Well, that went fast.
It feels like we were watching match-saving one) and making sure the Dutch midfielders, namely Wesley Sneijder, did not have space to operate and create chances up front for players like Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie.
As I stated earlier, Germany’s likely going to win the midfield battle which means they’ll also likely enjoy most of the possession. This means Argentina’s going to have to live on the counter. Mascherano’s going to have his hands full with Özil, Khedira, and Swcheinsteiger etc., but if he can limit their time on the ball and be a link between defense and attack (especially with Ãngel di MarÃa lost to injury), then Argentina should be able to exploit the German back line.
If Argentina were to win, not only would it be the third time they've hoisted the trophy, but this one would be extra sweet because they'd would have won on the home turf of their bitter rival - and more specifically at the Estádio Maracanã, which is widely regarded as the mecca of Brazilian football.
The numberFire Prediction
Both teams deservedly earned their place in the final, and while they at times may not have performed up to expectations, both have done what teams worthy of being mentioned among the best in the world are supposed to do, and that’s find ways to win the close games. And that’s good, because the numbers indicate we’ve got another nail-biter on our hands.
That’s right, it’s time to, in the words of Jack Black from “School of Rockâ€, “get off your ‘ath’, let's do some math."
Getting right down to the meat and potatoes, we see from each team’s nERD ranking that this should indeed be a close affair, with Germany’s 3.26 (good for third) just edging out Argentina’s fourth-place score of 3.16. Keep in mind that the nERD score measures overall team efficiency by estimating how many goals each team would score against an average international opponent. As you can see, when comparing our two contestants, it really is just splitting hairs.
With a match score of 1.89 to 1.79, the crystal ball we like to refer to as our game simulator gives the edge, ever-so slightly, to Germany. The simulator rates Germany’s chances at winning in regulation at 37.06%, with those odds increasing to 54.13% should the match need extra time or even penalties. A 33.18% chance of the teams being level at the end of regulation leaves Argentina with a 29.76% percent chance of winning after the first 90-plus minutes, and a 45.87% chance in extra time/penalties.
The numbers predict a tightly-contested battle. Each team’s performance leading up to the final would also suggest things will be nip and tuck on the pitch on Sunday. We’ve got Messi and we’ve got the newly-crowned tournament goal scoring king, Klose. We’ve got offense and we’ve got defense. We’ve got all the makings of another classic World Cup finale. Let’s just hope it lives up to the billing and leaves us with some indelible images that can tide us over for another four years.