Brazil vs Netherlands: Dutch Football Manager Bert van Marwijk Not Bothered by Criticism
Netherlands, the team known for introducing ‘Total Football’ to the world, came under some criticism after their 2-1 win over Slovakia in the pre-quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup 2010, after which they booked a date with the 5 time world champions Brazil in the quarterfinals.
However, the Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk has dismissed the criticism handed to his tactics in the last game. Netherlands have won all four of their four matches in this World Cup so far, and the coach said if there was anything negative about his team’s style of play they would not have a 100% record.
Van Marwijk said that in all 4 matches it was clear that their team dominated the possession, and at the same time denied any space to the opponents. The manager went on to say that his team is only focused on winning, and it does not matter how they come up with the goods as long as they get the job done.
The Netherlands manager said that his team played quite well in the early stages of the match against Slovakia, and definitely started the 2nd half as the stronger of the two teams. They eventually beat Slovakia 2-1.
Van Marwijk was also very pleased with the form of winger Arjen Robben, who just made his way back in the team after a hamstring injury. Robben was on song against Slovakia, and also scored the first goal through a trademark left footed shot from the edge of the box. Wesley Sneijder later scored to seal the win, before Slovakia scored through a penalty, which was literally the final kick of the game.
The manager said it was simply fantastic that Robben was able to produce such a great performance just after coming back from injury.
The man from Bayern Munich did not feature in the first two games of the World Cup, and made a short appearance against Cameroon.
Robben said that the injury certainly did worry him; at a point he feared that he may not even be able to play in the World Cup, but he was extremely pleased to be up and running. The left winger said that all he needed was to get the first game, and since then his fitness has been on the way up. He added that although he did not feel a 100% fit in the last match, he will be ready when Brazil come calling.
While commenting on the criticism handed to his team for their style of play, Robben said that he is pleased that they won, as that is all that matters, and he admitted that the team was not at their best and had to rely on tactics most of the time, but promised a much better and positive show against Brazil.
However, there was another hero in the team, their keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who was called into action a number of times when the score was only 1-0, and kept out successive efforts from Miroslav Stoch and Vittek.
Thus, Netherlands are not really worried about what people say; they are determined to win at all costs, and with the results that they have achieved so far, who would dare argue with them? Their next opponents Brazil, though, will surely test their tactics more than the teams they have come across till now.
Tags: