100% score for Louis van Gaal: Group winners!!

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by Jan

Some current news here.

The group of Death. And again Holland wins all three games. Against the accepted opinion that Spain would be too hard, Chile would be too hard, Australia would be easy. Most of the analysts have it wrong. Spain appeared relatively easy, Australia was tough and Chile was put aside in a clinical masterclass of tactics.

Oh and we finally understand this 5-3-2 system of Louis!! It’s 5 goals in the first game, 3 in the second and 2 in the third. We will now go onto 1-3-3-4. So 1-0 vs Mexico. 3 goals in quarter and semi and 4 goals in the finals :-).

He might be a bit of a tool, but Louis van Gaal knows exactly what he is doing.

Chile’s danger comes from the right, so he brings in ironman Kuyt to guard the flank. He uses a fresh and super fit Wijnaldum to work on the other flank and he somehow instills confidence in presumed mediocre and inexperienced defenders.

angel backAnd she is back!! Oranje Angel

In case you are wondering… I am VERY proud and enthusiastic. Van Gaal has brought something to the Oranje that other coaches have failed to do.

He has taught them how to play clinical, how to grind out a result and for young players to fit in and take charge.

Nigel de Jong played excellent yet again, as did Dirk Kuyt. I hereby forbid anyone ever to have anymore criticism on Kuyt’s contributions. He is not Van Basten. He is not Depay. And he doesn’t need to be. He is Dirk Kuyt. Superhero. But I also want to single out Stefan de Vrij and Daley Blind.

vlaar chileRock Vlaar

Despite what some punters here said, I felt Blind played a sensational game. His energy, his forward pressure, his positional smarts… He was class! Not just defending, but also in his passing. He got a couple of fouls against him that clearly in slomo (and hindsight) were very nifty touches of the ball. He is beyond debate for me. De Vrij and Vlaar were rocks at the back and finally De Vrij showed some guts playing the ball deep whenever he could.

Janmaat played his usual game but could do better with his forward runs. He will never be a super defender, but we like to see a bit more of him in the final third.

It was the defensive part of this game I liked. It might have been boring and we might not have fired on all cylinders…but why would we? To convince who? Why would we throw away energy and risk injuries? This game was supposed to be put away, with at the least a draw. And we did much better. Chile only got half chances and we scored two.

fer chile

And two goals by subs. Well spotted Van Gaal. Gladiator Sneijder worked his ass off and allowed a young and spritely Fer to take dividends from a tired Chile. What a goal. Precision in the pass (Janmaat), precision in the placement of the ball. Superb!

Robben was a bit selfish at times, but when you have his form, really…would you be different. He had two massive opportunities and both times hit the target amidst at least three players. I say, let Robben do his thing.

The only player I felt was out of his depth, was Lens. I am not sure what was wrong with him. He probably wanted to force himself too much, trying to get Van Gaal to pick him for the coming matches as well. As some of you observed: he either went to ground or he fouled his opponent. He can do so well, but he was not on song this match.

But boy, how good is little Depay? He had some sensational little attempts at passes that didn’t connect and he had that wonderstrike from outside of the box. If it would have been a tad more to the left or right, it would have been another Goal of the Tournament.

depay chile

This lad has it all. The complete package, for sure.

So kudos to the team, it was a composed and effective match. We dealt with their threats the way Italians can and we took the opportunity when it mattered. Subbing two tired gladiators for fresh young legs and there is your 3 points, thank you very much.

Man of the Match: Louis van Gaal. For sure. He did his homework, he made the right call and he prepared his team superbly. I tip my hat.

My biggest concern: lets not get ahead of ourselves. Forget about quarter finals, semi finals and finals. Not yet relevant.

The only thing that counts is the next game! Nothing else.

robben depay

By the way, I have to add. The referee was great. He was composed and didn’t let the Chileans get under his skin! He ignored calls for a yellow for Blind (at first, but ending up giving him yellow for actually playing the ball) and he never was interested in their lame penalty shouts. Hats off!

Slightly politically incorrect but still funny….

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142 comments

  2. LVG’s tactics were smart, and defensively the Dutch were superb. Positioning throughout was superb. Still, I don’t like to see The Netherlands sitting back so much. One could almost say that we parked the bus–at least in the first half. It is an effective strategy but makes for a very dull game–even the commentators were saying so-and this one could easily have ended up nil-nil and we would have heard a lot of criticism that is absent because of the two late goals. The Chile coach criticized the Dutch after the game for not wanting to play–and when an American reporter asked LVG after the game about the very defensively style the Dutch coach got very defensive and angry. We don’t show much in possession–and coming forward the midfield was not good. But, it was smart tactics, put the team in a good position going forward–and I think we’ll see more of the same against Mexico, which plays a lot like Chile. I hope the Dutch are a bit more positive–and with RVP back they should be.

  3. Everyone says dutch defends sucks.
    but hey i didnt recall many times that Cillesen was called to action. all he has done is to clear the back passes…which always scares me

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    I’m happy to read your comments. Van Gaal is far better than what you wrote when they signed him for the job.

    You have to see, although the B group was the most complex of the tournament BY FAR, the Groet Oranje ended up winning all three games against very serious opponents. Have you seen another team in the worldcup playing better or more precise voetbal yet?

    Now is time to focus on Mexico. Hup Holland Hup!!!

    1. Well, I think I always said LVG is a great coach. Great tactician and motivator. But also difficult to deal with as a human being. Headstrong and arrogant. But he has adapted really well and has seen that 4-3-3 and winning is not a combination that always works :-).

  5. To me, Mexico and Chile play pretty similar football. They are very speedy, and getting better and better every game. Their style does not change from game to game and they will be most likely very predictable for LvG. Their defense has been OK. Let’s see what LvG prepares for Mexico. I gave to admit , their coach is not stupid either. He brought this team to this level within very short period of time. They looked very bad during qualification. Let’s see.

  7. I am Mexican but I am a fan of Holland since I was 8 years old (now 28) therefore I hope Holland wins the game although if Mexico wins will be happy as well of course.

    Normally Holland would win against Mexico but in a football match anything can happen that’s why LVG has to keep his players’ feet on the ground.

    Mexico did horribly in qualifying but since our new coach Miguel Herrera took over we’ve been playing well.

  8. for it was a tactical victory of LVG,Does anyone miss Bert???????????ha ha
    @Dirkie….Congrats ,you have played your best,useful game for orange and you played in a position where you belonged.
    For it was Wijnaldum–for Deguzman and Kuyt for-Martins indi is the sucess behind our defense,with usual killers like Nijel boy.
    Agilty and speed of wijnaldum was simply superb to contain Chilian players.kuyt has got much better brain than BMI this gave us the victory,there may not be much more attack from left but our defense was great.Bit unfortunatly due to the speedy and trciky chilain players Both Wijnaldum and kuyt had to be very alert in defense this has limited their contribution in attack.
    we might have lost had we played with Deguzman and BMI.IMO

    1. LVG has showed us that he is willing to change from 4-3-3 to other formation in order to win (or because of Strootman’s injury in other words). He is willing to win ugly as Bert but he make change during the game (e.g. Depay in to replace BMI in a sense that change 5-3-2 to 4-3-3) and willingly to put trust in a many young players, especially our defenders/goalkeeper which reward him nicely. As much as JC would like us to play “attractive football” like Germany, I would like to disagree. We do not have the same type of players so LVG has designed the tactic best suiting to those players available to him. It yielded very good result so far. Now we can say that we have a good luck of the draw (2nd round, QF) so let’s make the most out of this chance.

  9. I don’t agree that Van Marwijk’s tactics are similar to Van Gaal’s. VM’s approach was to defend first, then reap the benefits of defending, while VG’s does not base his tactics on pure luck, it is a coordinated effort to win back position and then move the ball quickly up front.
    Against Spain, Australia and especially against Chile Holland defended very tight leaving very little or no spaces at all. Alexis was constantly “harassed” by Blind but in a positive way. Except a couple of opportunities but all three opponents found it hard to penetrate Holland’s defensive wall. But again, this tactics was not intended to purely defend (read. VM) but on how to steal back position.

    I also don’t agree that Holland parked the bus in the first half against Chile, Holland was leader of the group only needed a draw, has/had some players missing, so why risk it. I think this team is able to absorb all the energy from its opponent and then strike quick but again totally different from what VM was doing…

  10. Seriously, I don’t understand how all football websites gave daley blind a low rating on yesterday’s game!!! The kid was following sanche all over the field, he really didn’t let him breathe, for me blind got 7.5/10 yesterday, did what exactly van gaal asked him to do!!

    1. Daley Blind:

      TOP of the assists table: 3 (with Cuadrado of Columbia)
      TOP of the tackles table: 16 (with Oscar of Brazil)

      EREDIVISIE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

      AJAX LEGEND.

      NOW, ORANJE LEGEND.

      🙂

    2. Exactly Alaa. I expected a lot of praise for Blind after yesterday’s game. The boy is excellent tactically. So was Kuyt.
      I liked the backline of yesterday a lot actually. Would like to go with it the rest of the tournament.

  11. I agree mohamed, this back line yesterday gave me a feeling of safety that I felt for the first time in a long time with Oranje!! And against who?? Chile who is considered by many critics to be the best team in the World Cup, until yesterday till we turned them into a useless team 😉
    Van gaal is just showing everyone in the football world that he is the man:)
    I realized a dream yesterday and watched the game in museumplein!!! Man what a feeling throug out the game and after!!! I am still here in amsterdam for a couple more days, this was the first time in my life I watch it with this many oranges people around me, that was heaven:)

  12. After yesterday’s game I’m sure that Oranje would have made a comebacke even if Spain had scored the second. In second half, when every team gets tired under the heat, Oranje doesn’t show any sign of being tired. And we played all the games during afternoon heat ! In that aspect it seems that mexico is similar to us

  13. Yes after our first 2 matches we knew we had great goal scoring abilities, great will power and very acceptable fitness levels. Our only concern was about defence solidity. However I was expecting Van Gaal to take action to improve this and in fact I can say that he met my expectations yesterday … he took action and defence improved significantly.

    Now if we can pair some of the flair shown in the first match with the defensive solidity shown yesterday … we should be able to defeat Mexico and look forward

  14. That was a tactical masterclass by Van Gaal. Honestly Kuyt and De Jong were amazing. Back in the day I would be disappointed if Holland had less possesion… but I like this style more…Its even entertaining nevertheless 🙂

    2. Effective? Yes? Entertaining? No. The second half of Ghana-Germany and The Netherlands-Spain–those were entertaining. The only thing that made yesterday’s game entertaining was that Holland found a way to score, and win, late.

  15. Daley Blind had very difficult game, and to me, he really struggled with Sunchez. He lost several personal duels to Sanchez but was well covered by central defenders. Having said that Daley made Sanchez’s life difficult, but the latter was not out of the game completely. Daley has all potential to grow into great class defender, but he is not there yet.

    1. I think it is only normal for any player to have trouble against Sanchis. Like any defender would struggle vs Robben. Alexis is a top forward. Blind was so focused and fit. He really did well. And sure, Alexis beat him at times. That is to be expected. But Blind’s yellow was silly as he played the ball.

      This kid is really good. He has a pass, vision, focus, tactical smarts and silky ball touch.

      1. I totally agree with you, Jan, Daley is indeed great kid with lots of potential. He inherited good genes from his father :)and I hope he will grow into world class defender. He has been progressing well too as two years ago, to me, he was just a “daddy’s son” who got playing time in Ajax due to connections. However, he proved me wrong and I am very happy about it.

        1. Yes, I do agree. he can contribute more if he is given more freedom to move to midfield. But in this current formation of Dutch team, his focus is primarily defense….

        2. Daley was mentioned to me as a big talent already when he was 10 years old or so (I am friends with one of Louis and Danny’s mates) and he played midfield and centre back in the youth. There are /were many ex players sons playing for Ajax, Feyenoord and even ManU youth teams and none ever made it into the big team if they didn’t deserve it. Most of the times, coaches are extra critical as to avoid nepotism. I used to be a the “youth leader assistant” of a youth team with Willem van Hanegem’s son. He was a great little player but not good enough for Feyenoord so he never made it there.

          I never believed the “coaches’ son” thing. If WIllem’s son wasn’t good enough, why would Danny Blind’s son slip through.

          He is a player who could hold his own in Barcelona. But he could be a little more explosive for me. He reminds me of Iniesta a little. Yes, a midfielder for me, for sure. Frank de B is right.

          And to finalise once and for all the Daley Blind Debate: if people like Louis van Gaal and Frank de Boer see it in you, you probably are a good player.

  16. Dutch succeeded in not giving away space. Their fitness level is very good and they can run after each ball. I believe, if they keep playing this way, they can overcome Mexico too. Croatia was killed yesterday because they have given away a lot of space and were very heavy.

  17. Van Gaal is really a great coach. Who else can make this kind of group of players fight together? We have experienced players whose best days are already behind them like Kuyt (who I thought had nothing to contribute anymore) and a totally inexperienced defense line.

    Totally hyped for the next match. I actually think it will be a harder game because Mexico seems to play a bit more physical style of football, and they are as fast as Chile.

  18. Great tactics by LVG. I was surprised and hoping the hunter will fill up RVP place but LVG knew better. I was hoping clasie will come in but did not happen too. Having kuyt back gives oranje more energy needed against much motivated chilean team. Great both goals by our bright youngsters allthough second one was robben or an own goal.

    The next next next or even next match is do or die match. lose and pack the bags for summer vacation.

    We are ORANJE and in brazil we bleed ORANJE …….

  20. Glad the ref didn’t fall for any of Chile’s theatrics… man they sure go down easily! Seemed that anytime one of their players was close to both the ball and one of our defenders they would find a way to fall to the ground. Very disappointing, but I still wish them luck against Brazil. And if they were to get an undeserved penalty in that match, wouldn’t that just be fitting? 😀

  21. What’s interesting to me is that our midfield is primarily taking up a defensive role. They are marking the opponent’s mids and completely disrupting their ability to create.

    Then when we win possession, we are firing the ball up to RVP and Robben (and now Depay as well) who have got to be three of the most dangerous players in the World Cup.

  22. I just lost a long post due to being logged out while writing.
    Great win. Haven’t been this excited since 2010. Chileans are sore losers and now am convinced Brazil will handle them. Depay is a monster in the making. Look at his galloping at field’s length to meet Robben’s pass.
    Mexico will be very tough, their energy level is unbelievable. They thrive in open spaces where they run like maniacs. It seemed to me like the field of Mex-Cro game bigger than ours. I hope we score one early so game opens up. I just want a win regardless what form it comes.
    I will be a nervous wreck on Sunday.

    1. Just a suggestion if you write a long post. Write it first in Word document then cut and paste it here. I also lost several long posts so now I do follow the above-mentioned rule.

      1. Thanks AZ. I should have done that. It is frustrating to lose a post when you have only a limited time to write but who cares as long as Orange wins 🙂

    2. Balkan, good pick up! I saw the second goal in the highlights filmed from above and you can see how Depay jumped on his bike almost as deep as in our box and went full throttle to support Robben. Great run!

  23. I remember, everybody talked about the energy level of Chileans too…I believe Chile is stronger than Mexico, and they have much better goal scorers than the former. Dutch have to follow their tactics that they used with Chile. I hope Kyut’s physical condition will allow him to play two games in a row with the same workload. He was instrumental in our defense. With respect to Brazil vs Chile, I still believe Chile will win unless FIFA have already instructed referee board to “help” Brazil.

    1. I think Chile had a shock yesterday about their “invincibility”. And their attitude of refusing to look at themselves after the loss does not help them. Brazil on the other hand is rising. I will cheer for Chile but I know Brazil will have it easier than thought.

      1. I did not watch yesterday game with Cameroon. I was very unimpressed by Brazil’s first two games. Cameroon was the worst team in the tournament and I thought it would not be that difficult for Brazil to win them. Meanwhile, Brazil managed to concede a goal from Cameroon….I feel South American rivalry will also put additional effect on Chilean’s display.

        1. Brazil can score easily but have problems in midfield. When they lost ball in attack, huge gaps emerged in midfield. I think they can be beaten with a good tactical approach from a typical European team. For all the first half they were in trouble against a very weak opponent.

          1. All I want is Brazil to be eliminated at 1/8 stage. Not because I am afraid of Brazil, but I feel that if Brazil reach 1/2, they will be dragged to the final at any expense. FIFA is now full of political games. Brazil have to be eliminated at earliest stages, otherwise, entire world will hate this World Cup, which has been so far an amazing celebration of a great football.

        2. Chile has a good team, but now they have lost and I don’t think they have ever beaten Brazil (correct me if wrong), so they have a major psychological hurdle to overcome. They need to score first, which will give them confidence.

          1. Chile has defeated Brazil many times, in qualifying games, and America cup, but never in a worldcup… yet. Also, Chilean clubs usually get some points when visiting Brazil. The same Sampaoli beat two big Brazilian clubs when he won the Sudamericana cup with Universidad de Chile, a few years ago, so I don’t see that as a problem for the red ones. Watch out for the referee on that match!

  24. Blind is the weackest link of our team. Lack of quality, lack of quantity, lack of positioning… The only reason why he ALWAYS plays is the presence of his father in the staff. Kongolo, van Aanholt, Willems are all better than him so far!

  25. Perhaps I should not use the phrase “win ugly”. Here are words from a Canadian journalist who write them much better than me.

    “It may not be the revolutionary, free-flowing Total Football of Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens. More of an Any-Way-You-Want Football.
    Tough or tender. Coarse or refined. Stylized or basic. High-minded or pragmatic. A 5-1 dismantling of defending champion Spain proved this Dutch side can pop the cork and play the champagne stuff when asked. A nervy 3-2 dismissal of lowly Australia showed indisputably that they possess the spirit and fortitude to pull out results when they’re far below their best. And finally, Monday, requiring only a draw to top a difficult Group B, they masterfully shackled a Chilean passion and power that had won hearts at this tournament and also seen off La Rojas, slammed the deadbolts on the game, completely cut off the power grid, until they were good and ready to unlock the door, throw the switch. No, it wasn’t the most compelling match we’ve seen here. Far from it. But that was by Holland’s choice. So consider it a stellar show of playing to circumstances and opponent; a demonstration, if you will, of credentials. And in doing so, Holland skilfully avoided hosts Brazil in the Round of 16.

    “We will have to wait and see,” said the crafty boss Louis van Gaal at his post-match media conference, asked about the possibilities of a championship push. “It depends on many different factors.

    “A team and coach don’t always control these elements. Today was a match played at the highest level and the most clever team won the match. Any team that ends up in the last 16 is a good team.

    “You have to allow your squad to play according to the qualities they have. For me, it’s all about winning. We have got to develop a strategy that will help us win.

    Four years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dutch dreams disintegrated in a display of prissy petulance and crude tackles (one chilling challenge saw Nigel de Jong try to cut Xabi Alonso in half with a David Carradine-style kung-fu kick) in a 1-0 final loss to Spain.

    That team, under the auspices of Bert van Marwijk, failed to adapt to the Spanish passing rhythms, found itself always a second or two behind.

    This team has shown that adaptability may be its strongest asset.”

    (from http://o.canada.com/sports/soccer/world-cup/george-johnson-netherlands-adaptability-has-it-primed-for-greatness-in-brazil)

    It clearly shows that LVG has prepared the team very well for each match and he was able to read the game exceptionally well.

  26. (SamNY)

    Ahhh…. what a feeling… but we need to start looking at Mexico…

    I feel Mexico were rewarded for the two mistakes (2 offside calls) that were awarded against them in the first game against Cameroon.

