Brave Oranje feels let down by ref yet again!

Confidence was high. Coaches always like to use outside enemies to pump up morale. In Blind’s case, the sk-fuffle happening at the KNVB seemed to have brought more unity and courage into the team. Winning friendlies (England at Wembley) and playing well vs Sweden, culminating in a 4-1 win over Belarus… Game #3 was vs France, the top favorite of this group, and Oranje believed it had a chance to win.

Even though it played a game for the first time in a long time without one of the Great Four (Van Persie, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Robben).

Blind as the team manager does not have the opportunity to buy players he lacks. We currently are struggling to find a replacement for Robben (is it Memphis? Is it Promes?) and Sneijder (Ziyech would do nicely, thank you very much).

Propper does well as right midfielder for PSV in a more dominating set up. Klaassen is important for Ajax (skipper), while Fer is growing in stature in England.

I think Blind got it wrong with this line up. I personally believe with Griezmann playing through the middle, a player like Clasie (explosive and low center of gravity) would work well, especially as Clasie as the passing range of Sneijder. Strootman would have been the ideal box to box man on midfield next to Wijnaldum and Klaassen as false left winger.

Well…they did have a chance. But only if France would allow it. And they didn’t. The French had more of everything in the first half. They found each other easily, they got the second and loose balls, their running and movement, the physical challenges, the speed… France was on top of Oranje, but Oranje did show some bravery. Taking the set back of Promes early injury in their stride (Memphis replaced him and was greeted with an ovation by the crowd), Oranje tried to get France on the counter. France dominated and converted this into the 0-1 when – who else? – Paul Pogba was offered ample space and time in midfield to have a pop. Strootman didn’t get close enough and Stekelenburg was tricked by the dip of the ball. While Stekelenburg was flying to the corner of the goal, the ball suddenly dropped a couple of inches and the ball richocet’d into the net…

stekel pogba goal

Oranje played with intensity though. Rick Karsdorp again one of the high lights, on the right flank, creating opportunities. But Holland wasn’t able to get one shot on target, during the first half. That says something. The only real talking point for Holland was the wonderful trickery by Janssen in the box, who saw his shot blocked by Koscielny, who actually – unknowingly – smacked the ball away with his arm. The players appealed, the ref waived it away. A 50-50 for me. Some refs give the pen, others don’t. There are no clear rules and as a result we’ll keep on moaning and groaning about these situations.

janssen france

In the second half, Oranje started with more pizzazz and guile. Strootman directed the team forward and Janssen got the better of Varane more often. The Gerd Muller / Mark Hughes -type striker is great with his back to the goal and had his moments wrestling himself past defenders. Oranje got closer and closer and fought themselves back into the game. Obviously, leaving themselves a tad vulnerable and everytime France countered, they looked dangerous. But a close header of Pogba and some threatening runs were thwarted by Stekelenburg (who aquitted himself very well after his mistake on the goal) and some awesome defending by Van Dijk, who was a rock at the back and up front.

Van Dijk

Oranje pressed more in the second half and huffed and puffed but a bad free kick – inswinger – by Memphis was officially the first shot on target in the 72nd minute of the game. The Man United sub did get a massive chance a tad later when a loose ball dropped from the sky and Janssen found Depay onside in the box. With his back to goal, the former PSV star had to turn and hit the target and actually didn’t do much wrong. The ball simply didn’t go wide enough from Lloris, who was able to block the shot and grab the ball before Dost could pounce.

Oranje deserved an equaliser against a stronger team. The possession stats were even and Holland have 10 attempts vs 14 attempts by France. But the final pass / cross wasn’t good enough and a tad more venom in the final third would have been key to break the deadlock. With Bas Dost for the injured Wijnaldum, coach Blind tried to force the issue but literally there was no cross coming the Sporting striker’s way. Jetro Willems was brought in as right midfielder to curl balls into the box (replacing the disappointing Propper, yellow-carded), but to no effect.

propper france

France grabs the three points and is now the proud leader of the group.

Danny Blind: “I think the lads deserve a compliment. We were in the game and deserved at least one point, against a very strong team. Our organisation was mostly excellent but we lost the ball to easily in the first half. But France put a lot of pressure on and the pace was deadly. It wasn’t easy. The penalty shout? Well, I think a ref could give it. He touched it twice and knocked the ball out of the danger area.”

About the France goal: “That wasn’t necessary. Bruma had a loose pass, Stootman didn’t close Pogba down and I think Stekelenburg could have done better. Shoot a ball like this at him 10 times and he’ll stop it 8 or 9 times. Maarten knows this too, I’m sure.”

stroot geel

Captain Strootman copped a second yellow and is out for the next game (Luxembourg). “The goal was not necessary. I think I allowed him too much space and Maarten might have done better. But you know, you play France, they will get scoring opportunities… It’s almost unavoidable.”

Virgil van Dijk: “This is shit. We played ok but have nothing to show for it. If Memphis’ ball would have gone it, we would be standing here differently.”

