A Look Ahead To Tomorrow's Final...

Holland vs. Spain.

The venue was decided months before.

The teams were decided in mid-week.

The referee was chosen a few days ago.

The stage is set.

One of these teams will become world champions in a little under 48 hours.

One of these teams will make history for their nation by becoming the 8th different world champion to lift the Jules Rimet trophy.

One question remains: who will it be?

Paul the psychic octopus has opted for Germany's conquerors Spain. So far, this tournament he has predicted every single one of Germany's results correct. But does this psychic octopus only get the German results right?

Mani the Singaporean parakeet on the other hand, has gone for the Dutch. This is turning out to be the battle of the psychic animals by the looks of it.

But what about the battle between the two teams? Here's my view, for what it's worth:

Holland: we've said it before, so we'll say it again. Clearly not the same side as we've seen in previous tournaments. Play a different kind of football, that is evidently working for them - they are 25 games unbeaten. May not be easy on the eye, but ultimately get the job done. Clinical, effective and pragmatic. Sneijder has been a major force for them so far in the tournament. He could be the one to pull it out of the bag again, and get the golden goal that wins it. De Jong and van Bommel need to be on alert. They are the insurance policy for the Oranjes in front of their back four. Have to offer protection against Spain's superior midfield domination. Robben likes to cut in on his left-foot from the right and could be a potential threat to Joan Capdevila - the only first-team Spanish player not to play for Madrid or Barcelona. More service needs to be delivered to van Persie and Kuyt - both are capable of keeping a hold off the ball and running at defenders to create chances. We've seen Holland comeback from conceding a goal, or going a goal down and winning - calm, cool and collected, they won't be too fazed if they don't get the early lead. Have the ability to apply strong pressure, work well as a team in going forward, squeeze the ball into tight areas and are always dangerous until the final whistle. They are also great when they have to defend leads - some might say cautious, but they get pretty much all men at the back. Dogged and resilient in tracking back and clearing the ball. It will be particularly difficult for Spain to try and score in the last few minutes, if the Dutch are leading. They must be careful in their tackling and so on. I read that Holland have committed the most fouls this tournament, so they have to be on their best behaviour to avoid getting sent off because it could change the game (à la Zidane). Bert van Marwijk has his team under control so it will now be down to the players to do the talking on the pitch.

Spain: much more pleasing to watch with their passing game. However, shouldn't get too bogged down in their passing that they miss opportunities and chances to score. Spain have been the most passing side of the tournament. But that should come as no surprise. They totally dominate the midfield, particularly with the likes of Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi. The 4 top players who have passed the most so far are Spaniards. Xavi is no.1 in that list with a whopping 464 passes. And it's no wonder. When he's having a good game, Spain are having a good game, making Spain less of a team and more reliant on individual talents to see them through. Nevertheless, all players should be on form tomorrow in their first-ever final. Whilst not on proper goal-scoring form as we saw in the Euros, Spain have been clinical too. Winning 1-0 in their last three games on the trot. Have a tendency of passing a lot, creating many chances and scoring late on before seeing out the win. We have not yet seen a Spain side come from a losing scoreline to win. Germany couldn't do it, but if Holland get an early lead then it will be interesting to see Spain's reaction. Spain are good at stifling the opposition, and starving them off possession so we shall see how long it takes for Holland to crack open the Spanish side. Spain have got to be more efficient and clinical though in front of goal. If they were less wasteful they would have got more than only 7 out of 103 shots into the back of the net. That amount of shots is the most for this tournament, so they definitely have something going forward. Largely due to starman David Villa. Strike partner Torres has been out of form, like many big names in this tournament so far, that's probably why they've only scored 7. Doubts over whether he will start - probably not, instead Pedro will most likely go on in his place. Talent all over the pitch, particularly midfield. Busquets is the insurance policy in front off the back four, has been untroubled so far. Not short of intelligent players, but need to be less selfish so that they can kill off the games (Pedro - against Germany, for example). Ramos, Pique and Puyol like to get upfield during the game, particularly Ramos down the right - could cause problems, if Holland break on the counter and they are short of cover at the back. Managed to deal quite effectively with Germany's counter-attacking style though, so will be looking to do much the same tomorrow. Alonso likes to shoot from range so Stekelenburg needs to be alert at all times. Spain might try to expose the weaknesses of Holland's keeper, who made a mistake against Uruguay, allowing them back into the game.

