Brazil-Netherlands Preview

As Duvel rightfully pointed out in his probable starting lineup, Felipe Melo looks like he will most likely start tomorrow.

http://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/selecao-b...

I think I agree with that scoreline. 2-1 sounds about right. I think Fabiano and Robinho score, then Sneijder bags one for the Oranje. I bet the last 20 minutes of the match will be an absolute MAELSTROM of attacking football, because whichever side falls behind is going to go ALL OUT.

The “preview” declares a seleção victory before we're even 100 words in? Are we getting a bit arrogant here? I, for one, am seriously concerned about the midfield at the moment, and even if Melo plays, will he be in top form to track Robben? We've gotten by with a lot of mediocre build-up play against lesser opponents thus far, but Kaka hasn't looked good at all, and now our 2nd and 3rd best midfielders (on the team, at least – I'm talking about Elano and Ramirez, of course) won't even take the pitch. We also haven't seen the defense perform against a top side, and the only one close to classy forced Juan to take a borderline red card handball to prevent a clear C. Ronaldo breakaway (and almost certainly a goal – which may have pit us against Spain in the round of 16, so Juan's play was a good idea).

I dunno…like most games between world class clubs, this one will probably come down to who scores the first goal. Robinho is the only truly creative attacker we have (ignoring Maicon) who seems to be on form right now. His success in breaking through van Bommel and de Jong to that soft, chewy Dutch middle may well determine our success. O Fabuloso does not create his own chances, as we all know, and I don't see Kaka breaking through on current form. Sneijder and van Persie don't scare me in the middle, but a Robben thunderbolt does. Much depends on Bastos.

Saying Brazil is going to win is not arrogant. Saying Brazil is going to stomp all over Holland and they shouldn't even bother taking the pitch, is. Duvel said the former.

This will be a match of which team can impose their strengths the most, rather than which can hide their weaknesses the most. Yeah, Bastos is going to have his hands full with Robben. But their defense, which was weak to begin with and hasn't even been tested yet (I mean, really, Denmark? Slovakia?) are going to have a hell of a time keeping up with the Kaka-Robinho-Fabiano trio.

I agree with you that scoring the first goal will be incredibly important, though not necessarily crucial.

I seriously disagree that Kaka has not looked good at all. Kaka has looked uneven. There have been moments of mediocrity and moments of pure class. But the Dutch are hardly better off. Sneijder is basically where Kaka is at – he's had a few beautiful moments and a lot of moments where he is doing almost nothing on the pitch. And though Robben's goal was exceptional, he didn't do much more than that for the rest of the match and his fitness is still in question.

You say you don't see Kaka breaking through on current form. You mean the form that's already got him 3 assists? The Dutch defense is weak – I don't see any reason why Kaka could NOT break it down.

The thing that troubles me is that both Elano and Ramires are not available. Just hoping for a win, any kind of win. Their defense is not bad, this Dutch coach is pragmatic and defense-minded. And it's not only Robben we should be wary of…see what happens if they put Elia on the pitch later in the game.

I agree Kaka isn't at his best of his ability. But 3 assists has kinda helped Brazil in my opinion. He has been turning over the ball a few times, but he's had moments of brilliance as well. He helps the team when he's on. Maybe it's one pass, or a few great runs. he puts pressure on the opposing defense and aids Robinho and Fabiano immensely. They compliment each other in an out-of-this world kinda way. The Netherlands are solid. They have a great midfield, but I don't know how they will deal with the Brazilian defense. I think the Dutch will have to score first. And try to pressure Brazil, but it's gonna be hard to do that and maintain a clean sheet. Brazil counters like no other in the tourney in my opinion. But I really really look forward to this game. can't wait. I predict Brazil 2-1 or 3-1.

You're right, I forgot about Elia.

Would be interesting to see if Van Der Vart plays (or is he injured?) The two Madrid playmakers going up against each other.

It's just a matter of days before you see Brazil in the final. I have been very emphatic about it and it shall come to be! For decades I had been following Holland and they are-not to be taken for granted. While this is not a matter of wanting the best team to always win or lose, fans like Brazil for many reasons: Style, determination, passion of the game, popularity of the (because of Brazil) game–Viva Brasil!

I was 8 in 1974 and since then I’ve lived abroad. When you say you’re Dutch people always mention the voetbal =). I’m in my 40s, happily fatter than I used to be — but I’ve always been a good player and my work colleagues were amazed when in a match I played with them I scored more goals than the rest of them put together :p. But you know, I’ve watched and watched over the years but we only ever won the Euros (I remember that well). I really really hope this lot deliver.

Anyhow, I’ve taken the day off work to watch this damm thing tomorrow, and eventhough I was shitscared 2 days ago, I’m really looking forward to it now. This is for all you fellow fat Dutchman past it like me – I’m going to sleep in a good mood. There really are plenty of reasons to be optimistic:

- A Brazilian weakness is in their build up from behind. As we have seen in the games against Portugal and Chile, the Brazilian defenders have trouble building up when they are put under pressure, hoofing the ball forward aimlessly
- “Arjen Robben, who played 20 minutes against Cameroon and 70 minutes against Slovakia, is now ready to play 90 minutes.”
- Attack: Robben up against someone completely out of his comfort zone
- Bastos – bad game against Ivory Coast, lots of miscontrolled balls
- Bastos is a midfielder first and a fullback second. his defensive game is lacking
- Brazil cannot start their preferred 1st XI because of injuries and suspensions
- Brazil have shown an inability to break organized teams that decide to sit back and defend with like 9 men against us. It doesn’t even have to be a top class team, they struggled to beat South Africa last year. Mainly due to the lack of technical skills in Felipe Melo and Gilberto Silva
- Brazil looked vulnerable against Chile in the first few minutes of the game and were lucky not to concede initially
- Brazil not good against sides set up like his own
- Brazil was without its three regular staring midfielders against Portugal and struggled to break through its opponent’s defensive setup in a 0-0 game
- Brazil’s defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva is 33 and fading
- Chile enjoyed more ball possession as compared to Brazil in the second half
- Contrast the Oranje Robben boost during WC vs. Elano injury during WC
- Elano is key to Dunga’s methos. He’s out. scored in each of Brazil’s first two matches before getting injured in that hard tackle against Ivory Coast
- Even Kaká has had a gruesome year at Real Madrid.
- Felipe Melo won the Golden Dustbin for biggest flop in Italy’s Serie A last year.
- Gio – his 100+ cap experience will be a plus, not a minus
- Goalie: Oranje goalie of the tournament so far
- Goalkeeper Stecklenberg is a true penalty-stopping specialist.
- Goals: no goals from open play against Oranje… at all
- height: we are the tallest opponents Brazil has been up against for months
- Holland have won all eight of their matches in 2010 and have conceded only two goals in South Africa, both of them penalties.
- Holland will wear their orange kits on Friday, Brazil will play in their blue ones.
- If North Korea can get through the Brazilian defense, Oranje can
- If Van Persie plays deep, Brazil will always be immediately on the backfoot when not in possession. Persie plays deep naturally for Arsenal. He’s good at it.
- Juan – weaknesses exposed against Portugal, bad positionally
- Kaká – has discipline problems this WC, and looks chubby, out of condition
- Kaká doesn’t chase anyone back on the left side
- Maicon – vulnerable to crosses from Brazil’s left
- Midfield: because of the injuries, we should have the edge here
- Oranje had a poor showing against Slovakia in the round of 16 so know they need to perform better
- Oranje has not yet shown its counterattacking side. The same players from EURO 2008 first three games have not forgotten how to do this
