Tag: Vlaar

June 13, 2018 by Jan

Stars missing the WC: Stefan de Vrij

Around this time, there is always talk about great players who won’t be at the tournament. In this case, the likes of Frabegas, Sane, Nainggolan and others come to mind, but we will focus on the Dutch stars missing out.

The first one in the series, is Stefan de Vrij. Probably our best player with the least media exposure.

Here’s a guy who scored at a World Cup, played four seasons in the top of Italy (as a defender) and who was (is?) on many a wishlist for big clubs all across Europe.

He would be “the least likely to succeed” in Feyenoord’s year book if Feyenoord would have a year book…

While the 26 year old gets his top transfer this summer (5 seasons at Inter Milan), our memories go back to 2011, when the anger, despair and frustration seaps from the Feyenoord stands on to the pitch, where a young De Vrij makes his way to the tunnel in tears. Feyenoord loses at home 0-1 vs De Graafschap and is 14th in the Eredivisie. In a period where the club from Rotterdam gets beating after beating, it’s players like Wijnaldum, Fer and Castaignos who symbolise the hope in Rotterdam. But Stefan de Vrij is the ugly duckling. Always needing to swim upstream but drowning on that January night.

De Vrij, born ten kilometers from Rotterdam in Ouderkerk aan den IJssel (basically “Old Church on the river IJssel”). A little village. Where indeed the church rules. On Sunday, the shops are closed, no football club is in action and where Stefan de Vrij grew up a shy lad.

He makes his way to Feyenoord’s youth system. All the experts have seen it. There is a right footed defender now at Feyenoord, who will most likely make it to the first team, make it into the Dutch team and is set for greatness. But they’re not talking about De Vrij, but about the six months younger lad Jeffrey Bruma, signed from Excelsior Bruma is a city kid. Bit mouth, and always ready to win an argument with a fight. A big contrast with the village kid from Ouderkerk: shy and down to Earth.

It’s hard for Stefan. Young Jeffrey is invited to play in the older teams, in place of De Vrij. Bruma is also picked for the different rep teams of their age group, and De Vrij is not. In 2006, Chelsea shows up, with a bag of money and promises.

A young De Vrij in his typical Dutch little village….

Feyenoord is not happy, but for De Vrij, this is good news. But, he still isn’t the go to player for the central defenders role. Feyenoord also has Karim Rekik. He’s also younger than Stefan but has the personality of a leader and draws most of the attention. Luckily for De Vrij, also the attention from Manchester City. So Rekik leaves too and it’s the decisions made by others that will influence Stefan’s career. Still he is a question mark.

Feyenoord protects its big talents with early contracts. The fact that De Vrij gets his first contract when he turns 17 years old is a typical sign. Only months later, he makes his debut in the first team.

In 2014, Lazio Roma pays millions for the defender and at that time, it seems very logical. He played 150 matches for Feyenoord, played 20+ international games, won a bronze World Cup medal, but that De Vrij would become one of Europe’s top defenders…no one could know….

And Stefan now, the cosmopolitan defender in Rome, next stop Milan

In Stefan’s career, it seems the decisions by others were key for him. There were not a lot of coaches who recognised his qualities and said: right! He’s my man! Look at De Vrij’s debut season under Mario Been in 2009.

De Vrij is brought into the squad as the last player that summer. And he would finish the season as starting player. Because right back Dani Fernandez gets a serious injury. His replacement Kelvin Leerdam, gets a serious injury. His replacement Bandjar…you guessed it…gets injured. Been doesn’t get more money to sign another right back, so De Vrij gets the job.

Mario Been uses De Vrij as right back and is quite clear in the media and press conferences, that this is an emergency move. Been also states that if Bruma wouldn’t have gone to Chelsea, he would have had the spot.

De Vrij doesn’t impress as right back. But the criticism is mild, as expectations about him were never high and everyone at Feyenoord knows it’s not his spot.

