The 2010 FIFA World Cup Thread #1/Sports Thread #1 For 6/14/10: Not Spectacular But Sound Dutch In Their 2-0 Win Over Denmark

Photo from Getty Images and FIFA.com

Final Analysis:
Width, width, width, spacing, spacing, spacing.

So key in the game of soccer, and especially for an offensive team like the Dutch. And that was the difference in that 2nd half. Elia just gave them much needed space, but painfully unlucky from an otherwise very sound and structured Danish defense today. They did real well, especially the very unlucky Simon Paulsen, who's Erediviste level of play at AZ Alkmaar really helped today against the Dutch.

Back to Holland, and for me, if Robben isn't able to go in the next match (which he is slated to return), then Elia for me has to start instead of Van der Vaart. He won't dift in the middle like the Real Madrid man tends to do too much and get in the way of Wesley Sneijder.

And please, as I will say again, even with his groin injury, Nick Bendtner, can finish the middle level difficult chances that you get? Your finishing is so medicore that it even rubbed off of Van Persie today, who blew a chance he normally buries.

The Match Thread's archive for you to enjoy:
And the Man of the Match, the fans have gotten that complete wrong. Dirk Kuyt was clearly that for me:

Late start here due to technical difficulties:

The live lineup:

Holland: Stekelenburg, v d Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, v Bronckhorst, v Bommel, Kuyt, de Jong, v Persie, Sneijder, v d Vaart

Denmark: Sorensen, C Poulsen, Kjaer, Agger, L Jabcobsen, Jorgensen, Bendtner, Kahlenberg, SB Poulsen, Rommedahl, Enevoldsen

The thread continues here in a second, with no score after 26 minutes.

The 1st half analysis: One Arjen Robben trick last week gone awry has basically lead to a poor first half from the Dutch. Rafael van de Vaart hasn't played well, not providing the width that Dirk Kuyt has provided on the right, as the industrial Liverpool man always does. The talented but still sporadic Eljero Elia will need to come in for van de Varrt in my mind.

And for the Danes, well, Nick Bendtner, always his mouth does more of the scoring than his head or his feet. He's got to bury his chance, no question about it. In fact, Denmark should really be up 1-0 in this contest.