The Oranje goalie: “It was one of those weird dipping balls. I was diving and could see the ball making those spins. Yes, it was a mistake. I should have had that. But I don’t think it was a howler. I think we should have gotten more from this game, even though we didn’t create a lot. But the road is still long. We’ll get the chance to make this right.”

Blind coach

Vincent Janssen: “It was a 100% penalty! But we didn’t get it. And this is the third qualification game where the ref makes a mistake. The Sweden game, we scored the winner fair and square. Van Dijk scored a fair goal vs Belarus. Ok, that mistake didn’t cost us, but now… Anyway, we fought like a team and we even could have nicked a goal in the last minutes. We are disappointed but at the same time, we’re on the up and up.”

My comments on the players:

Stekelenburg: Clearly had to stop the Pogba attempt, but had a good game overall and recovered well stopping more French attempts. His distribution with his feet could be better though.

Rick Karsdorp: Again one of the better players. Good energy. Good focus. Made his usual mistakes defending as can be expected from a debutant but was always available on the right and had some excellent crosses into the box.

Jeffrey Bruma: Still hasn’t convinced me. Seems to struggle to read the game. Seems late in response to balls over the top. Distribution and build up needs to improve big time. Defensively alright, but guilty of the loose pass that got France the goal.

Virgil van Dijk: Rock solid. Strong in possession, good defending, staying on his feet and very alert. A threat going forward as well.

Daley Blind: Again, one of the most consistent on the pitch. Always alert, always available, always good decision making. Steady performance by the Man United man.

Kevin Strootman: Overall a good game, although still looking leggy at times and needs to up his pace in congested areas. Plays a risk avoiding style (probably comes with the role he plays) but could have demonstrated some more guile passing forward.

Gini Wijnaldum: Bit hot and cold, had some excellent movements and passages of play only to suddenly play weak balls or pulling out of challenges. Gave a lot and ended the game prematurely with a hamstring scare.

dijk sissoko

Davey Propper: Bit wasted as playmaker in the Sneijder role. Needed to work hard and in possession lacking the energy and venom to create something. Seems to play in one pace only and went from stylist to work horse, which is not his game. (I’m a big Propper fan, but I think Blind should have picked Clasie as the holding mid and allow Strootman to play the box to box role with Wijnaldum close to Janssen).

Davey Klaassen: Slow start at the left, moved to the right in the second half. Worked hard but was never able to affect the game. Did good battle and put in a good shift, but his role normally is to join into attack into the box. That didn’t happen this game.

Quiny Promes: Started lively but played too short to say anything about

klaassen france

Vincent Janssen: Started the game anonymously. Had it rough against two strong center backs but fought himself into the game and was the usual handful with his attempt being handled by Koscielsny and the would-be assist on Memphis. Turned and spinned Varane whenever he could and really led the line.

Memphis Depay: Clearly lacking form, rhythm and confidence but played good for the team, worked hard and tried to create. There were hints of his class and he almost became the hero with a difficult attempt on the spin late in the game.

Bas Dost: Was supposed to be the battering ram, forcing a break through but the service simply wasn’t there. Not one cross ended up where Dost was. Worked hard, but nothing to show for.

Danny Blind: Seems to have brought confidence and joy back to the team. With clarity on the playing style and the frame of the starting eleven. Normally, with a fit De Vrij, Vlaar, Robben and Sneijder, Holland will be a good dark horse, as per usual. The Dutch fans and media start to warm up to the stoic and head strong coach.

 

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65 comments

  1. Good analysis Jan (but forgot to include Daley Blind ?).

    France was always favorite for this game but we gave a good fight and had a chance. Blind is doing well with the quality of players he has. If we continue to progress at this rate, we can beat Sweden in the reverse fixture and claim the 2nd place.

    Some fans are impossible to please I guess. For example before the Belarus game “Belarus has only lost 1 out of 9 games, drew with France, we would be lucky to get a draw, etc.”. After beating them 4-1 when they only had about 20 minutes of domination over us “they cut through us like a cake, we will be destroyed by a stronger team, our defense is a shambles etc.”

    1. I missed Daley but he’s in the list now :-).

      Some people support with positive energy and some with negative energy. Always focusing on the bad. It’s a way they look at life and anything in their lives, I have to guess.

  2. Thanks for the post Jan. You always make me feel better after a loss. I don’t know if the refs really let us down I’d say it was a 50/50 penalty call. That being said it would be nice if a 50/50 would go our way for once! I agree with you though nothing to hang our heads about after this performance.

    1. My post from last thread:

      My Player Ratings

      Stekelenburg – 6
      Really should have done better on the French goal but he made and excellent reaction save later on from a Pogba header

      Karsdorp – 8
      Dynamic in attack. Looked like our most threatening player

      Bruma – 5
      His errant pass lead to the French goal. He really should be replaced by De Vrij

      Van Dijk – 8
      If he’s not a world class defender yet he definitely will be someday. Excellent game.

