Why the Dutch Will Win the 2010 World Cup

I’m thinking Holland might do it this year.

Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder are arguably two of the three best players left in the Champions League, alongside Lionel Messi. 

Robin Van Persie is healthy and looks sharp again. 

Dirk Kuyt had his best Liverpool season ever. 

And they play Cameroon, Denmark, and Japan in the first round. 

Yes, I passionately love Amsterdam and all its pleasures.  But I’m trying to stay objective here and not dwell on the Grasshopper or the Amstel brewery tour.

I believe that this is going to be Holland’s year at the World Cup, finally.  No more underachieving.  I like them to light it up this year.

I watched Arsenal play Manchester City with magnusbleuveigner this past Saturday.  It was a dull match, because Arsenal missed Fabregas and Arshavin.  City’s goal was clearly to stifle Arsenal and hope to nick one on the break. 

Yeah, the end of this season has been painful to me, which is a partial explanation for my relative silence here. 

Anyway, right at the end of the match, Van Persie lined up for a free kick right outside the box, dead center.  Rather than lace it and go for a net-ripper a la Beckham, Van Persie broke out the oldest left-footed player trick in the book.  The inside-of-the-foot curler around the inside of the wall, aimed for the upper 90.  He missed by about four inches. 

But it showed that he’s really back—horse placenta treatment and all.

This matters for a lot of reasons. 

It’s too, too late for the Gunners this year.  So be it.  But it’s another reason why the Dutch should be heavy favorites in South Africa. 

Of course they’re not.  Not really.  You don’t hear them discussed with the Brazils, the Spains, the Italys—unless it’s dismissively. 

That’s because in every World Cup going back to Mexico City, the Dutch have always been one of the favorites.  Frequently, usually because of dissension in the camp or unhappiness with the coach, they have flamed out early. 

This year is going to be different.

Real Madrid’s biggest mistake last season was selling Snejider and Robben.  Robben is Bayern Munich’s most dangerous player right now (more dangerous than Ribery in my opinion), and Snejider looks like a match-winner every time the ball is at his feet for Inter. 

These guys on the field at the same time with Huntelaar and Van Persie in front of them sounds unstoppable.  They have pace (Robben), touch and vision (Sneijder), and technique and finishing (Van Persie and Huntelaar).  Put Kuyt up there somewhere scrapping, and you have the best offensive team in the world in my opinion. 

Yes, better than Spain.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Mark van Bommel, Nigel de Jong, Rafael van der Vaart, and Dirk Kuyt will all see the field with Robben, Van Persie, and Snejider. 

Well, they can’t all see the field at the same time and someone will have to defend, but that’s a hell of a lot of talent to take. 

The difference this year is the balance of these players.  Kuyt, van Bomel, de Jong, and Sneijder all get stuck in.  The striking talent is obvious.  The defense is a question mark, but if this team can maintain possession the way I think they can, then it shouldn’t really matter. 

They will score tons of goals.  I don’t think anyone in the group stage can touch them. 

Robben and Sneijder are showing that they are money players who will show up big in big games.  Huntelaar has been a little unsettled in the Serie A, but the dude can finish.  Van Persie can be mercurial and a bit of a diva (as can Robben), but he is good for a bit of magic in almost every match he plays.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I’m looking forward to the World Cup this year. 

Ever since I watched Bergkamp (my favorite player of all time) score a fantastic goal against Brazil in Dallas during the 1994 World Cup, I have had a soft spot in my heart for the Dutch. 

I really believe in this year’s team.  They have a perfect set-up to make a deep run.  They have quality.  They have a coach.  They can finish. 

Who’s going to beat them?

Anyway, let’s get the World Cup excitement rolling here. 

Who do you like?

This article originally appeared on Pitch Men .