Believe it or not but Holland and Spain have never clashed before in either a Euro game or a World Cup game. Spain have always been hindered at the quarter-finals stage whereas Holland have never been able to beat the host nation in the finals, losing 2 out of 2 finals matches.

For England fans, we can be happy in the knowledge, that we WILL be represented in the final after all, as Howard Webb and his two assistants have been chosen to be the official referees in the game. A bittersweet decision, after England were kicked out off the competition over a poor refereeing decision. Speaking off, FIFA have announced that this will be the last tournament without technology. A bit late for England now and it will be interesting to see whether any controversial decisions occur tomorrow to make them regret their resistance to video technology even more. For the fairness of the game, and for the sake of the officials, let's hope not. Howard Webb has already officiated at the UEFA CL final last season, so should have no real nerves at doing the same in tomorrow's game. At least now three Englishmen will receive world cup medals, so we're not that useless after all. In all seriousness, the refereeing from the English officials has been spot-on. Darren Cann has been correct in all the offside decisions he has made, even the tight ones and Howard Webb has been no pushover, particularly when it came to players diving. I wish them the best of luck tomorrow.

Before the WC began, I chose a team to support in 'reserve', should England go out of the competition early and should my 'reserve' team still be in with a chance. That 'reserve' team? Holland.

Also before the WC began, I did one of those office sweepstake predictions chart plotting the whole thing based on recent results, form and so on. The team I predicted to win? Spain.

So: will it be three-times lucky for the Dutch? Or will 'beginner's' luck prevail for the Spanish?

More importantly, who will win in the battle of the psychic animals?

My prediction? Do I go with Paul or Mani?

Well: my heart says the Dutch, but my head says the Spanish.

Decision Made...

The official 23 are as follows:

ENGLAND'S 2010 WORLD CUP SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.
Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

Surprised?! I certainly am.

No Theo Walcott is definitely the biggest shock of the lot.

Totally gutted for the lad from both a personal and impersonal point of view.

To be honest, I'm a bit baffled by that. I mean I know he didn't have the greatest of games against Mexico and Japan, but a lot of players on the team didn't either. Also, for Fabio to have included Upson and Warnock without having played them at all seems odd to me.

I guess Fabio thinks that this is a more balanced team and he knows best right?! Well his decision is more or less final and there's nothing anyone can do but respect it and support it.

Still, after the whole Theo debacle in 2006, when Sven took him at aged just 17 and didn't play him in a single game, this is a major disappointment. Granted he had an inconsistent season with Arsenal after suffering a shoulder injury early on but was largely expected by many to be on that plane.

Scott Parker and Matt Dawson were not given any chance to play in the friendlies and were subsequently subjected to the dreaded phone call, which seems a bit unfair to me.

Carrick who hasn't played particularly well has been given the go ahead in place of Huddlestone and Man City's youngster, Adam Johnson.

The other players to miss out are Darren Bent and Leighton Baines.

Well, there we have it. The waiting is finally over.

Fabio has sprung a massive surprise but we now have to turn our thoughts to our first opponents - the US.

The other squads who have not yet announced their final 23, have until 23:00 tonight to do so.

I will keep you posted on that.

Japan 1 - 2 England

The words used by journalists to describe England's performance against Japan yesterday afternoon do not seem to have differed greatly from those used regarding the game against Mexico. "Unconvincing", "sloppy" and "labourious". Hardly encouraging words as we head into the final preparation time before the first game against the USA, but there are some positive things to come out of this game, which I will discuss later.

But first, the game itself. Capello decided to choose a different starting line-up to the one he chose against the Mexicans. He went with the standard 4-4-2 formation, with Rooney starting alongside Bent. Capello chose to unusually put Lennon in an unfamiliar position on the left, with Walcott on the right instead of using Joe Cole, an out-and-out left winger. Lampard started the game, with Gerrard on the bench. Tom Huddlestone got a chance to play alongside the Chelsea midfielder. The back 4 was probably the only part of the team that seemed to resemble the first choice back 4 that looks likely to play against the US. Ferdinand was partnered with Terry, with Cole on the left and Johnson on the right. David James was given the goalie gloves for the first half and he was immediately put to work when Japan were awarded a free kick from which they scored the first goal of the game. The Brazilian-born centre back Tulio lost his marker in the 7th minute and smashed the ball into the back of the net. This came as a shock to the England players who had dominated possession before the set piece, and England's confidence took a knock as they failed to get into any kind of rhythm. Japan were inspired with confidence by their goal and they pushed forward in a far more organised fashion, unsettling England even more. Lennon had a fantastic chance to level the scores mid-way through the first half, after a great through pass by Rooney but could only aim it at the keeper. After that chances were few and far between; England's performance became flat and they went into half-time 1-0 down.