He does get a chance to play centrally. For the away game vs PSV Eindhoven, Ron Vlaar is injured, so De Vrij gets the spot. Feyenoord loses that match 10-0. The biggest defeat ever and the beginning of the end for Mario Been. The match at home vs De Graafschap is the real low for De Vrij. Feyenoord falls to the 14th spot and De Vrij is crying his heart out in the dressing room. Been made a public call to his management to free up funds for defensive reinforcements. The answer is: No!

Mario Been now: “He was a very quiet and sweet lad. And he struggled against really tough strikers and quick and agile wingers. He’s not a born athlete, he is not a quick mover but when he played centrally, you could see him improve. Centrally, his build up pass and positioning became apparent as strengths. Stefan does see situations earlier than others. That is his strength. And Vlaar was a great mentor for him, he learned a lot from Ron.”

De Vrij started to work on himself, more and more. So much so that Koeman took his captains band, when he found out Stefan was in the gym without the consent of the Feyenoord medical staff. He kept on searching to better himself and develop, mentally, physically, mentally. He studied Neurolinguistic programming for instance, to focus better and even worked with renowned guru Wim Hof, the Iceman, to learn about the health benefits of ice-baths and breating techniques. And to this day, he analysis every match he plays via FaceTime with the tactical analysis company Your Tactical Analyst.

No more Mr Nice Guy

De Vrij as the symbol of a club, almost dead. In every aspect. In a sports-sense and financially. But also the symbol of the resurrection. Ronald Koeman comes and he uses De Vrij centrally, first next to mentor Vlaar and later next to Joris Mathijsen. Koeman gives him the #3 jersey and gives him confidence. In the 2013/14 season, he plays centrally with his mate Bruno Martins Indi, a lad he played with in all his youth teams and a close friend.

Feyenoord is back at the top, and finishes just 4 points behind Ajax. De Vrij plays a strong World Cup under Van Gaal and bang: his move to Rome is there.

And now, after 4 seasons there, he will make his next step in a career propulsed forward by coincidence and circumstance. De Vrij’s character and personality pulled him through. He didn’t get swimming lessons, or training wheels, he was just pushed in and told to fake it until he made it. And he made it.

And it was Feyenoord’s bad spell that create this top defender. In any other club, De Vrij would have been replaced. Feyenoord had to use him and grew, because he was allowed to fail. He learned and developed as a result of all his mistakes.

And this made him a top defender. He’s not the strongest, not the quickest, but he reads the game ever so well, and is strong positionally. And he is able to place the ball on your necktie over 50 yards. He’s hardly ever in panic and never got a red card in his career.

This season, he also was the most scoring defender in the Serie A and was #3 in the list of top ball retainers, behind Torreira and his new colleague at Inter Skriniar.

There might be a lesson to be learned from his career trajectory. Let’s see how El Ghazi, Adam Maher, Bazoer and others go in the years to come…

That goal!

January 3, 2018 by Jan

Big Four are history now…

Arjen Robben, after the last WC qualification game vs Sweden: “The man of glass went on the longest….”

The Big Four are no more. Sneijder might play a fringe part for us in the future, but Van der Vaart, most likely Van Persie and Robben are no longer going to wear the orange.

We didn’t just lose a couple of world class players, the Big Four, we lost our self-esteem.

It’s 2010, Oranje up for the semi-finals vs Uruguay. Sneijder is being interviewed, but the cocky Utrechter turns the tables. He asks the question: “Do you believe we can win it?” The sports reporter hesitates… Sneijder: “Ok, you doubt me? I will convince you. Not with words.” And he pointed at Robin van Persie. Then he pointed at Van der Vaart. Then at Robben. He looked the reporter in the eye and pointed at himself. “Tell your wife you’ll be coming home after the finals.”

Sneijder got up and walked away. And raised both arms in triumph, with two fingers up on both hands. Four.

Two days later, Oranje made it to the finals.

