World Cup preview: Netherlands
Coach: Bert van Marwijk
Key player: Wesley Sneijder
Previous best: Runners-up 1974 & 1978
The orange shirts, the total football, the Cruyff turn, the massive arguments, the eventual disappointment. What would a World Cup be without the Dutch?
After exiting the tournament amid a flurry of red cards in the second round stage to Portugal last time out, they return this time with a better, more experienced squad and with a real chance to go far.
Qualification was a breeze.
Although not presented with the toughest of groups they still managed eight wins out of eight, becoming the first European team to reach South Africa in the process. Looking at the attacking options in their squad, it’s no wonder why.
In Robin van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Eljero Elia and Ryan Babel, the Dutch possess attacking talents that are the envy of most of the footballing world.
The first three of those players are likely to start at the finals, as Van Persie, Kuyt and Robben can all interchange between the front three attacking positions that Van Marwijk likes to adopt, with Sneijder and Van der Vaart scheming and probing behind them.
The 58-year-old was Kuyt’s coach at Feyenoord, and he likes to utilise him in much more forward position than Rafael Benitez does at Liverpool, while Van Persie comes into the finals fresh after missing a large chunk of Arsenal’s season with an ankle injury that he picked up on international duty in November. Robben, often marginalised at Chelsea and Real Madrid, demonstrated his full array of stunning skills on Bayern Munich’s run to the Champions League final.
He played against Sneijder there, with the midfielder’s winners’ medal fully justifying his summer switch from Real to Inter Milan – the new champions of Europe.
A slight, creative force in the centre or just off the striker, Sneijder is also adept at shooting from long range, something that he demonstrated during the Netherlands’ brilliant start to the Euro 2008 finals, when they blew away Italy, France and Romania in their group, before coming unstuck against Russia in the quarter-finals on a disappointing night in Basel.
Their performances before that had led to many installing them as favourites for the tournament, ahead of even Spain, but – typically – they eventually bowed out meekly.
They should have no qualms about thinking about the quarter finals this time, but for one thing. If you’re wondering why their defence hasn’t been mentioned yet, it’s probably because they don’t want it to be.
John Heitinga did well at Everton last season, but there aren’t many world-renowned strikers who’ll be having nightmares about facing Khalid Boulahrouz, Joris Mathijsen and André Ooijer. Captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst, 35, is retiring from the game after the tournament, but will start as van Marwijk’s first choice left back.
Their attack outweighs their defence though.
Placed in a winnable alongside Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, victory would give them a second-round clash with the runners-up from Group F, likely to be either Paraguay or Slovakia, a prospect that won’t be daunting van Marwijk’s men too much.
They should be there at the latter stages, and although probably not possessing enough quality to win to the tournament, they will at least give everyone a good game.
Provided they don’t fall out.
Netherlands squad
1 Maarten STEKELENBURG (Ajax)
2 Gregory VAN DER WIEL (Ajax)
3 John HEITINGA (Everton)
4 Joris MATHIJSEN (HSV)
5 Giovanni VAN BRONCKHORST (Feyenoord)
6 Mark VAN BOMMEL (Bayern Munich)
7 Dirk KUYT (Liverpool)
8 Nigel DE JONG (Manchester City)
9 Robin VAN PERSIE (Arsenal)
10 Wesley SNEIJDER (Inter)
11 Arjen ROBBEN (Bayern Munich)
12 Khalid BOULAHROUZ (Stuttgart)
13 André OOIJER (PSV)
14 Demy DE ZEEUW (Ajax)
15 Edson BRAAFHEID (Celtic)
16 Michel VORM (FC Utrecht)
17 Eljero ELIA (HSV)
18 Stijn SCHAARS (AZ)
19 Ryan BABEL (Liverpool)
20 Ibrahim AFELLAY (PSV)
21 Klaas-Jan HUNTELAAR (AC Milan)
22 Sander BOSCHKER (FC Twente)
23 Rafael VAN DER VAART (Real Madrid)
Click here for previews of the Netherlands' Group E opponents:
http://www.senore.com/World-Cup-2010-preview-Cameroon-a12422
http://www.senore.com/World-Cup-2010-preview-Denmark-a12423
http://www.senore.com/World-Cup-2010-preview-Japan-a12426
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