. De Jong and Wijnaldum were more of a defensive double pivot. Later in the game, they gained more control in the midfield and tried to attack from the center, but rarely penetrated.
Fair result. Argentina perhaps the slightly better team, though I suspect, without Di Maria, Germany will have an easier time handling Argentina than they would have had handling Robben on the counter.
I agree. The game was a bit of a stalemate, but I think Argentina were slightly better. And I think Argentina will actually be an easier opponent for Germany, even though they were slightly better than us yesterday, because LVG has more different attacking options imo. The Argentina forwards and midfielders are more similar imo, whereas we can sub in both pace (Lens, Depay) and height (Huntelaar, Fer). Argentina seems to lack tall strikers in their squad.
I wish both teams good luck in the final. I will be watching as a neutral. Germany has obviously impressed more in earlier matches, but Argentina, like us, are solid defensively and hard to break down, so with a bit of luck they might surprise.
It's a shame Van Gaal didn't switch to 4-3-3 later on in the game, as it might have stretched the Argentina backline more, although I can see his reasoning for not doing so. Also, he wasn't helped by the fitness doubts for De Jong and Van Persie. Also, like someone else said earlier, I would've preferred LVG keeping the exhausted RVP on just to be able to sub in Krul for Cillessen. The latter's attempts at saving penalties were woeful imo.
Er is hier ene van holland
It doesn't matter, it always going to be the same way, the teams you support, you don't mind if they dive, make mistakes, you just want them to win, and teams you don't support, you take every opportunity to show how awfull they are. If we are going to judge teams objectively, none of them is perfect.
You're right, but it still bothers me to see that so many people apparantly hate us. Even if I try to distance myself from my roots, I don't see our team as a nasty team. I did think we were brutal in the 2010 final, so it's not like I'm completely biased. I don't see the remarks as an exaggeration, but rather as a misconception based on one fairly recent match. Robben especially is not appreciated for his skill by many, instead he's only called out as a diver. It's a shame some people let negative things overshadow the positive ones. It makes sense, but it's still a shame.