      Blind – 7
      I was just thinking to myself its a shame Blind isn’t more dynamic going forward because he really does have everything else, then he nutmegged a French defender and got into a great position in the French box. I have to stop doubting him.

      Wijnaldum – 6
      Wasn’t at his best today but still a shame to see him get hurt. He’s a big part of this team

      Strootman – 7
      The best of the Dutch midfielders passed the ball fairly well and did a decent job shielding the back four.

      Propper – 5
      Invisible, especially playing as a #10.

      Depay – 6.5
      Looked excellent when he came on for injured Promes, provided a spark. Faded a bit in the second half but that’s not surprising given his lack of play time.

      Janssen – 7
      His hold up play was brilliant and he combined well with Depay on the left. That being said he’s got to find a way to make the French pay for the Payet giveaway.

      Klassen – 6
      Played in two unfamiliar positions today and did about as well as could be expected. Kept the ball ok but didn’t really offer anything dynamic going forward.

  3. Great analysis as always, Jan. I truly enjoyed reading your posts!!!

    We are a new team with many young players. Things is going our way, please be patient as i am sure Oranje will be back for the best.

    Just like what Jan mentioned, if we have the healthy players of Robben, Promes,De Vrij, Vlaar and Sneijder, the game play will be very different.

    Hup Holland !!!

  4. A question for you Jan?
    Why is Propper on the national team? What was is role on the pitch yesterday?
    Choosing Propper over Clasie is re-enforcing Danny Blind’s lacks of tactical ability. What made it even worse, he left the guy on the pitch almost 90 mn. That’s crazy! Holland doesn’t have the quality players that it once had, so tactic is key. Blind is not there yet.

    1. I think Jan has answered your question already 😉
      I think I agree with you as well.

      “Propper does well as right midfielder for PSV in a more dominating set up.”
      “I think Blind got it wrong with this line up. I personally believe with Griezmann playing through the middle, a player like Clasie (explosive and low center of gravity) would work well, especially as Clasie as the passing range of Sneijder. Strootman would have been the ideal box to box man on midfield next to Wijnaldum and Klaassen as false left winger.”

    2. I think Propper was in there on the #10 position for his classy touch, through ball and ability to score from outside of the box.

      Danny wanted to play with two controlling players in Stroot and Wijnaldum. Strootman lacks the fitness to be the box to box man. Also Propper has length (vs big Frenchies).

      Propper is a real classy player but wasn’t up for it in this game. Lacks handling speed and power in the challenges. It was a gamble I guess but using Vilhena and pushing Wijnaldum up would have been too…

      I personally would have gone with Clasie, but he does lack length and it would have meant that Strootman would have to be more dynamic that he was and I think he’s struggling with his fitness after his last Serie A match.

  5. wijnaldum and promes were the players who gave balance to the team..its unlucky that we lost both..Wijnaldum has the best ball control in this team..
    i can only blame steks for goal avoidable and propper for his nonsense play in such an important match..At any cost Propper,stek and memphis shouldnt have played this game..

    1. again, I’ll disagree. Stek earns his spot. it really is only a blunder.

      at current situation (injury etc), who else should’ve been called instead of Depay?

      Propper is confused with his role. again, let’s see his CL form for next games.

      1. Yes vanfadly….its blunder agree,zoet would not do that..Steke was out of guard he always stays far too away from line..thats pogba got better angle and shooted and steke terribly failed.
        We have Zivkovic,Annholt for Depay..i am sure both would do better than him especially Annholt who has scored ore goals than Depay inEPL..
        We have Bazoer,Ramseelar for Propper and klassen …Both would do better…its simple logic..

        1. Oh God… Where to start commenting on this…

          Promes does not offer balance. He is an artist. The guy where the ball needs to end up. Balance in the team is provided by Wijnaldum, Strootman and Daley Blind. They are the tactical players. Promes is all intuition and creativity.

          Best ball control is arguably Daley Blind.

          Stekelenburg’s mistake was not a blunder. Buffon had a blunder. Joe Hart at the Euros. This was a wrongly judged effort. Dipping ball. Steks was already flying through the air. He even touched the ball. You have no idea how hard these shots are, as struck by the likes of Pogba, Payet, C Ronaldo….

          Don’t burn Propper for one bad game. This is a class act. One of the best players in the Eredivisie.

          Memphis didn’t disappoint. He was surely not a dissonant. He could have been instrumental for 3 goals: first half free kick from the right (almost perfect), setting up Blind for a go at the goal line to set up an assist (where were the forwards??) and his last minute opportunity. Could have been 3-1 thanks to Memphis.

          Don’t get me wrong: I’m a big van Aanholt fan!

          1. Bazoer means goals..
            Ramseelar is my new sneijder..
            promes give balance excatly like kuyt did..may be more this guy is every where..
            Propper is class,but what hell he was doing in such important match?

          2. Bazoer means goals??? Hahahahaha

            He scored 7 goals in 80 matches for Ajax.
            4 goals in 39 matches for rep teams Oranje.

            He doesn’t score a lot as midfielder at all.

            Ramselaar is no Sneijder. Ramselaar is a runner and destroyer. Yes he can pass and move but he’s not Sneijder.

            Promes is more Robben than Kuyt. Toornstra is Kuyt. Janssen is Kuyt.

            You live in an alternative reality my friend. For all I know, you might even start saying that Daley Blind owes the spot in the team to the fact he is the coach’ son?

          3. All i was saying is about the amount of work promes puts in….this guy has double lungs.He helps the defends ,roben doesnt do it..I am sure promes doesnt have the quality of Roben So there is no comparison .while Promes has more skills than kuyt with same work rate or more…Roben is odd player very few in this world…We may get a Roben again or may not.I leave Roben as it is and he is untouchable.
            Yes Ramseelar is not Sneijder but still a lesser degree Sneijder.
            Agree toonstra is kuyt..Janssen is kuyt+skills+trickeries

  6. We can give it any spin we like but a loss is a loss. We can’t hide behind the absence of Sneijder, Robben etc. These guys may never come back again and we shouldn’t be dependable on them anymore. In my opinion only Karsdorp, Blind, Van Dijk, Janssen and Promes (I am sure he would have been great if not injured) were Orange worthy yesterday. The rest were just ordinary.
    I still don’t understand why other EPL players don’t get the attention of Blind.
    My only hope for getting the 2nd spot in the group is if Sweden fails miserably. I believe we will have a hard time beating Belarus and Bulgaria away with this set of players.

      1. I don’t think any are better options to players who were called, except for Fer – but he was called but unable to play because he was sick.
        Anita is not in the EPL, and Fosu-Mensah does not play.
        Then van Aanholt & Pieters are LBs and Blind is preferred.
        Any others I am not thinking of?

      2. Fer was ill. Anita injured. Pieters isn’t better than Blind. Fosu Mensah not better than Karsdorp.

        I can’t see one available player who Blind should have called up.

        Although I would have played Clasie as DM and not Propper as #10.

        1. Fosu mensah is defensivly more stronger tan karsdorp Jan..i have seen and convinced that this guy mensah eats anything comes in his way..So athletic,fast,a player who can handle any forwards in this era..
          i rate karsdorp and kevin diks same..Both awseome going forward and has excellent pace..

          1. Yes Tim is an excellent defender. We needed wing backs in this team. Hence Karsdorp. Fosu Mensah needs to play more for Man U I suppose.

    1. as I see it there is room for improvement and room for new faces, this after seeing karsdorp excel in jus two match. I sure karsdorp stock market will go up after his outings for NT and could be target in upcoming transfer window. besides this, if you think about it if was not for Janmaat’s injury,Danny would have never selected him. As usual he would have gone for Janmaat and Veltman. My point is he selected Karsdorp when he had no another options and yet he delievered A performance. it just shows its just a matter of giving opportunity to some another players jus like karsdorp rather than wasting time on Propper and Klaassen who technically have nothing to offer but yet Danny has been adamant on the building the team around them jus because they are only good for teams like Belarus and Bulgaria,Sweden, Luxembourg,Andorra etc. its only the game like the one vs France that you get to realize how useless and slack ass they are.

      dannys decisions as usually were so f**ked up. first calling Toornstra for injured Narsingh and then shifting klaassen on the wing where he hasnt played at all and then he subs Propper with Willems who hasnt played on the wing also. then why call Vilhnea.

      the current team is only good for teams like Andorra, Luxembourg, Belarus,Bulgaria etc and with Robben this Management are under the perception they are good enough reach the WC. timely wake up call which I hope will bring in some changes

      our next game is a friendly vs Belgium and then Luxembourg is next for the qualifiers. good time to try out some other players and analyze the development of the team. the players are out there.

      1. Blind used Willems in the last stage of the game because of his assists. The stats will tell you Willems has the best left foot in the Dutch game (bar Robben).

        Klaassen’s goal vs Belarus was a typical Klaassen goal: he was there. He’s a runner. He reads the game and moves well. Vilhena is a player who needs the ball in his feet. Klaassen is a different type.

        1. Klaassen is a runner in own accord but certainly he is not a winger. vs belarus their CBs were coughing badly so he took his chances and scored but vs a team like france???? naaaaa

  7. Well, at the risk of “suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (or, put another way, comments), I’ll defend Blind.

    I think he has done a nice job building this particular group, starting from the summer friendlies. They look organized, (for the most part) not scared, and like they have an idea as to how they want to play. They should have beaten Sweden, they looked good against Belarus; France has better talent—no question—yet they could have taken a point. There is little question in my mind that this team can finish 2nd in the group.

    I know, I know. The Dutch NT is not supposed to feel like it “could have taken a point” against anyone, and it is not supposed to be satisfied with second. But that is who the team was as of Oct. 10, 2016. The TV commentator noted that they were all 26 or younger. (Maybe Stek. is older?) But this isn’t the Ajax ’94 group of kids, nor is it the Gullit, MVB, Rijkaard group of youngsters. The talent is down. Not only were they playing without Sneijder and Robben, but Promes went out early. With that, they had no one with the speed to get behind the French defense. And rather than Karsdorp combining with Promes on the right, you had him trying to combine with Klaassen, who was in as a false winger. The basic structure of how they wanted to attack—penetration on the right, teasing and probing from the left was gone early in the game. (Karsdorp and Daly Blind were excellent as fb’s in my opinion.)

    Then Wijnaldum went out. So, their two fastest and most athletic players off the pitch against one of the fastest most athletic teams on the planet.

    Still, they hung in there to the end, and much was due to the organization and spirit of the team. Blind gets credit for that from me.

    Did I see some things I didn’t like? I would have preferred to see Wijnaldumin the 10 spot (as he was in the second half agains Belarus). But I understand Blind’s thinking. He wanted someone with speed deeper in the mf against the likes of Matuidi, Payet (who came off his wing to play inside much of the game), Pogba, Griezmann. Had Wijnaldum played in the 10 spot, it would likely have been Clasie who played the deeper role next to Strootman. I would have liked to see that, but I suspect Blind was influenced by the friendly against France where it looked like Clasie was overrun by the French mf. I would have also liked to see De Vrij instead of Brouma.

    All that said, the French had more talent, more speed, more athleticism almost everywhere. But the NT played well as a unit. Credit to that goes to Blind.

    Anyway, my two cents. Don’t be too harsh on me fellas.

      1. Andrew you are true about Danny doing a good job building this particular group but unfortunately it was only best for playing with teams like I have mentioned above. Belraus,Andorra etc.I said this before the game if Probga and Matudi are given space they will be decisive and thats what happened. its was all about speed and strength and that where it was suppose to be countered. don’t think playing as unit would have addressed that issue.wijnaldum/proper certainly were not the solution knowing what was going to be the game plan for the french.

        there is few things you said about, “they looked organized, (for the most part) not scared, and like they have an idea as to how they want to play”unfortunately that didn’t result in any goal neither it will qualify them for WC.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5G-LAAee5E
        check this out, how buffon concedes this goal but then they went on to equalize and the match ended in draw.

        as usually everybody is pointing the finger at Stekelenberg but what about offensively, nobody wants to talk about how bad the midfield was in servicing the forwards

        dont think you can clap with one hand. or can you. for me it all boils down to jus one thing selection.

        wijnaldum – Janssen – Promes

        Vilhnea – Strootman – Toornstra

        Blind – Van Dijk – Bruma -Karsdorp

        Stekelenberg

        after the injury

        Depay – Janssen – Toornstra

        clasie – strootman – Propper/klaassen

        Blind – Van Dijk – Bruma -Karsdorp

        Stekelenberg

        1. Lets be reasonable though. The France goal was the result of mistakes by us! Bruma > Strootman > Stekelenburg. They did create more chances but we thwarted these. Van Dijk was excellent, Stekelenburg was good in those situations too.

          We didn’t score and that was simply bad luck. The penalty decision could have gone our way, and Memphis could have easily foiled Lloris.

          It would have been 1-0 for us if the Pogba shot was cleared and we had luck on our side.

          We were not played off the pitch like we were in the friendly. It was close.

    1. Andrew agre 100 %..Why Blind always finds 2 flops in every starting 11???
      Zoet>Stekelburg
      Devrij>Bruma
      Vilhena>Depay
      Vilhena>Clasie
      Vilhena>klassen
      So that was ignorance or sin..We played really well and thats why we lost only by 1-0..

      1. i bet andrew a team with
        ————Zoet————-
        Karsdorp–Devrij–Virgil—Kongolo
        ———–Raidwald————-
        —-Strootman——Bazoer——–
        Wijanldum—-janssen—–Promes
        is tough team to beat…
        on bench
        ———-krul/Cillessen———
        Tete—–Mensah–Blind—-Williams
        ————-Ake—————-
        —Toonstra——–Vilhena——
        kevindiks–Luuk——–Annholt–

  8. Jong Oranje beat Cyprus 4-1 in their last qualifier.
    van de Beek and Bazoer score plus 2 more from Bergwijn (1 nice, 1 lucky) who continues to impress.
    Unfortunately it was too far from next best second place team, as only 4 would go through, so they fail to qualify to the last 12 (along with a few other good quality nations like France Belgium and Croatia).
    Really needed to defeat Turkey last week to make the playoff, but could not do it.

    Nice young midfield of Riedewald – Bazoer – van de Beek, hopefully they can prove themselves sooner than later!