    I think their goal keeper was VERY lucky in the Brazil game… he got beaten but was saved by the upright… he also “saved” a bunch of chances when the ball hit him… he was almost unaware in some situations and got lucky… In yesterday’s game against Croatia, his last defender saved the ball off the line for him and there is a definite weak spot in defence where Robben likes to play.

    Chile are definitely better than Mexico….. BUT…. if LvG reverts to a 4-3-3 against Mexico, he might be playing with fire. I trust that LvG has a better knowledge in football than I do… but I do like the 5-3-2.

    Back to Chile…

    the Defence was very solid!!!! All of them… Vlaar is a monster and you can feel his leadership and confidence is growing… I really think he deserves Champions League Football.

    I totally see Blind as the next captain… He is so very good… He brings so much balance to this team.

    Kuyt… what can I say about Kuyt…. First….F U Tiju :).. I say Kuyt has one more tournament left in him… I can totally see him make the Euro 2016 team. He brings never-say-die attitude, hard work, committment, intelligence and versatility. There is no flair in his display, but he is a true soldier and LvG made the right decision by including him in this squad. He can play RB, LB, RF, LF and CF…. I’m pretty sure that if you give him gloves, he would be effective playing as a goalie!

    Sneijder… He is not 100% confident I feel… there are too many times where he is in a position to take the shot, instead, he delivers a pass.. I hope he’s saving his shots to the next round. But he is an unsung hero and is really running his socks off.

    Nigel De Jong is my man of this tournament…. who saw this coming?? I totally see him going back to Manchester.. he is such a LvG type of player and I applaud NDJ for his performances so far.

  27. I also agree that Wesley has not said his last word yet. My intuition screams that he is going to score the most decisive goal for Oranje in this tournament. Maybe it is going to be the only one goal, but it will be the most crucial ones! Anyway, Oranje gives us a lot of positive emotions that nobody would have dreamt about….Looking forward to the game with Mexico.

  28. Uruguay finishs 2nd.

    I have the feeling Colombia will lose on purpose to Japan tonight (probably even with two goals or more) to hope that Ivory Coast would take the first place. Colombia probably want to play against Costa Rica.

    1. Columbia would be risking a lot of negative fallout if they did that (both from fans and neutrals), plus it would disrupt their momentum.

      Also, it’s like Saurez will get a multi-game ban and so Uruguay would be less of a threat. Columbia can’t underestimate Costa Rica, after they beat both Italy and Uruguay.

      Columbia may very well want to make a statement, having been given a seeded spot in the Cup. There’s a psychological effect on opponents, too.

  29. Suarez should be kicked out of the WC–and FIFA is gutless if it doesn’t. The guy is sick: He has now beaten opposing players THREE times in matches.

    The football is getting cynical at this stage of the tournament. Give him the boot.

    1. Suarez should be banned! He may have a mental issue. 3 times???
      As the saying goes…1st time is an accident, 2nd time is a coincidence, and 3rd time is a trend

      I hope Chiellini gets examined medically right away to show the evidence.

  30. Just watched Ita-Uru a really boring game of 2 tired teams. Especially Italy looked old and very limited. Both teams have a number of idiots in their ranks such as Balotelli, Chiellini, Suarez and sometimes even Cavani. When I compare Orange with these 2 teams I can see us being head and shoulders above them.

  31. How come Suarez is not locked up in a mental institution?

    If he plays another game in this World Cup we can be sure that FIFA has no balls and is corrupt beyond repair.

        1. France always have big troubles against teams like Greece that park the bus

          I believe Greece is the best opponent Holland can take, just score in the first 20 minutes against them and you’ll have no problem. It can even finish 4-0. In 2004, Holland beat Greece 4-0 just before the tornament…

          Ivory Coast could be a much more tougher opponent

          And Costa Rica is more dangerous than Greece

          1. Just put Vlaar on Samaras and he won’t move at all. I believe their most dangerous player is the left back, Holebas, really attacking lateral back.

            Costa Rica would be more dangerous with Campbell speed.

      2. It’s getting even better for Oranje. Mexico then costa rica or greece is much better than Italy , Uruguay or England.
        Also Brazil look so lucky facing Chile then probably Colombia. Before the tournament begins , They were supposed to face Oranje then Italy.
        Argentina is already lucky with their easy group and easy pathway.
        Germany and France is a very tough game for both teams. I don’t know if it is intended by FIFA to kick a strong european team out of the WC.

  37. The head coach of Ivory Coast made the same mistake as Van Basten in 2008. He let a team member’s personal tragedy get to the team instead of sending the Toure brothers away and focusing the rest of the team on the match at hand. As soon as I saw the black armbands I knew nothing good will come of this.

    1. Well , I would also consider USA. They have a very well organised team. I think they can kick Belguim , especially with Wilmots who is such an average coach.

      1. Nice observation Mohmed…USA can dismantle them..i feel if they play with Origi and Martens they have chance up front,Martens is a menace with his speed.i dont want him to face our Devrij.

        1. No dutch fan should want him to go to Madrid. They already a youngster in Jese and of course Bale and Ronaldo. And if they bring in another striker Benzema could play on the wing.