- Oranje have a good chance of hitting Brazil down the wings and/or on the break… Brazil’s weakness is the wings. Maicon is often forward and as such out of the action on the break while Bastos is one of the Brazil squad’s weaker players. Conversely Holland’s best players and most in form players are on the wings.
- Oranje have been pacing themselves only doing enough to get the result in every match. It may not have made for prettiest Oranje voetbal, but it is definitely the most discipline we’ve seen… ever!
- Oranje have been playing with withdrawn fullbacks and wingers staying out wide is good to go after a team with marauding fullbacks like Brazil’s.
- Oranje have won 5/5 last games, Brazil only 4/5
- Oranje is much more desperate to win. Three World Cup meetings between the teams have ended with the winner going on to reach the final – we want that final like nobody else does
- Oranje know and understand Brazil’s defence better than Brazil know Oranje’s. The game-controlling engines of the Champions League Final are with Oranje
- Oranje odds have improved over world cup, Brazil’s have worstened
- Oranje thrive much more under conditions of physical football, a style the Brazilians have yet to run into. North Korea and other teams have attempted to match them with hard pressed defence, but no one has really been aggressive, and provoke the intimidation factor.
- Oranje will occupy Brazil’s defence, leaving space in front of the back four for longer shots, which the Dutch can make.
- Portugal was able to keep Brazil to a draw, an indication of their fallibility, and in the match against Ivory Coast, they were unable to handle a few refereeing calls.
- Pressure is on Brazil, not NL. The longer the game goes on, the more that they will feel the pressure of playing a style nobody likes back home and not even winning
- Qualifying games: 0-0 against Venezuala, Bolvia and Columbia. If that happens, Dunga’s choice is to play a player more deep call Daniel Alves to fill the previous position. This will widen the field with the side backs pushing forward even more than they use to and create room for Van Persie, previously underutilised
- Ramires & Elano are out, but were critical to Dunga’s system. They shuttle from a central midfield position when defending, to a right-wing position when in possession. This requires a tremendous amount of energy, and it is rare to see the starting player remain on the pitch for 90 minutes. The replacement will find this hard for 90 minutes…
- Ramires, out, gave the pass for Robinho’s goal in the second half against Chile.
- Revenge motive – Dunga was the heartbeat and captain of that ‘94 team and he was at his combative best against the Dutch in the quarterfinal match which we lost
- Robinho promises much and delivers little. His physical and mental shortcomings hurt his game when things get rough as he is easily contained by tight marking and physicality. He was a disaster in the Premier League.
- Sit back and defend has often frustrated Brazil. Couple that with the pressure of being the favourite…
- So far Brazil has been great, but against Korea and Portugal with tight defenses, Brazil lacked even more creativity than us. Kaká is far from his best form.
- The Dutch are better the stronger the opponent is. So don’t count on the Netherlands playing like they did in previous matches.
- The winner will need to transcend tactics and produce a moment of individual brilliance that will change the game entirely. On current WC evidence, most likely to be Robben.
- Their four wins means only Argentina has equalled Oranje’s record of winning every WC game so far, not Brazil
- This match against Oranje might be Dunga’s real test in tactical football. Dunga is not a coach, BvM is
- This Oranje have a mentality focused purely on winning the world cup… since 2008
- Three of the top ten super-subs from the World Cup were from Oranje
- Whoever plays alongside Gilberto Silva will try to keep an eye on the Robben flank. That should leave a gap that Sneijder and van Bommel can explore.