    Check out some highlights:
    https://twitter.com/OnsOranje/status/785927274964979712

  9. Hi guys,
    I wanted to post after the game but I was sad and feeling down!!! Feeling down that my first oranje game in the stadium went like that!!!
    I am not going to go to the analysis of the game as we have some experts here in the blog (Jan first of all and other guys like Andrew and other people) so I won’t go into the deep analysis, but what I feel honestly that I totally agree that France is higher on every level currently and they have much more depth in their team, but I didn’t feel at any minute in the game that they were much higher, we were close many times to get a draw and who knows with some more luck and maybe luckier refereeing to our side we would be talking about how we won that game!!! And honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up winning against France in Paris in August 2017 (if we are injury free at that time)!!!
    I am not worried about the second place, that will be ours, it is clear I can see it, some confidence is needed!! All we need is some luck with our draw for the playoff game, I am worried that with our luck in draws we will end up playing the second from the Spain-Italy group!!! Not that I fear Italy but that’s one lucky team that can beat anyone even though it is a super mediocre team (just think their main striker pelle plays in China!!!).
    Now for my feeling about watching an oranje game in Amsterdam arena, what can I say mannnnn it was breathtaking, I left the hotel 3 hours before the game I took bus 66 that stops last stop in the arena, got there and all I see around the stadium is people with oranje jackets, scarfs, shirts, I was in an oranje heaven:) the atmosphere inside the stadium was amazing, very classy, a lot of families (mom dad and kids) every one chanting oranje, the French had a very small corner in the upper left corner and they were less than 1000 people!!! I enjoyed every minute until pogba scored, after that I turned off my phone and my heart beat was million when I saw infront of my eyes that one chance when the defender touched Jansens shot with his arms, I felt so much it was a penalty, I was very close to the field it was right infront of me!!! I was infuriated I was cussing in all different languages except Dutch that I don’t know and probably the Dutch fans next to me were thinking where the hell did this guy come from hahhaha !!!
    Anyway even with the loss I am not feeling pessimistic surprisingly and I feel that we will be back soon with more talent showing up suddenly (just think one year before, names like Janssen and karsdrop never existed in oranje and now we are talking about two players who are real stars)!!! So who knows in few month we might suddenly be talking about a super talented winger who reminds us of overmars or a midfielder who is a new rijkaard and then the team will be golden when u add de vrij, van dijk (who looked like a beast in the field), Janssen, karsdorp, wijnaldum and strootman!!! We are only one step away from being top again, I guess it takes patience, hard work(which is showing) and some luck too, because looking at all other Europe groups in the qualifications we could easily come first in most of them, the only three better teams than us are France Germany and Spain, the rest we can beat (and please don’t tell
    Me Belgium and their talent, we saw how vulnerable they were in the euros) don’t tell me Italy who are at zero talent except for some good defenders, don’t tell Me England who never fail to choke!!!
    This was my modest report, can’t wait till November to see more of dijk, karsdorp, de vrij, and Janssen and I hope to see zoet as a starter because he proved in champions league last year to be an amazing goalkeeper!!!
    Bye guys…

    1. Awesome report Alaa!!! Thank you. Going to the games live can indeed be amazing! Happy to hear it was a great experience and I don’t think there is shame in losing like we did.

    2. @Alaa, Really good stuff, Alaa. Thank you.

      @Sybe, Appreciate your posting the highlights. Agree with you on Bergweijn; gives PSV another dimension when he comes on.

    3. Alaa it great report…only Germany and france looks real deal,We can beat spain as their defense is like cheese ever since Puyol left…But the problem is we can loose it by slecting wrong players in NT..that is what happening now..

  10. Stepping out of the shoes of a NT fan,I will like elobrate on few stuff here which some of guys are failing to realize. Some of you guys are basically taking the score line as a indication of the performance differential between the friendly and the qualalifers as a step up which is kind of ambitious.

    For a moment if I have to wear a French hat and looking from their perspective,then I would say they came to the match day to win and only win which they did.mission accomplished. Being said you have to agree the French look more fluid when Griezmann is on the wing and which was evident when they played 4-3-3 vs NT early and Italy until Deschamps decide to use griezmann in the centre during euros and so forth.

    Looking at the the game itself they played it into NT hands by using Griezmann in the centre whom was no match for Van Dijk and which feather deprived Gameiro of service. Some French analyst even said Sissoko should have been in the middle and Griezmann should have started on the wing given van Dijk- statue figure. I won’t be surprised if in the return leg this might one of the changes depending on who ever his available,but most of all it comes down to the performance of Van Dijk who kept them at bay.the rest.

    A big hup hup to Van Dijk who is top defender in marking and his contributions thus far for NT and hopefully he continues nullifying opponents like this in future.the rest I jus don’t give a F**k. Until then…..