          1. First player scored own goal: Marcelo
            Goalkeeper conceded most goals in a match (tie): Casillas
            World player of the year who has not scored a goal: Ronaldo
            Also first idiot player got red card not from a play (challenge): Pepe
            First player to miss a penalty: Benzema

            Based on the bad trend, I recommend Depay not to join Madrid (and perhaps not Barcelona either and don’t call Afellay for advice).

  40. Veratti will become one of the toplass midfielders in years to come. Great dribbling skills and vision. Prandelli shouldnt have played both Balotelli and Immobile together.In 5-3-2 he should have gone with Alessio Cerci as how they play for Torino and use Balotelli of the bench. could easily tell that he was not comfortable at all in the middle of the park especially with the free kicks he was conceding. theye was no cohesion between him and Immobile at all. I guess Prandelli discussion to leave Rossi out also backfired as what De Bosque did by playing with Costa.

    so first of my dark horse has been eliminated.

    1. Unfortunately Van Ginkle could make to this world cup…kind of hard to compare him with Veratti as to who might come on top but either way both have brighter future ahead.

  44. I can’t help but feel sorry for Ivory Coast. That penalty was a terrible call from what I saw and it cost Ivory Coast. The worst thing about it is that the only thing people want to talk about is Louis Suarez (who clearly has a mental health issue).

    May the football gods smile on Oranje for the rest of the tournament.

    1. I also was supporting Ivory Coast and could earn a lot of money if they qualified, but let’s to be honest : That was a clear penalty and Greece played better.

      Samaras hit Sio leg, but Sio had nothing to do behind Samaras, in the rules, Samaras was playing the ball, Sio not. Cruel penalty, but fair one.

      That’s really hard for african football, Kolo Touré said himself that african teams don’t play clever enough, yesterday that was the case, how could they spoil that 4 vs 2 situation just before the greek goal ?

  45. That is the major problem of African football: lack of discipline. Individually good players can not make a good team. I hope Algeria will be able to go through this stage.

  47. Did anyone find that funny when Mexico scored 3-0. The commentator was saying that if they scored one more, they will top the group. A few minutes later Brazil scored the insurance 4-1 just in case. And Scolari came out to say we wanted to avoid Chile, what a bunch of $%#@! His players clearly want to avoid Netherlands, and no one wants to face us now. This Mexico will be difficult because we are now the favourites. When many counts us out, it is a disadvantage. It will be close game although I am not surprised if we blow them away.
    Any news on Fer and BMI? I saw some pictures of RVP training with …his daughter. The mood in our “united” camp is quite relaxing. LVG has given our players a pyschological advantage by having family, relaxing our players’ mentality.
    Does anyone know referee assignment for Netherlands-Mexico game?

    1. I hate talking about conspiracies etc. but more I follow football more it seems like I’m watching Wrestling. The worst is that they really cheat in front of all of us.

      Does anyone can explain me the sense of starting with group B and after group A, group D and after group C, group F and after group E, but tomorrow group G will play first…???

      Obviously they allow some teams to chose their opponents, players agree to make silly fouls/penaltys/hands, referees just have to follow…Did you see how Bosnia played second half against Nigeria ? They were officially out but they weren’t even attacking the last minutes, they didn’t cry or anything after,what a strange behavior. Reactions look so fake. Look at half of goals Cameroon took, look at the stupid goals made thanks to individual mistakes that Ivory Coast took…

      I will start to boycott football, for the pleasure of my haters here.

      1. Cheating or match fixing or referee mistakes or politics, they will be part of the game or any sport for that matter. Trying to eliminate or minimize it is the best those people in power can do. Yes, the way the matches are scheduled FIFA definitely works on something to favour the host b/c unluckily the host did not have a perfect draw (not group of death but tough road to the final). We all should watch Brazil Chile game closely to see if the referee is fair or not.
        As long as we do not discuss politics, race, gender…and focus on football, adding a sense of humour, I think Jan will welcome all Netherlands’ fan here.

      2. To add to your controversy theory, if Nigeria upset Argentina today, I wonder if Germany will playing and watching Portugal-Ghana score, then losing to USA 1-0 at the last minute so Germany will be 2nd place. Is there such fair play rule for FIFA to use in this case?

      3. Laurent, I don’t believe in such conspiracies. People always have to find some explanation when sometimes there is simply none. It is the same as medicine, not an exact science even though we would like to. What I do think is happening, however, as others have mentioned is the very hot and humid weather which seems to have crippled some players and teams as well. This is why a team can suddenly totally disconnect at the end of a match. This is what worries me the most about playing Mexico in the hot mid-day sun. I hope we can cope with it but it is a clear advantage for the central American teams.

  48. Aloysius, I have a question for you.

    How can you play so defensively and praise the collectief, but then rely so much on individual brilliance from Arjen Robben to bail you out?

    And then you are praised nation-wide for playing “total football”?

    I want answers from you. And I think I’m entitled to them.

