World Cup Final Preview

Well, tomorrow's kick-off will be the last of a great World Cup. Card-showing records aside, this has been a memorable Cup for so many reasons. After I preview the Championship game, I will give some awards for different feats. Anyway, let's break down tomorrow's matchup.

Italy will start a lineup that shapes out like this:

Buffon (GK)

Cannavaro (centerback) Materazzi (centerback)
Zambrotta (rightback) Grosso (leftback)

Gattuso (defensive/holding midfield) Pirlo (holding midfield)

Camoranesi (right attacking midfield) Perrotta (left attacking midfield)

Totti (attacking/free role midfield)

Toni (lone striker)


And the French will put out the same exact formation, looking like this:

Barthez (GK)

Thuram (centerback) Gallas (centerback)
Sagnol (right wingback) Abidal (left wingback)

Vieira (holding midfield) Makelele (holding midfield)

Ribery (right attacking midfield) Malouda (left attacking midfield)

Zidane (central attacking midfield)

Henry (lone striker)

These teams are very similar in their styles, with both preferring possession and free-flowing soccer. They will provide us with an exciting final in that there will be no shortage of action and attacking.

For Italy, their strengths begin with fantastic goalkeeping. Gianliugi Buffon has allowed one goal the entire tournament -- an own goal against the Americans -- and has solidified his spot atop the heap of goalkeepers in the world. The Italian defense is equally incredible, using depth, awareness, organization and great decision-making to provide an impenetrable wall in front of Buffon. Centerback Fabio Cannavaro is my Player of the Tournament, which we'll get to later on.

In attacking, Italy possesses loads of talent. From the overlapping wingbacks, dangerous attacking midfielders and free-rolling Francesco Totti to the captivating striker Luca Toni, they have a chance to score everytime they possess the ball. The key in this match will be getting Zambrotta and Grosso up the flanks, overlapping with Perrotta and Camoranesi, delivering service into the box and wreaking havoc on the French defense.

But Italy can be beaten, provided the French attack floods the box with players and pecks away at the iron wall that is the Italian defense. If the French score early or first, the Italians might be in trouble, as they haven't played from behind yet in this tournament and may be forced to take on a different style that exposes their defense if they over-attack.

For France, the strengths are as plentiful and, in fact, very similar. The only difference is really in their goalkeeping. Fabien Barthez frightens me as a goalkeeper. Sure, he's played well enough to allow just two goals in the entire tournament, but he has had lapses for which the Italians, more so than any other French opponent so far, will punish him. But if he is playing well, good luck scoring against France's balanced defense. Thuram and Gallas really hold down the back, with defensive midfielders Vieira and Makelele making attack out of the midfield virtually impossible.

The midfield plays a great, free-flowing form, letting Ribery, Malouda and Zidane run freely to any spot on the pitch. Ribery can be spotted on the right, in the middle or even off to the left throughout the course of the game. Malouda will usually stick to the left, but drift into the middle when Abidal comes up the flank from the wingback position. Sagnol attacks well from the right, overlapping with Ribery and Zidane while providing top-notch service to world-class striker Thierry Henry.

The French really struggle when Henry doesn't receive much service or any help up front. They've been a lot better with their helping Henry of late, allowing them to make this heroic run to the final. But they can be exposed by their risky goalkeeping, so look for Italy to challenge Barthez early and often from distance.

Matchups to watch for:

Pirlo and Gattuso enforcing the center of the pitch against Zidane and Ribery. They will need to nullify Zidane and shut him down if they want to prevent him from starting trouble. They shut down Michael Essien, Landon Donovan, Michael Ballack, Sergiy Rebrov and others throughout the Cup, but this matchup is the toughest of them all.

Cannavaro marking Henry will be one of the best matchups of the entire tournament. Cannavaro has marked Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski, Andriy Shevchenko and Mark Viduka in the knockout stages, nullifying all of them while anchoring a fantastic defense.

Thuram and Gallas marking Luca Toni will be critical for France. Toni is dangerous in the air and on the floor, so they will have to be at their best. These two shut down Ronaldo, Pauleta, Fernando Torres and Sebastian Frei, so they have proven their worth in this Cup.

Makelele and Vieira against Francesco Totti is alarmingly similar to Pirlo and Gattuso marking Zidane. Totti is a world-class talent with skills identical to Zidane. He hurt his reputation after spitting on a Danish player in the Euro 2004 tournament, but still has the highest level of ability in the world. But Makelele is the best defensive midfielder in the world, making him more than capable of marking Totti. And with the help of world-class Vieira, the French defensive midfield should be hard to beat.

The French are riding a great run by aging stars Zidane, Thuram, Makelele and Vieira, hoping to make one last splash before they ride off into the sunset. After a scoreless, embarrassing 2002 World Cup, they are searching for the ultimate redemption.

The Italians are playing for former teammate and Italian soccer celebrity Gianluca Pessotto, who is in critical condition in a Turin, Italy hospital. They are also seeking revenge after losing the Euro 2000 final to the French. The Italians are battling a major betting and match-fixing scandal back home, making their run to the final a breath of fresh air for many Italian soccer supporters.

I like the French in this match, if only because it's the romantic choice. They have the story of Zidane riding off as a legend, etc. But I think the match will go to penalties, and the Italians just don't have the luck or the experienced players to win a penalty shootout on this stage.

France wins in penalties after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes.

THE JEFF GREER WORLD CUP 2006 AWARDS

Best Player-- Fabio Cannavaro: Central defender for Italy led the best defense in the Cup, all while playing without his partner in crime, Alessandro Nesta.

Best Young Player-- Robin Van Persie: Attacking midfielder for Holland made a serious case for some new money after igniting the Dutch attack in the group stages. His free-kick goal against the Ivory Coast was one of the goals of the tournament.

All-Cup Team:
GK Gianliugi Buffon (Italy)
D Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
D Lilian Thuram (France)
D Fabio Grosso (Italy)
D Philip Lahm (Germany)
M Zinedine Zidane (France)
M Andrea Pirlo (Italy)
M Robin Van Persie (Holland)
M Steven Gerrard (England)
M Franck Ribery (France)
F Miroslav Klose (Germany)