Tactical Analysis - Skill 1 Neanderthals 0

By Michael on 20 July 2010 at 20:18

In fact, later the rulebook states explicitly "A player must be sent off if he denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by holding an opponent".

By Michael on 20 July 2010 at 20:00

stephen, the wording in the rulebook is that one of the red-card offenses is "denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick". Free kicks are awarded both for holding an opponent and for impeding the progress of an opponent. Thus if you impede the progress of an attacker as the last defender, you've denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity and the penalty should be, automatically, a red card. How is that not clear?

By stephen on 20 July 2010 at 16:24

"Joe, it's not a question of knocking Robben down. The rule is that the last defender cannot obstruct the forward progress of an attacker on goal, and a card is automatically awarded." Michael, I'd suggest you search for FIFA's rulebook online and read through it. You make out that the rule is quite clearly as you state. I think it'd make interesting reading for you

By Michael on 19 July 2010 at 22:42

Joe, it's not a question of knocking Robben down. The rule is that the last defender cannot obstruct the forward progress of an attacker on goal, and a card is automatically awarded. Puyol, who earlier got a yellow for a nasty tackle of Robben, wrapped his arm around Robben's waist on the forward (goalward) side...a dead easy call. Shouldn't matter that Webb allowed Robben to play the advantage for another second or two; earlier in the game Webb had allowed play to continue while the Spanish controlled the ball, but when they lost it he awarded a yellow card for a (pretty minor) Dutch foul that occured at least 10 seconds earlier upfield. And later, Webb awarded a (2nd) yellow to Heitinga for putting his hand briefly on Iniesta's trailing shoulder (which Iniesta reacted to as if he's been blasted down by a shotgun, completely cynical that). Heitinga's earlier yellow, at 56 min., was equally ridiculous. For that matter, Iniesta's late tackle on Robben at the 58th minute should have been a yellow by the standard applied two minutes earlier to Heitinga. Webb was grossly inconsistent in how he called fouls, and some of that was egregiously unfair to Netherlands. Both teams should have been down one or two men at the end of regulation time. That doesn't make neanderthals of the Dutch, alone. For all the bitching about Holland's (but NOT Spain's) rough play, what's ignored is that nobody for either side was substituted due to injury. As far as beautiful passing, probably the most gorgeous play of the game was a Dutch corner at 37 min.

By Joe on 19 July 2010 at 19:08

Michael, titles are meant to be provocative and this one works as the article deals with Spain's passing game and the more neanderthal (quite an amusing turn of name actually considering Holland's prehistoric human approach to the final) efforts of the Dutch. As for the Puyol incident, I don't think it was a foul or a red card - he touched Robben and had Robben gone down, it would have probably resulted in a free kick and a sending off but eventually, the contact wasn't enough to fell Robben so it wasn't a foul.

By Michael on 17 July 2010 at 22:56

The title of this piece is pretty provocative and not borne out even by the rather one-sided analysis that follows. Anyway, it's pretty remarkable that the author neglects to mention that Puyol should have been red-carded for obstructing Robben in the second half...and, for that matter, that Robben was himself hacked at by Spanish defenders almost from the start. The Spaniards weren't laying a boot on the predictably useless van Persie, however. Yeah, they know how to play the rough stuff as well, nothing innocent about them.

By Matt on 16 July 2010 at 19:55

"Get lost." "Open your eyes and see the truth." Justin, are you okay mate? You sound like you're trying to convince me that the moon landing wasn't real. I'm not sure where your borderline paranoia regarding peoples' opinions of the Dutch football team stems from, or quite why you're getting so riled up about the whole thing. Whatever the reason, your rage seems to be blinding you to the realities of the situation. I mean, if that was a smaller player than Alonso, then he would have had his head taken off. It was indefensibly reckless play from de Jong. Of course the Spanish were guilty of gamesmanship. But how you can view a bit of card-waving (which never works anyway) or diving (which, contrary to what you say, IS a part of the game now, and has been for years) as more deplorable than potentially career-threatening tackles is just beyond me.

By Justin on 15 July 2010 at 23:52

Matt; Anti-Football is a term that is wrong. It is a term produced by the media, because some teams do not play the football they want to play. Here is a good article regarding "anti-football", as you like to call, along with thousands of others that simply don't understand the beauty of a tackle: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/420092-does-anti-football-have-a-place-in-the-modern-game? For your information, the Dutch didn't want to "break the Spaniards legs", as you like to put it. The tackles were not good, in the sense that the Dutch players simply missed the timing. De Jong's kick, how horrible it looks, looks much less horrible if you watch the actual footage and not the same 10 second replays. It shows you de Jong was focused on the ball, his foot was level with the ball and the only reason he hit Alonso's chest, was because Alonso surprised him when he jumped in front of him and headed the ball away. De Jong isn't the quickest and it was merely an accident. Sure, people like to point out differently, but everybody, especially the media, only base their opinion on a picture and a 10 second clip of a slow-mo replay and not the actual footage. Besides, were was the lashing from Caceres when he nearly kicked Demy de Zeeuw's jaw in half. It is alright for a Dutch to end up in the hospital, but not alright for a Spaniard to get a nasty, unfortunate, challenge that ends up playing for the majority of the match. Get lost. Aside from that, everybody's been pointing fingers at the Dutch throughout the entire World Cup. Pragmatic this, Total Football that, yada yada yada. Every single match, someone had to mention it. The commentators, the hosts of the show, prior to the match, during the break, after the match... The Dutch were simply trying to break up the Spanish passing and made clumsy challenges, which could be because of the nerves. They didn't play to injure players and the whole "clogs of war" and anti-Dutch propoganda is an insult to everybody's intelligence. Unfortunately, not everybody is smart enough not to jump on the hatewagon. It is all Dutch this, Dutch that whilst ignoring the unfair play of the Spanish players, which was shown plenty on global TV. Hypocrisy has no boundaries, apparently. The better team won, however, the Dutch are not the sole blame in this whole ordeal, the Spanish played just as much of a part in this. They got the Dutch some unnecessary cards, even got Heitinga send off and were claming the most ridiculous amounts of free kicks. Heck, one of the players, either Xavi or Fabregas kicked his own feet in the penalty area, fell and claimed a penalty... yeah, it was the Dutch. Sure. Open your eyes and see the truth. The Spanish were in it, just as much, albeit in a different way. Tackling is part of the game, in the end, stitching up other players, asking for penalty kicks when you weren't even touched and waving imaginary cards is not, neither is diving, something the Spanish did plenty as well.

By Matt on 15 July 2010 at 20:32

Justin, come on mate. Everyone was "pointing fingers" at the Dutch because they did everything but break the Spaniards' legs. Of course the Spanish players weren't perfect in their conduct - who would be in the face of that assault? - but how you can seriously call Netherlands' approach to that game simply "tackling rough" is beyond me. It was anti-football of the worst kind.

By Justin on 15 July 2010 at 19:00

Skill vs. Neanderthals? Seriously? Just another anti-Dutch article posted online, which has been the case since the start of the World Cup. In the end, the Dutch tackled rough and the Spanish dived and waved imaginary cards. Stop making it sound as if the Spanish were saints. It is quite ridiculous now. Everybody points fingers at the Dutch, but when it comes down to the Spanish unfair play, it's eyes closed. Get over it. Spanish were playing foul just as much, just in a different way. A way of diving, bullying the ref and waving cards.