'Uninspired' Group B Analysis

The four teams of the 'Group of Death'
(clockwise from left: Denmark, Germany,
Portugal, and the Netherlands).



  

Denmark-Netherlands:

     The Denmark-Netherlands game was a Dutch nightmare. Ninety minutes of constant missed opportunities, compounded by Michael Krohn-Dehli's goal in the 24th minute. The goal itself was incredibly lucky, bouncing between the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg, and finding its way into the net. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the Danes, and beating the second-best nation in the world is a great accomplishment, but luck won't be enough in their games against the strong back lines of the Germans and Portuguese. It was an unexpected and horrific defeat for the Orange, and I am anxious to see how this will affect their game against Germany this coming Wednesday.

Nigel De Jong

     I would like to give a shout-out for Nigel De Jong, the Dutch midfielder who also happens to be the model of my own playing-style (when I actually get out there). Rough, controlling, and simplistic, De Jong dominates midfield as a get-and-give tackler and passer. Whether he's playing for City or the Netherlands, I always keep a special eye out for him, hoping he'll get a chance to do something creative and out-of-nature, unless he gets subbed-out per the usual.

  

Portugal-Germany: 

     I was extremely disappointed with the play of both the Portuguese and the Germans, as what should have been a battle of creative chances and fancy footwork turned into a defensive trench-war a the two sides battled it out.  When the first half ended 0-0, I was confident that the two teams would open up in the 46th minute, but I was to be greatly let down. Even the headed goal by Mario Gomez in the 73rd minute seemed too technical, too clean. He rose neatly to meet the ball coming in from Sami Kherdira, even though it was likely to go high or wide, and just scored a beautiful goal. Still nothing that got me overly excited (I'm sure Germany fans didn't mind it). The most excitement (for this viewer), came from the Portuguese counter attacks, particularly the last-ditch effort on the part of Portugal to draw the game 1-1. The Portuguese fought extremely hard in those closing minutes, but quick-thinking by the German defenders broke up chance after chance, and the Portuguese were left wanting, despite their constant efforts.

Jerome Boateng

     Special mentions to Jerome Boateng, despite his yellow card in the second half. Committed a standing foul right in front of the referee, a good call as a foul, but I’m unsure it warranted a yellow card. Nevertheless, Boateng did a fantastic job of shutting-down Christiano Ronaldo, made some good standing tackles, and sacrificed his body, even to the point of what appeared to be a genuine light injury. 

Conclusions/Predictions 

     My predictions for Group D are as follows: The Danes will lose narrowly to Germany and to Portugal, and the Netherlands win will be regarded as a fluke. The Portuguese will beat the Danes, but will lose to the Dutch by one or two goals. The team from the Netherlands will draw with the Germans after a physically grueling game, but will beat the Portuguese to advance just under Germany. Overall, a tight group that provides little excitement beyond today’s upset by Denmark.