With the beginning of the second half, came a whole host of substitutions (5 to be precise) and a change of formation. This time Capello brought on Gerrard for Huddlestone, Hart for James, Carragher for Johnson and finally, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips for Walcott and Bent. Lennon switched back to his preferred position on the right, with Gerrard reunited with Lampard in the centre of the park and Wright-Phillips playing on the left. Joe Cole played in just behind Rooney. This new formation brought with it a change in tempo and England began to play at a much faster pace. England pushed forward and began to create chances and were rewarded with the opportunity to equalise in the 56th minute, when Honda inexplicably palmed the ball away with his hand from England's free kick. Lampard was the first choice penalty taker; after missing against Portsmouth in the FA Cup, the pressure was on for the Chelsea man. He missed. It wasn't a great penalty and the Japanese keeper, Kawashima guessed right to make the save.

The frustration of missing the penalty and the failure to equalise got to some players, notably Rooney who began to lose his temper. Japan then created several chances to go 2-0 up but England were kept in the game, thanks to some magnificent saves from Hart, including a brilliant fingertip save from Marimoto. Whilst the England keeper impressed at one end, the Japanese keeper did the same at the other, saving superbly from a curved Rooney shot. And it wasn't until the 72nd minute that Kawashima had to pick the ball out of his net, after one of his own players had unwittingly levelled for England following Joe Cole's cross into the box. Cole did well to create space down the right and the unfortunate Tulio ended up scoring at both ends. Capello then took Lennon off and replaced him with Heskey, thus reverting back to a 4-4-2 formation with Joe Cole slipping in back on the left wing in front of clubmate Ashley Cole. Wright-Phillips switched to his favoured position on the right.

With the rain chucking down, players were slipping and sliding about everywhere and the game was speeded up as the ball zipped about with pace. England adjusted their pace with the conditions and soon went 2-1 up in the 83rd minute. The goal was identically opposite to the equaliser. It was crossed in by the other Cole, this time on the other side of the pitch, and put into the back of the net by Japan's other central defender. It is safe to say that England were decidedly relieved to see it go in however symmetrical it may have been to the previous goal. But it was pretty cool symmetry nonetheless. Heskey had a beaut of a chance to make it 3, when Gerrard delightfully crossed in the ball in the 88th minute but it was another big miss for the big man who has now not scored for England in about a year. Gerrard gave everyone a scare when he hobbled off the pitch at full-time but the England medical staff have played down any fears and have said it is just a minor cause for concern.

So what will Capello be thinking ahead of revealing his final 23?

Well, I said there were some positives to take from the game. The fact that England were playing badly and still managed to scrape a win is definitely something worth noting. Also, Capello showed he wasn't afraid to shake things up a bit if things weren't going as planned, with the change of formation. The change in shape showed that Capello is able to accommodate Gerrard, Lampard and Cole all at the same time. Joe Hart made some fantastic stops and Gerrard and Lampard showed that they could work well together without Barry. Also, it is important to remember that the team that played in Graz is not the one that Capello will employ in the finals; the final 11 will have had time to adapt and adjust to each other and will not have to accommodate so many subs or changes. The whole mentality of the team will be different too, as they won't be playing in any more friendlies but in the real thing. Finally, playing at altitude didn't seem to have too much of an impact on the players, so it looks as though it won't be too much of a problem in South Africa.

There are however some concerns. For example, penalty taking. Capello must be a little worried about it inwardly but he has stated that he will not change the order of takers; implying that Lampard will still be first-choice. In a way, it's best to miss now than later, but Lampard's recent misses must be preying a bit on his mind. Also, it is clear that England must defend better on set pieces. I am sure that they will work on this in training but Tuilo managed to lose his marker pretty easily and score the first goal. England are sure to be punished if this issue goes unresolved.

So: it was not quite the 6-0 drubbing that England gave Jamaica before setting off for Germany in 2006 but luckily for England, these performances don't count for much. It is in South Africa, where they must make their mark.

Here's my prediction for the final 23: (the official, final list comes out tomorrow)

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

NB: Providing Gareth Barry is deemed fit to play.