From: JK on
1) Ideally this would be a SF as I think Brazil, NL, Spain, Arg are the
four best teams.

2) This NL side is very, very good, maybe their best team since 1990,
certainly the most balanced...but still not as good as Brazil.

3) I think the NL can win, if absolutely everything goes right, namely
they end with 11 players, and their forwards convert their chances,
which may not be many, and the GK comes up big.

4) Van Bommel and DeJong are going to be hugely important.

5) Honestly, I'm tempted to say that Brazil wins if for no other reason
than that they have Maicon and Holland doesn't.

6) Given the furor over RvP it would be tempting to give Huntelaar a
start...but I'm not sure that's a good idea. But I'd keep RvP on a
short leash. He really needs to show up.
From: KaiserD2 on
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:37:26 -0400, JK <jknapp(a)oacpc.com> wrote:

>1) Ideally this would be a SF as I think Brazil, NL, Spain, Arg are the
>four best teams.
>
>2) This NL side is very, very good, maybe their best team since 1990,
>certainly the most balanced...but still not as good as Brazil.
>
>3) I think the NL can win, if absolutely everything goes right, namely
>they end with 11 players, and their forwards convert their chances,
>which may not be many, and the GK comes up big.
>
>4) Van Bommel and DeJong are going to be hugely important.
>
>5) Honestly, I'm tempted to say that Brazil wins if for no other reason
>than that they have Maicon and Holland doesn't.
>
>6) Given the furor over RvP it would be tempting to give Huntelaar a
>start...but I'm not sure that's a good idea. But I'd keep RvP on a
>short leash. He really needs to show up.

I am actually afraid this may be a very dull game, because both
sides have been at their best counterattacking. The real marquee
matches of the QFs are Uruguay-Ghana (even though neither one is much
of a threat to win the cup) and of course Germany-Argentina.

Best Dutch team since 1990? The 1990 team sucked! The 1998-2000
team was great and how they lost Euro 2000 is still utterly beyond me.
DK
From: Abubakr on
On Jul 2, 12:37 am, JK <jkn...(a)oacpc.com> wrote:

> 2)  This NL side is very, very good, maybe their best team since 1990,
> certainly the most balanced...but still not as good as Brazil.

I certainly don't agree that this is the best Dutch side for 20 years.
I doubt that I would choose anyone apart from Robben and maybe
Sneijder from this team in a best Dutch XI of the past 20 years even.


From: Paul C on
"JK" <jknapp(a)oacpc.com> wrote in message
news:i0i7rf$1df$1(a)news.eternal-september.org...
> 1) Ideally this would be a SF as I think Brazil, NL, Spain, Arg are the
> four best teams.
>
> 2) This NL side is very, very good, maybe their best team since 1990,
> certainly the most balanced...but still not as good as Brazil.


I don't think the Netherlands have been at all impressive. They are a class
below Germany, Brazil and Argentina on the evidence of the games played so
far.

From: Abubakr on
On Jul 2, 1:07 am, "Paul C" <p...(a)thersgb.net> wrote:
> "JK" <jkn...(a)oacpc.com> wrote in message
>
> news:i0i7rf$1df$1(a)news.eternal-september.org...
>
> > 1) Ideally this would be a SF as I think Brazil, NL, Spain, Arg are the
> > four best teams.
>
> > 2)  This NL side is very, very good, maybe their best team since 1990,
> > certainly the most balanced...but still not as good as Brazil.
>
> I don't think the Netherlands have been at all impressive. They are a class
> below Germany, Brazil and Argentina on the evidence of the games played so
> far.

And below Spain too. The Dutch play has been excruciatingly painful
to watch - like a slightly better and more efficient err...Slovakia.