  49. Hendrik, you can’t handle the truth!

    Listen, we play on a field that has goals. And those goals have to be guarded by men with studs. Who’s gonna do it? You? Your wispy 4-3-3?

    I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for the capital of Chile and you curse my defensive tactics. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know:

    That the defeat of your “dream team” ideal, while perhaps tragic to football, wins games for Holland!

    And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, wins games for Holland!

    You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you WANT as coach van Gaal. You NEED as coach van Gaal!

    We use words like verdediger, verdedigende middenvelder, doelverdediger… we use these words as the spine of a formation spent defending something. You use them as a punchline.

    I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the total victory I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it.

    I’d prefer you just said “dank u” and went on your way.
    Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a whistle and manage a team again.

    Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to.

    1. Aloysius Im an African that has supported the Netherlands since 1992 and I can confidently say this is the happiest I have been. I dont care whether we play 4-3-3 or not > I just want to win so DANKE!

          2. Nothing personal to Hendrik and Aloysius but after reading your comments and jabs at each other I think neither of you should be allowed near a soccer field, ever.

  51. Ha ha @ Aloysius and Hendrick!

    In looking at the knock-out rounds in place, it looks like the majority of the South American talent (other than Argentina) is concentrated in Brazil’s section — Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay.

    We seem to gotten Central America (Mexico, Costa Rica) and Greece.

    I would expect France and Germany to meet, and also Argentina and Belgium (although maybe the USA can make it if they survive the Germans tomorrow).

    Things are looking good for us at the moment!

    1. Things are looking good??? I think a lot of people here are assuming a sure beating of Mexico. I expect it to be a nail biting match. Weather and stadium will be against Orange and this will be the first game our youngsters are looking at elimination. I will feel much better if we overcome Mexico.

      1. No disrespect intended to Mexico, who looked very impressive against Croatia. I just would prefer to face them, Costa Rica and/or Greece at this point than any of the other likely knockout groupings.

        Brazil has Colombia to contend with as well as Chile (and Uruguay). France and Germany will likely face each other eventually, as will Belgium and Argentina.

        Even Nigeria could surprise.

        I think Holland will match up well against any of the three possible opponents in our knockout group and LVG’s 532 will probably still be the plan unless we face Greece.

        1. I pray all goes according to your prediction. It certainly looks like a much easier path on paper. Out of all these possible opponents Mexico is the toughest when considering all circumstances.

          1. I’ll be saying similar prayers!

            The uniform combinations will be interesting as well. FIFA made Spain wear white against Holland because the color alternatives were all too close. I wonder if something similar will happen here?

            Holland – Home Orange – Away Blue
            Mexico – Home Green – Away Red

  52. so i made all my predictions at the beginning of the world cup… I didnt know that I can make a prediction before every round….

    Still being in top 10 is good given the above! (SamNY)

  55. PSV asks 21 million Euros for Memphis Depay!!!!! Wow that is too much for a kid who has not shown sustained performance. He is a great talent, but 21 million Euro…Good example, Adam Maher. He had a brilliant 2012-2013 season in AZ Alkmaar, was bought by PSV and then…was declared as a waste of money. As a result, the boy got back to Earth but also earned severe psychological set back, which will take time to recover from….

    1. I don’t see any problem. Look at Portuguese teams, they sell their useless players fot 30 mln or more. World Cup is a chance for Dutch clubs to get some financial health.

  56. Here in Mexico people are talking about how much the weather will affet Holland. It is supposed to be very hot and here we are used to this weather.

    I’ve seen a very good physical condition from Holland. Mexico will put a lot of pressure on Holland trying to make them feel tired but I believe LVG is ready for the game with a smart tactical plan.

  58. not sure I agree…. Oranje is not playing a high tempo game to be impacted significantly by weather conditions.

    I think we will play with 5-3-2 again and people will be surprised how easily we will beat Mexico…

  59. I hope so too. We will need to absorb the pressure and high tempo of Mexico and counter attack at the right time. Louis is probably the best coach at the WC so hopefully he will have it all figured out.

  60. I fully expect LVG to play the Mexico match just as he did the Chile game. The Dutch will sit back a bit, give Mexico their half of the field (and maybe a bit more), and then jump on them when they attempt to move forward on the Holland side of the field. The Dutch gave Chile very little room to operate, and so why not bottle up and bother Mexico in the same way? Sitting back will also help The Netherlands to conserve a bit of energy early on. I’m sure LVG will want the team to show a bit more in possession than we did in the first half against Chile (which wasn’t so impressive) and when the ball is turned over Holland will try to get the ball to its forward stars in space–and let Robben and RVP do their thing. If the Dutch can get an early lead, Mexico might get even more aggressive and leave themselves more open to a counter.

    1. Between the Oranje and Chile it was mostly a chess game between two of the best voetbal managers you can get. I’d say the Dutch won the game from outside the field. Against Mexico things will be different because both teams need to win if they want to stay in the worldcup. With Chile a draw was enough to stay on top of the group. Then, although Herrera isn’t a bad manager, he’s not into strategies as much as masterminds like Van Gaal or the same Sampaoli. The game should be a bit more open, with the Dutch going ahead fighting to score. And finally, another big factor is the return of Van Persie. I don’t believe it will be easy, but I believe next Sunday is Groet Oranje time for the boys. Definitely!