The biggest potential failing of this Brazillian team? There is no plan b. If Oranje are disciplined and get ahead of Brazil, Dunga is in a position where he only has like for like and role for role players on the bench. Every man picked has been picked for this system, and if the system is broken Brazil will be eliminated.

Holland is in my opinion, the best team of the two. The players are all winners in mind, they hate to lose, so bad….watch out for all the (former-/) Ajax players (Sneijder, vd Vaart, de Jong, Heitinga, Stekelenburg, vd Wiel, Huntelaar and Babel. They all know how to play the Samba Football Style, beware
I really respect Brasil for having such a rich history of playing beautiful football on the ptches. Holland is the European Brasil, they also love the game for it's beauty, but this time they've changed the defence. It's not the classic total-footbal 1-4-3-3, Holland plays in a more defence based system. They are unbeaten for over 23 (fifa) games.

I really think Brasil will lose, compare it to a game of boxing between, Ivan Drako(Holland, technical, robotics who have Samba FB programmed in) against David Letterman (Brasil, hard working & lesser tactics, more luck).

Anyway, wish all of you the best for the upcoming game, best of luck and may the best team win!

I really don't get your David Letterman/Ivan Drako analogy but your point is well taken. It's going to be really close. I still give Brazil a slight edge. If Brazil were to lose this game, I think it will come down to 4 factors all related to our weakened midfield-

1. Kaka- he hasn't been spectacular by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, he is still our best option courtesy of his important assists, but so far, when I compare him to Sneijder, he falls short. This is a player who previously can pretty much dominate the midfield, now he has been reduced to providing occasional assists littered with frequent turnovers and lacking his usual solo runs.
2. Felipe Melo who I think may be able to return but may not be fully fit to negate the Dutch duo of Sneijder and Robben.
3. Absence of Elano, whose set pieces we are going to sorely miss.
4. Robben who I think is their most dangerous player. Anyone who has watched the two games he has played so far in the cup will see undoubtedly see that

The hardest thing about analyzing a game is detaching yourself as a fan and looking at both teams as an objective observer, and I am finding it increasingly difficult to do so as the tournament progresses

I don't know if you are a dutch fan, but you have to admit that their defense is very shaky, which is their biggest Achilles heel. Offensively, I don't think Van Persie is very clinical also he will be dominated by Lucio.

This is gonna be a tough one!!!!!! but Brazil prevails by a slim margin

Now pick apart the Dutch team. I guarantee it will be just as easy.

- A Brazilian weakness is in their build up from behind. As we have seen in the games against Portugal and Chile, the Brazilian defenders have trouble building up when they are put under pressure, hoofing the ball forward aimlessly

And a Dutch weakness is their defense in general. Their center backs often make mistakes in the back, and have yet to play a competent offense that can truly make them pay. You lucked out against the Slovaks, who couldn't finish chances. Brazil will be much more clinical.

- Attack: Robben up against someone completely out of his comfort zone

But for all his skill he's still basically a one-move player. Dunga will no doubt know about his addiction to cutting inside and shooting with his left. Besides, it won't just be Bastos against Robben. The Brazilian defense is excellent at covering positions and helping each other out.

- Brazil cannot start their preferred 1st XI because of injuries and suspensions

They are missing one player in Elano. That hurts but its hardly crippling.

- Brazil have shown an inability to break organized teams that decide to sit back and defend with like 9 men against us.

Except the Dutch are not an organized team at the back and they will not just sit back and defend. You are going to attack far more than previous teams (except Chile) and that plays right into Brazil's hand.

- Brazil looked vulnerable against Chile in the first few minutes of the game and were lucky not to concede initially

And the Netherlands looked vulnerable against Slovakia for most of the game whenever the Slovaks got the ball in the final third. You were spared only by their inability to finish.

- Brazil not good against sides set up like his own

That doesn't make any sense. You have not a scrap of evidence to back that up.

- Brazil was without its three regular staring midfielders against Portugal and struggled to break through its opponent’s defensive setup in a 0-0 game

And this time Brazil WILL be with two of its starting players and will not be playing against a defensive setup. Once again, this doesn't make any sense.

- Brazil’s defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva is 33 and fading

And yet still playing extremely well in this tournament. Have you watched a Brazil game?

- Chile enjoyed more ball possession as compared to Brazil in the second half

Because they had to launch all-out attacks in order to get back into the game. Brazil were happy to let them, as they are phenomenal on the counter-attack. Don't see how this applies to the Dutch.

- Elano is key to Dunga’s methos. He’s out. scored in each of Brazil’s first two matches before getting injured in that hard tackle against Ivory Coast

Elano's a great player, and as I said, it sucks missing him, but Brazil have won PLENTY of matches without Elano and he is hardly “key.” Besides, both his goals, while well taken, were the result of phenomenal passes from Kaka and Robinho. All he had to do was stick his foot out.

- Even Kaká has had a gruesome year at Real Madrid.

This isn't Real Madrid. It's Brazil. Doesn't apply.

- Felipe Melo won the Golden Dustbin for biggest flop in Italy’s Serie A last year.

Again, how does this matter?

- Goalie: Oranje goalie of the tournament so far

You are the first person I've heard say that. Everyone in the world would take Julio Cesar first.

- height: we are the tallest opponents Brazil has been up against for months.

And I wager Brazil could say the same for the Dutch.

- Holland have won all eight of their matches in 2010 and have conceded only two goals in South Africa, both of them penalties.

