First match aganist Netherlands will be with germans. Although D.A has beaten them in friendlies there has been many changes during a year. Younger talents like Kuranyi could be new threats.I would like to analyse the strength and weakness of both teams. Germans......... strengths.. Tough, strong teamwork, good headers at the front. Men to watch..Bobic, Ballack,Kuranyi Weaknesses.. Relatively lack talent at average.Don't have top scorers. Netherlands..... Strengths... Stronger collection of stars players.Many precise finishers. Weakness... Just start into get organised In this way shall i suggest a team with Tough and disiplined defence with good headers i.c Stam, Ooijer, Bouma ,Cocu. Dominant mid-fielders seedorf, Davids, Bommel,Schnijder effective striking force Ruud and VDV. How is your opinions
On paper, I would definitely give the Dutch the advantage, but that's why you play the game. The Germans always have that little something that comes out during the big tournaments (i.e. World Cup 2002). They seem to most always find a way to win and luck is always on their side. That being said, I think the greatest advantage for the Dutch is playing their nemesis in the first match, because there's always two more games to recuperate from and six more points to be had. I think that Holland will have a more difficult time with the Czech Republic, but that's another thread altogether. Ballack will be the key man to mark out of the match for the Dutch, as he will be for every team they face. The clash between Ballack and Davids will be fantastic to watch develop, but there's still so much time between now and next summer, and with injuries and all, this might be a superfluous scenario. If both squads are healthy, I could easily envision a Dutch dominated match with a typical 1:1 scoreline.