Monday, February 6th, 2012
Dutch legend Johan Cryuff has betrayed his country by tipping Euro 2008 winners Spain to win their first major trophy on the world’s biggest stage.
Cryuff led Netherlands to Total Football in the 1970s at the World Cup and his lasting impression as player and coach of Barcelona has filtered him through to the Spanish team.
While Bert van Marwijk’s Dutch team has adopted a more measured approach to ensure their progress to the South Africa showpiece, Spain continue to play a dominating, possession-based style of football, albeit without a flood of goals to show for it, that Cruyff appreciates most.
“Spain is now the great favourite,” he wrote in El Periodico de Catalunya on Thursday. “Del Bosque’s team has grown in strength and finds itself in the final at the top of its game. Yesterday evening Germany, which put on a display against Argentina, played football which would have been enough to beat any team but not Spain.
“But not Spain. If Spain goes for you, it kills you. There’s no doubt that Germany knew what it was going to go through, just like Holland is probably thinking now. If you go up against a team that wants to keep the ball, you’re going to suffer.
“Spain, a replica of Barca, is the best publicity for football. Who am I supporting? I am Dutch but I support the football that Spain is playing.”
Tags: Johan Cryuff, Netherlands, Spain, World Cup