These were my thoughts when I saw the line up before the game.

A big NO NO for me. We were in a similar situation in 2006 and 2008 with the seniors, progressing after two games and in both cases I expressed my convictions on this…

This post will NOT be about the game. It will not be about how great Spain is, or how they dive, or how they score or how we missed two huge sitters… It will not even be about Norway or Italy.

I don’t CARE about Norway and Italy at the moment. Those are for this weekend.

This post is about psychology. My view on matters. I am not claiming I know all this for a fact, ok? It is simply my conviction.

Here goes:

Resting players who are fit is not needed. 21 year olds playing 3 x 90 minutes in 8 days is NOT a big deal. Physically. That is, if the training intensity and nutritions is managed well. With 23 support staff, lets assume it is.

A team in the zone, in the flow, is not a team to rest. Why would you take the pressure of these guys, only to have them finding their mojo again? Not smart.

Then, acknowledging and re-enforcing the fact that there is a B-Team is not smart. Putting Fer, Clasie, Hoessen and co in the “B-side” is basically telling them: you will only get a chance as a sub.

It is creating a division in the squad. Subconsciously, players like Van Ginkel, Strootman, Wijnaldum will walk around differently and deal with Clasie, Nuytinck and Fer differently. It’s how it works in a dressing room with testosterone filled young lads. Survival of the fittest and all that jazz.

And… Somewhere in the build up to this game, someone (most likely Cor Pot) will have said “….and don’t forget, we do not have to win this game….”….

Subconsciously, the players who play will make the connection between “I play” and “it’s ok to lose”. In other words: if we needed a win, the other lads were picked.

Not handy, Cor Pot.

And so there are three potential results per player: either they play below par, as the coach took the pressure of this performance. Even only 5% less “oomph” will be felt and is noticeable. Or….they give 120% to prove the coach wrong and the result is a player trying to do too much. Or going in too wildly. Yellow cards are normally the result.

The third results is obviously, the player plays its normal game. But, in a team that never played together and lacks automatisms, what is “normal play”?

How will Pot ever determine if Depay did well, or whether Fer should make a step up?

This game only brings mayhem.

Because if they would have won this 3-0, they would have asked questions of Pot. If Hoessen scored a brace and gave the assist, he would have clearly made his point. If Clasie would have been Man of the Match, Van Hanegem would have roused up more media support.

Why would you want all this?

But now they lost 3-0 and it feels like “yeah, but hey…it was only the B-team”… The international soccer / football media will report this. Holland lost, but….hehehehe, it was “only” their second rate team. Shit Cor Pot!

And this loss will further emphasize in the heads of Van Aanholt, Depay, Jozefzoon, etc that this tournament is basically over for them.

And it will further divide the squad. The losers vs the winners.

Oh, and did I mention the yellows? Hoessen, Fer and probably some I missed… Nice.

I think it was a blunder. I hope I am wrong.

I hope we will see the A-team beat Italy in the semis and Norway in the finals. I hope Cor Pot will write me a post saying “you don’t get it, idiot!”. I do hope so.

But I feel this move has not helped us. You need to want to win every game. You need to program yourself that not one game gets thrown. This is how you create winners.

This is the first game in a long time where I was happy to switch the tv off while a team in Oranje was playing.

A more positive post tomorrow folks. I’m pissed off. Got out of bed early for this one and feel screwed by the coach.