19 June 2010 : Netherlands vs Japan

THE BIG PICTURE
Japan made history against Cameroon but not just because it was their first World Cup win away from home soil. They also became the first team since 1966 to win a tournament match with a mere 3 shots at goal. Some would call this precise, most would call it very, very dull. They will not get the same luxury against Holland who began their tournament in just the right way, a comfortable win that didn’t get people talking about potential final opponents. The sort of position fancied teams love to be in, just going about their business with no fuss. They certainly didn’t reach their potential against Denmark, but they didn’t have to, nor should they need to in this match up. Japan will be on a high after their defeat of Cameroon but a Cameroon side playing their star striker on the right wing will be very different opposition to the formidable Dutch side, whose manager probably Bert van Marwijk probably has a better knowledge of the word ‘tactic’ than that of Cameroon’s Paul Le Guen.

WHAT’S AT STAKE
Whoever wins this will know they’ve all but secured progression to the next stage. Both victorious in the opening round, the pressure is somewhat off but that won’t stop the Japanese trying to keep it cagey. A draw for them here, against arguably one of the favourites for the tournament would give them a real chance of going through no matter what the outcome of the Cameroon Denmark match. They’ll be all too aware of the Dutch strength going forward and will try and contain the threat at every opportunity. This will most likely mean a training game ‘attack v defence’ clash and it’ll be entirely up to the Netherlands to set the tempo.