  62. Watching France-Ecuador and kinda liked Ecuador to go through but these guys are butchers. Several horrible tackles which culminated with Valencia almost breaking the knee of a french player. I hope they get soundly beaten. These animals do not belong to a WC.

    1. Honduras was probably worst

      And remember Colombia against Holland in november. I guess all those latin american teams (excluding Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil) play like that for some reasons.

      I read somewhere that more and more people make money bet on players getting yellow or red cards. That’s very hyped and FIFA had to make controls.

      They’re doubting that many players are paid by mafia to get a yellow or red. The coefficient for strikers getting a yellow card or any player getting a red is really high. Higher than Iran beating Argentina. And of course, it’s much more easy to make Valencia to have a red card than to cheat a game Argentina vs Iran…

      So knowing how strong are the criminal associations in Ecuador, Honduras, Colombia etc. I wouldn’t be surprised of that. It’s not normal that those teams take 3 yellow and 1 red card average in a game.

  65. Temperature is estimated to be 27-29 Celsius, humidity around 63-75% for 10-noon on Saturday during Netherlands-Mexico match. Let’s hope that the talents of RVP and Robben will carry us through. 1-0 and then counter attack 2-0 for Oranje.

  67. Hi guys!

    As many of you know I am from México. Of course I will support México in some way but in terms of football my heart bleeds oranje!!!

    So, this sunday will be a crazy game for me and hopefully we have a great game to watch.

    I really think México can be dangerous against Holland but in reality if Oranje plays at full potential México will be home. Holland has to counter attack and dominate the ball more because when México is attacked the defence and midfield can be very shaky. In this World Cup only Brazil really attacked México and Ochoa was the star of the game due to some luck, talent and bad definitions from the Brazilians.

    But mark my words, México does not have a defender capable of handling Robben, Van Persie and Depay. It is important that Oranje defines the player who will partner De Jong in midfield. I preffer Wijnaldum than De Guzman although I would love to see Clasie there.

    My outlook…hopefully FOOTBALL WINS!!!

  68. Im very confident going into the Mexico game, let’s be honest and with all due respect, Mexico are not a top,world class opponent, if they would have been in our Group B then we would have banked the 3 points before the tournament started, having said that there is no room for complacency as like in the Aussie game , there is just too much at stake now!
    If we play to our strengths and get an early goal I think we can dismantle Mexico like Spain.
    One thing that is wearing thin with me is the continual whining about the Dutch playing defensive , haven’t we scored more goals than any other team? Sure we are holding back a bit but watch Italy play , that’s Defensive or offensive if you like!
    Like many of you have said, we are in a good situation to progress far in the tournament, I said top 8 would be a success but now I’m thinking we can make another final, we just need some luck and belief in ourselves.
    Hup Holland!

  69. We have already beaten the expectations before the tournament. But let’s be honest with ourselves, now that we have seen the first 3 matches, and given the next opponents (Mexico and Greece/Costa Rica), I would say that a SF place should now be a minimum objective. This doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, but SF should be the objective now.

  70. I think Mexico game is a very tough one.
    They have a top captain and defender in marquez and an excellent goal keeper , the weather will also be in their favor not in ours.
    Their coach looks very emotional , which makes the players ready to walk on fire for him. They conceaded only one goal which makes them the best defense in the 16 teams.

    On the other hand , Oranje looked very solid vs Chile , which is as good as Mexico. I felt that the game can continue for 6 more hours and Chile will not have a chance to score. I liked that.
    We have played three games , and some fans still think Cilessen hasn’t been really tested and that can tell you how good we were at the back.
    We were able to score 10 goals in one of the toughest groups in the WC , one of them was without our best Stiker , but we managed to score two goals. LvG is the best tactician in the tournament in my humble opinion and I think he will analyse Mexico game very good. we may have a difficult game in the 2nd round , but on the other hand , if we win , we can hopefully have an easier opponent for the quarter-finals.

    Robben said yesterday that another final looks really possible now but we have to concentrate only on Mexico game , and I’ll go with Arjen.

    Hup Oranje.

  71. Fortaleza is bit hot,but LVG is hotter than Fortaleza,guys must stay humble and should be focused we are not far away from beating them,So far Central american teams had shown great level of stamina,thats their main plus point,but when it coupled with some excellent players like Marques,Hernades,Mereno and Campbell of Costarica make them dangeours.People say italy lost,England lost etc.But costarica was far better than them thats why they lost…
    Wijnaldum must take the spot of Deguzman…RVP will be back.thats huge bonus…also it would be better that we burry them before 90 minutes..i dont prefer penalty shootout.

  72. Dirk Kuyt said 2006:”I know how to playing against England”.(?????)He jumped Portugal in his head.

    Heedfully.

    Mexico is the most doughty team at the World Cup.This will be toughest match so far.Especially if extra time(2×15 minutes).

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