Jordan Nobbs is tipping Arsenal’s Dutch stars to shine in the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon but fears it won’t be enough to stop the States winning the tournament again.
Jordan Nobbs’ knee injury not only robbed Arsenal of one of their best players for a large chunk of their title-winning season, it also deprived the Women’s World Cup of one of the best players in the world.
Nobbs has spent her time covering the Women’s World Cup in France as a pundit, both on TV and in the papers, and on Sunday morning she gave her view ahead of the final with special focus on Arsenal’s Dutch stars, particularly Vivianne Miedema and Danielle van de Donk.
“I am really looking forward to the World Cup final because we all know what the United States and Holland fans are like and the atmosphere both will bring,” Nobbs wrote in her Sunday Telegraph column.
“Holland are quite a typical 4-3-3 team. They have workhorses in the middle and speed on the wings, and a top, world-class goalscorer.
“I do not think they were standout performers initially, but they have crept into the final. They have not been a team that everybody is talking about but they have got the job done. They have not really changed their team too much.
“I know striker Danielle van de Donk and Vivianne Miedema because we play together at Arsenal. Van de Donk is our central midfielder and was one of our top players last season. She will run more and further than most players on the pitch and has an incredible work rate that makes her key to that Holland side. She will have to try to match an American team who are very fit and physical.
“Miedema’s goalscoring attributes speak for themselves: the top goalscorer in the Women’s Super League this year and Holland’s all-time leading goalscorer at the age of just 22. She can become one of the best strikers in the world – in fact, we are already seeing that.
“She will not do as much running as Dan, and Viv knows that she is not the world’s best trainer, but she has a gift for scoring goals and always does what is needed. I would not say she is a poacher because she makes some really compelling runs, but she comes alive inside the box and you know she will score if you get the ball to her in there. Up until one of the last games of the season, she had scored all of her goals inside the area.
“Beyond that, she is an all-round player. One of the best parts of Viv’s game is her hold-up play. You get Viv the ball and she will ping it back and make another run. The way she peels her runs is key to how we play at Arsenal.
“She just needs to be in a position where we can feed her the ball as much as possible, and then she does the rest.”
“It could go dramatically wrong for Holland and they could lose three or four nil. Or both teams could be quite tired and there might not be many goals in it.
“Holland have got to the World Cup final by doing what they do, but I think America will come home with the trophy because of their physical attributes.”
The showpiece final takes place on Sunday, 7 July at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium, again with a 4pm kick-off. You can find out where to watch the Women’s World Cup final here.