    1. Van dijk,Bruma,wijnaldum,Janssen and promes were the only players who had the physicality to match france…they all did well.Bruma had some nice tackles though he looses his focus or failed to read the game..Wijnaldum and promes got injured…
      France was athletically better team. with better individual quality players..
      like this
      Payet>>>>>Depay–payet wins by miles1-0
      Grameiro<<<>>>Klassen-Greizman win by miles2-1
      Matuidi=Wijnaldum—they seems equal i rate gini high2-1
      Pogba>>>strootman–Pogba is simply 3-1superior in all aspects of game over strootman
      Sissoko>>>Propper—Sissoko wins by 4-110000miles.
      Sidibi=Blind–Sidibi slightly better in defense and Blind wins while attack
      KursawaKarsdorp—Karsdorp has slight edge4-2
      Koceinly>>Bruma—koceinly wins it by miles5-2

      Varane>=Virgil,Varane is RM player,he has got something virgil deosnt have.
      Loris>>Stek—No comparison loris by miles..6-2
      overall
      farnce 6 –neds 2

  11. Yes, France has the better players. We all know this. But Portugal won vs France. Belarus kept them at 0-0.

    It’s not about the players alone. It’s the team spirit, the tactical plan, the execution, form of the day, luck.

    Another ref might have given us a pen. On another day Memphis might have scored.

    Luckily, the game is played on the pitch with a ball and not on paper checking who has the best players.

    Chelsea would have won the EPL last season.

    1. We really played well against France and Sweden in my book,but it ended up infutility..thats the sad part.off course refree mad mistake in both games.my book threw teh results by individual mistakes..Especially the stek one.
      i dont blame Memphis for that miss,cannt blame him for that he did shoot well inside to post(Normally he blast it over the bar)and loris is an exceptional keeper,we need something extra to beat him.
      the new orange players lacks accuracy in shots especially Memphis..Memphis is not alone here in that aspcet of game.wijnaldum,klassen,promes,narsingh also has same issue..But Janssen is good at it,Bazoer is,Kevin diks is,Karsdorp is,Vilhens is..

      1. i dont want to see memphis in team as he offers very little in defending.lacks the speed to receive a pass from strootman or sneijder.he doesnt bring the balance promes bring in.he looses ball quite often..his accuracy of shots on goal in really poor.cannt waste a spot for just to see a trickery of him.
        I dont want to see klassen in team as he also lacks teh accuracy in shooting on goal.he is too light weight and he is not much skilled go with the ball.but i like his quick brain.
        i know that propper has class brian of football like daley blind..he seems weak and less hardworking …so he can say good bye to team..
        Stek is 34 and w ehave better keepers than him.i dont understand it and he doesnt look confident.i dont feel safe with himas GK.

  12. Obviously France has better players I think we all know that. During the game however I really didn’t notice much of a difference in class. What a did notice is a huge difference in athleticism. It was very difficult for our forwards to be running at two of the best most athletic CBs in the game and then having beastly players such as Matuidi, Pogba, and Sissoko chasing them from behind.

    Was really impressed with Janssen for not backing down and even winning a number of physical battles with Varane.

    1. Janssen,Wijnaldum,promes,Virgil were equally balaced them .Bruma too..But rest really suffered..karsdorp and blind used their inteligence and skill a stheir armor.

  13. Next time when we face France we must use beastly players such as Mensah and Co.Fer is not a bad choice either.he is fast too
    ————Zoet————–
    Karsdorp–Devrij–Virgil—Kongolo
    ——-Strootman–Mensah———
    Wijanldum—–Ramseelar—–Promes
    ————-Janssen—————-
    that would be a deal vs france
    From bench
    Leroy fer
    Bruma
    Luuk
    etc

  14. Just finished watching 1st half of the game and felt compelled to say that it is really an exaggeration to say that there is a huge gulf in class between us and France. I certainly didn’t see it at least from the 1st half. If Sneijder and Robben were here, we would have probably edged this game.
    The players moved around well with good combination play and passes. Saw some good long passes from deep which created threatening situations in the French defence.
    The signs are surely looking good and I have belief that the team will make it to WC2018. 🙂

  15. The thing is: you cannot just select players to play vs France and then 6 other players to play against Spain….

    Why am I even writing this…. Blind needs to work on a team plan, team tactics, with players who can absorb this and have the right level.

    The step from Utrecht to PSV is huge. I don’t think Ramselaar is there already. At that PSV level. The step from PSV to Oranje is huge as well.

    You are joking if you want to put Ramselaar in on #10. Or go back to two defensive mids…

    Propper has had one great season for PSV and you see how hard it is for him to make a step up. Although he was killer diller vs Atletico and Man United.

    And why would you replace Daley Blind for Kongolo???

    Wijnaldum right wing? He doesn’t like to be on the wing.

    Where’s Sneijder? Where’s Robben?

    I also don’t think Wijnaldum matched the French. He had to be subbed with a muscle injury! Promes was out of the game in 15 minutes! Which game did you watch?

    Blind and Karsdorp did well and so did Memphis. He had a terrific free kick on Van Dijk, a good through pass on Blind and a chance to score. He gave the right back a lot to think about. Did France attack on their right flank in the second half? NO!

    Do you read what you post before you post it?

    Or do you have a couple of ghostwriters?

