World Cup Group E preview: Netherlands v Japan
Usually by this stage of a major tournament, reports of internal conflicts in the Dutch camp inevitably rear their ugly head to help derail the Netherlands’ World Cup bid.
But one week in to the 2010 World Cup finals and all appears surprisingly rosy for the Oranje.
This Saturday lunchtime, Bert van Marwijk’s men take on Group E’s other joint-leaders, Japan, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Many had been quick to write off the Japanese before the tournament had begun. A string of poor results in their warm-up matches and an unpopular coach led some to believe they would prop up the Group E table this summer.
On the evidence of their opening match, though, Japan have a real chance of advancing through to the last 16.
A 1-0 win over Cameroon was the result of a solid and organised defensive performance, with the Japan backline coping comfortably with the pressure of the Africans’ attack, which included the mercurial talents of Samuel Eto’o – although it must be said that he was wasted out on the right wing.
Keisuke Honda, the national team’s most revered talent, scored the game’s only goal and will be vitally important to any aspirations the Japanese may harbour of scoring against the Dutch.
Thwarting the attacking prowess of Cameroon is one thing, but Japan’s toughest test will take place against the hugely-talented Netherlands – regarded by many as potential World Cup winners.
A reasonably impressive 2-0 victory against Denmark kicked off the Oranje’s campaign on Monday and sent out a crystal clear warning to the rest of the competition that they are in South Africa for one purpose only: to win their first ever World Cup.
However, despite the likes of Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart all showcasing their skills against the Danes, the missing piece of the jigsaw is still a doubt for the Netherlands second match.
Arjen Robben is currently recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in a pre-World Cup friendly against Hungary, and is rated as doubtful to line-up against Japan. As he proved on a consistent basis with Bayern Munich last season, Robben is a player capable of producing moments of genius; and as far as the Netherlands are concerned, the sooner he returns the better.
Given the Europeans' star-studded squad, Japan will be focused on keeping things tight at the back once more in a bid to stifle their second set of opponents. However, if the last match between the two sides is anything to go by nine months ago in Enscheda, then they’ll have their work cut out.
Van Marwijk’s lethal forward line put Japan to the sword in a crushing 3-0 victory which clearly outlined the gulf in class between the national teams.
Avoiding a similar hammering this weekend will be no mean feat, but confidence levels will be high following their first ever World Cup win outside of their home country.
With both teams planning to name unchanged starting line-ups on Saturday, this is unlikely to be a match for tactical surprises. Nonetheless, it will be an intriguing battle between the frontrunners in Group E, both of whom will be keen to avoid finishing second – as that would mean a potential last 16 match against the reigning world champions, Italy.
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