Here We Go...

"When he's not minding the nets for France, Fabian Barthez moonlights as the lead singer for Judas Priest."


Yeah, I know I said I'd do a preview on Friday, but I ran out of time. Sorry about that.

Just got through watching Germany dismantle Portugal for 3rd place, and I'm pretty confident when I say this; there's NO WAY Klinsmann will leave as Germany's coach to be the next U.S. coach. Not happening, at least not yet. All you had to do was see his reaction and interaction with his players after being eliminated by Italy on Tuesday, and then all the stuff he did on the sidelines today to know that he loves what he's doing, he loves those players, and the players and now German fans love him right back. I don't think he'll stay on for a full 4 years, but I think he'll stay at least through Euro 2008. Man, I'd love to have him here coaching us, but be patient, folks. He'll be here for the 2014 cycle. We should put this column in a time capsule and open it up 8 years from now to see if I'm correct...

Now, as for the main event tomorrow, most people have Italy winning and taking the Title. I don't think it's such a clear cut case. Let's review each position, plus a couple of other factors to come up w/ my prediction on the outcome.

GOALKEEPING: On paper, this looks extremely one-sided. Italy's Gianluigi Buffon has pretty much solidified his position as the world's #1 goalie, as he's only given up 1 goal in the entire tournament thus far, and even then, it took one of his own players to knock it in. He's made some ridiculous saves, and might be the best goalkeeper I've seen since another Italian, Dino Zoff, led Italy to the '82 Cup. On the other end, Fabian Barthez likes to make things interesting, huh? That volleyball "dig" after the free kick against Portugal would have made "blooper" reels across the globe had it led to a goal, but it didn't. He tends to get lost on crosses as well, and rarely catches anything clean. Still, he's got a World Cup and European Championship on his resume, which Buffon does not. Plus, he does make the big save when called upon, and has done so a few times over the past 4 weeks. Edge: Italy

DEFENSE: This one is a little closer. The French defense has only given up 2 goals so far, one of which was a penalty kick. Lilian Thuram has as much experience in big games as anybody on either team, and is often overlooked when people talk about legendary French players. Eric Abidel has been a true revelation in this tournament as well, while Willy Sagnol and William Gallas have been steady if unspectacular to get the job done. Italy is, well, Italy. They're usually the first team mentioned when talking about defense, and deservedly so. For all the talk about Buffon, players like Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso simply haven't allowed the opposition many opportunities this tournament, and they've played some skilled attacking teams like the Czech Republic, Ghana, and Germany. Even with Nesta out of the past few games, all Fabio Cannavaro has done is emerge as the world's best defender and arguably the MVP of this tournament. Edge: Italy

MIDFIELD: The Italian midfield hasn't been given as much credit as they deserve. There aren't any "superstars" in this area, but the play of Simone Perotta, Gennaro Gattuso, and Mauro Cameronesi has gotten the job done at both ends of the field, w/ Gattuso in particular breaking up attacks as the defensive midfielder. In my column the other day on which players have stepped up in this tournament, I sinfully left off Andrea Pirlo, who my colleague Brian Straus, from XM's World Cup show and Washington Post Express, claims is the MVP of the Cup going into Sunday's match. All Pirlo has done is score a goal, notch 2 assists (including the brilliant game-winner against Germany in the semis) and orchestrate the Italian attack. When you look at France, it's a who's who of some of the world's best talent, with Patrick Vieira and Claude Makalele playing some of the best soccer in their lives. Newcomers who have forced their way into the discussion like Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda have also been tireless on the wings and have created havoc in attacking as well as tracking back defensively, which allows Zinedine Zidane to pace himself better throughout the match. Because of this, the 34 year-old has played his best soccer in years. He might be the best "story" of this tournament, and if he can muster enough magic for 1 more win in the Final, he'll be mentioned with Charles de Gaulle in the annals of French history. Edge: France

STRIKER: France's Thierry Henry is finally having the impact on the International stage that had avoided him thus far in his career. One of the best domestic players in the world for Arsenal, Henry was largely invisible in the 2002 Cup and 2004 Euros. This time around, he's got 3 goals, has drawn numerous fouls in the attacking 3rd of the field, and actually leads the team in fouls committed with 18, showing how much more aggressive he's become on the pitch. Depth could be a problem, as Louis Saha will sit out due to yellow cards. If France needs some offense late, Sylvain Wiltord or David Trezeguet will have to fill that role. Italy has scored 11 goals in the tournament, with an amazing 10 different players getting n the score sheet. Only huge target Luca Toni has 2, both of which came in the quarters against Ukraine. Toni has not been the dominating player in this tournament many expected, but thanks to the resurgence of Francesco Totti, and the numerous bench options on the team, he hasn't had to. Still, Henry has more experience and explosiveness, and if anyone can break down the stout Italian defense, it's him. Edge: France

COACHING: Italy's Marcelo Lippi has a bit more experience in these type of situations, while France's Raymond Domenach is relatively new to the club. However, Domenach has had success as coach of France's youth teams. Lippi hasn't had to make many adjustments other than replacing Nesta in defense. The team hasn't missed a beat. He knows the strengths of all his players, and his relatively calm demeanor on the sidelines shows the confidence he has in his team. Domenach is a bit more animated, and didn't back down from Big Phil Scolari's verbal assaults against him or his team in the semis against Portugal. Domenach also likes to gamble a bit, as he tends to substitute attacking with other attacking players, even if the team has a lead. His philosophy of keeping the other team on its heels rather than putting his own team under pressure has worked brilliantly so far. Edge: Even

INTANGIBLES: Italy has played the best soccer of the 32 teams throughout the tournament. Their only stumble came against a determined, yet undermanned, U.S. team that was playing for its tournament lives. Other than that, the Italians have never really looked to be in any trouble. France was on the verge of not even making it ot the knockout round, as they needed a win in game 3 against a terrible Togo team to advance. Since then, they've beaten powers Spain, Brazil, and Portugal. Zidane has erased all those who doubted he could pull off what he's done, and it's a shame the last time we'll see him in a competitive match will be tomorrow afternoon. As mentioned earlier, in addition to "Zizou," the French have several players who have been here before, so they know what to expect. It might take Italy time to adjust. Edge: France

OVERALL: France 3 - Italy 2 - 1 Even

Final Prediction: I mentioned in Thursday's column that I was going with Italy. Then I kept thinking...and thinking...and thinking. My head says Italy is the smart play. They're organized, a little faster, are in top form, and have loads of confidence. France will start 5 players 30 or older, and Zidane is probably running on fumes. Still, if Italy comes out tentative, which I suspect they will, France needs to attack and capitalize. If they can get an early goal and make Italy chase the game, which they haven't had to do in this tournament, Les Bleus will walk away with their 2nd World Cup in 8 years. If Italy can make the game fast and pressure the older French, the legs might not be able to hold up for 90 minutes. This is a tough one to call, but:

Henry gets behind the Italian defense sometime within the first 20 minutes and scores the only goal of the game. France 1 - Italy 0.