Brazil has won all of theirs except for against Portugal, when we had already qualified and 3 starters were missing.

- Holland will wear their orange kits on Friday, Brazil will play in their blue ones.

I'm assuming your being funny here. I'm certainly laughing, anyway. Check out 1994 if you think that makes a difference.

- If Van Persie plays deep, Brazil will always be immediately on the backfoot when not in possession. Persie plays deep naturally for Arsenal. He’s good at it.

Yet he's looked terrible at this World Cup so far.

- Maicon – vulnerable to crosses from Brazil’s left

If you are singling out Maicon as a weakness you are really trying to comfort yourself, aren't you?

- Midfield: because of the injuries, we should have the edge here

I don't dispute this one.

- Oranje have a good chance of hitting Brazil down the wings and/or on the break… Brazil’s weakness is the wings. Maicon is often forward and as such out of the action on the break while Bastos is one of the Brazil squad’s weaker players. Conversely Holland’s best players and most in form players are on the wings.

Again, you are singling out Maicon? It doesn't matter if he comes forward, he is extremely good at tracking back and anyway Dunga's system, as EVERY Brazilian system is designed for him to come forward. It doesn't leave a gaping hole in the back; the other defenders are well prepared to cover. I admit to Bastos being attackable, however.

- Oranje have been pacing themselves only doing enough to get the result in every match. It may not have made for prettiest Oranje voetbal, but it is definitely the most discipline we’ve seen… ever!

The same could be said for Brazil.
- Oranje have won 5/5 last games, Brazil only 4/5

Again, Brazil only drew with Portugal because our 3 most creative players were out, and we had already qualified anyway. And frankly our victories have looked more impressive than Holland's have, coming out of a much tougher group.

- Oranje know and understand Brazil’s defence better than Brazil know Oranje’s. The game-controlling engines of the Champions League Final are with Oranje

And the greatest defense in Europe are with the Selecao. Lucio, Maicon and Julio Cesar stopped the best Europe has to offer time and time again.

- Oranje odds have improved over world cup, Brazil’s have worstened

Er, what?

- Portugal was able to keep Brazil to a draw, an indication of their fallibility, and in the match against Ivory Coast, they were unable to handle a few refereeing calls.

Yeah, the Dutch would do SO well when the other team is blatantly hacking you left and right. Come on man.

- Robinho promises much and delivers little. His physical and mental shortcomings hurt his game when things get rough as he is easily contained by tight marking and physicality. He was a disaster in the Premier League.

Again, you seem not to understand the difference between club form and national team form. Robinho has been outstanding for the Selecao almost every time he plays.

- Sit back and defend has often frustrated Brazil. Couple that with the pressure of being the favourite…

You really think the Dutch are going to sit back and defend?

- The Dutch are better the stronger the opponent is. So don’t count on the Netherlands playing like they did in previous matches.

That's very true. And EVERYONE knows the same applies for Brazil. Hence the reason why we destroyed Chile, Uruguay and Argentina in qualifying but struggled against Bolivia and Paraguay.

- The winner will need to transcend tactics and produce a moment of individual brilliance that will change the game entirely. On current WC evidence, most likely to be Robben.

Because of one goal?

- This match against Oranje might be Dunga’s real test in tactical football. Dunga is not a coach, BvM is

The last 3 years, winning the Copa America, the Confed Cup, and topping the most difficult qualifying group in the world proves Dunga very much is a coach.

The Netherlands are a fantastic team with some world class players. Don't get me wrong, they could DEFINITELY win the game. But you are really whistling in the dark, man. A lot of your points seemed like you are REALLY clutching at straws.

Wow!!!! Black Matt- I can't believe you actually responded to his posts. More power to you. I pretty much ignored it since it consisted of a lot of rambling, and incoherent thoughts. The argument wasn't even convincing either.

2-1 sounds about right. That's the score I keep seeing in my mind even if I think Brasil maybe doesn't need another and it mite be better for sport if world Cup goes to another house from a change. And yr right: This is netherlands biggest challenge to date. Saw another good preview here, more of a funny one then serious: http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2010/07/brazil-neth...

Well done Black Matt.

