Holland Hold Argentina, England Try To Win The World Cup Without Any Strikers

It wasn’t exactly brilliant oranje but defense held. Holland’s game was like a 14 year-old on his first date: lots of possession but little penetration. Without Robben, Holland lacked the speed to get behind the Argentine defense. But with both teams already through to the next round what this game lacked most was urgency. Van Persie and Van Nistelrooy got a run in. A number of youngens were given a run out. Jaliens and De Cler impressed at full back with their overlapping runs. Cocu’s veteran presence in midfield steadied the Dutch ship. Van der Vaart and Sneijder, both of whom impressed this past season with Hamburg and Ajax respectively, struggled against a tough, disciplined Argentinean midfield run by Cambiasso and Riquelme. The blue and white defense kept its shape throughout the game and was rarely breeched. All in all, not the classic of 1998 World Cup, or 1978 for that matter, but a solid performance from both sides. As Holland coach Marco Van Basten said after the game: "We weren't fast enough to switch into the attack and then it is hard to find the gaps. Only towards the end did we create some half chances."
Holland now faces the Portuguese on Sunday. Arjen Robben said before the Argentina game that Holland owed the Portuguese one after they knocked Holland out of the Euro 2004 semi finals. If Holland does get past the Portuguese, they will probably face the English. Or will they?
Some commentators are calling Michael Owens’s injury a blessing in disguise. Play five in midfield, free up Gerrard and Lampard to attack by playing Hargreaves as the holding midfielder, and let Rooney run riot in the final third of the field. So what about Walcott? Just why is he in Germany? The England manager’s decision to take Walcott, which at first seemed liked a gleefully inspired risk now seems like the last season of Lost – poorly thought out and made up on the fly.