Wayne Mardle: MVG's scoring too powerful for The Power

1Jan 2013

Wayne Mardle looks ahead to tonight's World Darts final and believes Michael van Gerwen's red hot form, and his ability to score heavily, will be too much even for Phil Taylor to handle...

The Power has hinted that this could be his swan song. He has publicly said that he needs a break from the sport and that he is slightly disillusioned with it all. On top of this he has the starting of the common cold and said he feels a bit sorry for himself.

Not the talk of a man playing for the biggest of titles within his chosen sport.

But you don't become a 15-time world champion without a few hiccups along the way, and knowing Phil like I do, he will do everything in his powers (pardon the pun) to win his 16th world crown tonight.

On the other hand you have MVG, The Green Machine, Michael Van Gerwen. He's in his first world final and he is absolutely loving it. The Dutchman is playing the best darts of his life, a continuation of the incredible form he has shown in the last six months which saw him win his first major title, the Grand Prix in October.

Van Gerwen is full of confidence, and not full of cold like Taylor. I'm a little surprised that MVG is the marginal outsider to win the game at 2.02 with Phil the favourite at 1.96.

During his semi-final against James Wade, Michael hit a nine-dart leg and then in the very next leg narrowly failed to repeat the feat when his attempt at double 12 fell agonisingly the wrong side of the wire. I've watched and played darts for the last 30 years and I've never in my life seen anyone hit the treble with such regularity as Michael.

He's the best scorer in the world of darts. Fact.

Phil has improved beyond recognition from his first round performance where he dismantled an out of sorts Michael Mansell. He needs to improve further in my opinion if he's to give MVG a scare, and I'm not convinced he will.