    1. this should be kind of core team we must concentrate…As Daley is already 26,,,he has his won weakness..while kongolo is a beast…
      Roben and Sneijder are icing on the cake,i dont count them,both are getting old body is not getting younger,so they will have more injuries…if they are fit thats a bonus..
      Ramseelar is brilliant player,can playmake and shoot and pass..
      We dont have quality winger,so Gini can play there as he did for feynoord and u21.
      Goal VS Germany u21 Isreal??

      1. Every player has his weakness. Even JC had weaknesses. He admitted this himself.

        You can’t keep on changing line ups coz a player has a weakness. Football is a game of mistakes.

        Blind is building a squad, not even a team. A squad. This takes time.

        Whatever your day job, don’t give it up to become a football coach :-).

        Gini could play wing in youth games, the pro game is not the same. Gini has said many times he doesn’t want to play there. That is relevant.

        Ramselaar has had some good games for FC Utrecht. UTRECHT!! They are allowed to win vs NEC and Sparta. And they are allowed to lose against Ajax.

        Now he’s at PSV. They are not even allowed to lose vs Ajax. Different!!

        Look at all the Dutch eredivisie greats of recent years moving away to greener pastures: Memphis, Anita, Wijnaldum, Fer, they all struggeld to get to the surface.

        Luuk de Jong is top scorer in Holland. And didn’t kick a ball for Borussia and Newcastle.

        Siem de Jong: same story. Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

        Even Memphis Frickin Depay!!!

        Ramselaar in Oranje as #10 because he could pass well at FC Utrecht is a JOKE!!!!

  16. It seems like all those who are saying that we hung in there with France forget to mention that we didn’t have a shot on target until very late in the game. If that’s what hanging in there means then we did a fine job. Heck we only lost 0-1, it’s a success. France especially in the first half were like a tractor mowing our team down. That’s how big the difference was. At moments building up from defense was horrible, not being able to put 2-3 passes together before france took control. In 2nd half France retreated but had multiple chances in counter attacks only to be thwarted by Van Dijk and Stekelenburg.
    But hey I always see the glass half empty so perhaps I am wrong. What matters is that we make it to the WC regardless how we play. If we fail we fail.

    1. I’m not sure which game you watched. How on earth did they “mow our team down”? They created maybe three good chances all game. The goal came from a bad pass and their second best chance was from a corner. How much offence did Griezman create? Payet? These are some of the best attacking players in the world and in terms of legitimate chances they maybe had a 3-2 edge.

      1. They hit us much more especially in the 1st half and they came close to our goal multiple times. Our defense did a good job keeping them at bay. In my opinion they were superior in every aspect. Their keeper didn’t break a sweat. The only save by Lloris during the whole game came at minute 88. This says a lot. Stekelenburg was much busier. If not for some excellent defending by Van Dijk and Stekelenburg the score would have been different.
        I still think this is very young team and even though not close to our teams of the 90’s if they gel well together they can certainly be a good team. The signs are there.

  17. I do not think France has better players all over the place. They have 2 o 3 super stars like Pogba, Griezman and Payet.

    But we have Strootman, Van Dijk, Wijnaldum and a fit Robben and Sneijder are still top players. And rising stars such as Janssen.

    I mean, watching the game, I think Oranje could have drawed. It was not a bad performance, we played some good football and the last passs was badly missed in good movements from Daley, Memphis, Karsdorp, Wijnaldum…the penalty in Janssen´s shot.

    I think Danny Blind will keep his job. I don´t like him as a coach but he is making some progress in very difficult times, with injuries and some trouble at the top of the KNVB.

    Anyway, I will support Danny and the team and if he wins at home and as visitor he will go to the WC. I am positive we can win most games and a good result against France in France can put us a situation to still be number 1 in the group. The newcomers will be mare mature, Strootman back in top form and we need a healthy Robben. For now, we are discovering new gems like Janssen, Karsdorp, Van Dijk and Promes, guys that can make the team not so dependable on Robben, but with Robben back, the team gets a new dimension. That is why I think Blind should have selected him because even though he is not in top form, he has played for Bayern the last games and he is difference in Munich and in Oranje. It not, ask Van Gaal…Robben was the reason Oranje reached the semifinals in Brazil.

  18. I also know I have called Danny asshole, but one has to feel for him. He is trying and I love Oranje. He has made bad choices but after cleaning the heat of the loss, certainly the team is playing better.

    I saw very nice things in the last games and we should have 6 or 7 points but due to bad luck, missed opportunities, Strootman´s blunder in Sweden and referee errors we only have 4 out of 9.

    If I was Danny´s boss, I will support him but with both eyes very open. Another loss against any team in the qualitying process except France will be his last in my eyes.

  19. I do hope for new generation of Orange instead current squad: Fosu, Kevin Diks, de Ligt, Kardorp, Mallen, Nouri, van Beek, Chong, Kluivert, Bergwijn, Bazoer, Kongolo(MC).

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