Only Dutch players I'm worried about: Robben , Sneijder, Ellia. All of the rest shouldn't be much trouble to our solid defence. Van Persie right foot isn't existent and as a Milan fan i know what Huntelaar can do and it ain't much he is not the kind of player that will run at defenses and cause trouble but he is a pure poacher so please let's not afford his kind anytime of space in the box.

As for Sneijder he will become real good friends with Felipe Melo tomorrow hopefully the acquaintance leaves him frustrated! Bastos will need some help with Robben i think, maybe he can handle it but i'm really nervous about that match-up so we'll see how it goes. Last but not least Dirk Kuyt their most important player in my eyes Maicon and Alves will have to be on their toes to keep this guy out of proceedings… Best of luck to the boys if the players I've listed are neutralized will be well on our way to winning the HEXA, Vai Brasil!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no question that the Dutch fans are very nervous cos almost every time they have a decent chance to win WC they run into Brazil or Brazil related team…then they go home. That 98 Dutch team was a great team, they played the passing game superbly but they came up against The Phenomenon and the rest is history. I think it is fair to say that Brazil enjoys playing Holland more than say Italy or Uruguay or even Norway. I won't mention France cos Brazil had a good record against France until the Zidane era

All said and done it is a mouth watering contest. Its not going to be a push over either for Brazil or for Netherlands… I just hope it wont be a stalemate situation where both teams get defence heavy and the match ends in a penalty shootout. To win World Cup 2010 both teams have to go for a win right from the beginning.

Simply Brazil will win ..
good luck Brazil

The key to beating the Dutch, in my opinion, is controlling Sneijder & Robben. Neither are big players but both are extremely skilled. Sneijder can deliver the killer pass and is very dangerous at free kicks. So close him down quickly and avoid fouls in dangerous areas. This means you, Melo & Gilberto.
Robben, like Messi, starts on the right flank and wants to dribble with his left foot into the middle of the pitch. Bastos, Juan, Melo & Gilberto must try to bottle him up.
Elia will be a danger on the left wing if and when he comes on, so Maicon, Lucio, Melo & Gilberto need to mirror how Robben is handled on the other side.
Ramires would be very useful (defensively) in this match. But there is no point playing what if….
Here we go. Brazil 3-Netherlands 1.

“Sneijder & Robben. Neither are big players”==> i think you must be laughing!

Physically big. Read on and you will see that I say they are extremely skilled.

)

It appears I was wrong about Felipe Melo, though. *hangs head in dispair*

That, or the uniforms.

Great mr. Dunga!!!
http://magazine.joomag.com/Brazil_national_foot...

See you in 4 years, on television allmost every Brazilian told they would take us out, history proved otherwise.

Yes, now we Dutch people know how Germany plays, yet this is not how the majority likes THE game, okay we were'nt that great, but its for real, we play better with better opponents.

Nice prediction. You switched the score, though.

He started all right, but he didn't finish…

they won.

“All in all, with absolute respect to the Dutch fans out there, I just think Brazil has too much quality on both ends of the pitch to lose this match.”

And then Holland won! The Brazillian team played a great and interesting match but Robinho has to be the man he claims he is and not be a big baby out on the field by giving Robben some painfull kicks and then start screaming at van Bommel. If you look at our team we always keep our composure and will never say that when we lose the other team didn't deserve it. We simply won because we have faith in ourselves and we like to play the game as it is: a game. A very expensive one but still a game.

I'm very proud of our team eventhough we might be out of the running soon. This match has been a confidence boost and just what we needed.

Again kudos to Brasil, you have fought a good fight but sometimes you just can't have it all.

GO HOLLAND! :D:D:D

Some great samba combo's in the first half and a great goal from Robinho but man, is he a weirdo. Unfortunately, Brasil got pwned by the Dutchies in the second half. Melo was a disgrace, I'm just glad he didn't put a knife in Robben's back. Should have been 3-1 in the end. That would have been a fair score.

BLA BLA BLA …….

Yippeee, we WON !!!!

Don't you just love that little GREAT country

To all the fans of Brasil, don't blame the team. Brasil is still a great team.
Holland has won like I had predicted here. Kenny, nice post, thanks.