Earlier that year, he did the same. He asked the question of the sports reporter: “Is there a name for it when you win the treble AND the World Cup?”. He just won the title, the national cup in Italy and the Champions League. He played against Robben and Van Bommel. These three would get to the national team training camp late, but brimming with confidence. Robben and Sneijder talked at the trainings camp, about their mutual debuts for Oranje against Portugal. “We never made it far in 2006 and 2008 because our aim was to survive these groups of death. Getting through was the key thing. This time, it’s different. This time we want to go all the way. We told each other constantly: we are not leaving until we played the finals. We will go to South Africa to win it!”

Those were the days. Not just because we had these four Top Guns. But because we had personalities in the team. Think Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel, Dirk Kuyt. Players with a voice and an opinion. In 2010, the players wanted to win it. In 2014, Louis van Gaal squeezed it out of them.

The development process of the Big Four was fascinating. And also because of their temperaments. When self consciousness and top quality meet, ego is lurking. And in particular, when certain players are going for the same position. It was never a thing, for Sneijder and Van der Vaart. Best mates since their youth. And they still are close. Bert van Marwijk demanded it: mutual respect and acceptance. Trust each others qualities and skills and cover for the weaker aspects. A collective consciousness. And all this got processed and came to the fore in 2010. If it wasn’t for Casillas toe, Holland would have had the cup.

They shared their talent and confidence, but the Big Four also never forgot their roots. When Van Persie scored that phenomenal header vs Spain, in 2014, he credited his old youth coach Aad Putters, at Excelsior, as the man who taught him to head the ball. And every year, Robin participates in the youth tournament carrying his name. Just like Rafael van der Vaart visits his own youth tournament in Beverwijk, with his dad behind the bar counter and his mum selling entry tickets. Arjen Robben recently produced a video tape to ask the fans of FC Groningen to support his old club, even in these dire times. And Sneijder financially supports an entourage of family and friends, to make them part of his success. They’re multi millionaires but in their hearts they’re still street players.

Robben, the dribble king from Bedum, Sneijder the focused leader, Van der Vaart the old-fashioned virtuoso and Van Persie the elegant artist, who’d do the grocery shopping in Kralingen with a ball glued to his left foot. They love the game, from their youth right to the highest level.

But after that failed tournament of 2012, in the run up to the World Cup Brazil, the rust started to show. Van der Vaart was already out. He played his last international game in 2013. Van Gaal harassed Sneijder about his fitness. Van Persie admitted he played with constant pain. Only Robben, with him was it the opposite. The injury prone winger was in the form of his life and carried Oranje through the World Cup 2014. Sneijder and Van Persie just made it. When Wesley Sneijder had himself tested by the Dutch squad medical team, Van Gaal thought the equipment was faulty and ordered a re-test. That is how fit Sneijder was. Van Persie withstood the knee complaints and had his most productive tournament ever: 4 goals. In that sensational 1-5 win over Spain, all three players were involved: two goals Van Persie, two goals Robben and Sneijder with two assists. Robben: “Whenever Sneijder gets played in, I’m on my bike. Even if he still has work to do. Because I know he’ll find the gap to pass the ball exactly where I need it.” It’s how it went in Salvador, with Sergio Ramos crawling on all fours, watching how Robben scored. And in Johannesburg, when Robben was thwarted by Casillas’ toe.

In the years post-Brazil, the rust took over. Robben remained the Oranje leader. But his body didn’t agree and in 2015 and 2016 he only played 166 minutes in Oranje. The exact same period in which we failed to qualify for France 2016. Van der Vaart got sidelined by Betis Sevilla and later at Mitdtjylland. Van Persie and Sneijder had the support of Danny Blind and Advocaat after Blind betted one more time, heavily, on the two mavericks. To no avail. Sneijder got subbed for Vilhena and Van Persie ended up with a bad knee injury. Not much after, the WC Russia disintegrated for us and with that, a proper send-off for our Top World Class players. Only Robben was there, when we clutched at straws vs Belarus and Sweden. Robben had an assist on Propper against Belarus but fired a free kick into row Z later on. He had a wry smile on his face… Against Sweden, Robben was man of the match. With two goals, a lucky pen and a smashing strike from outside of the 16. His swan song.

The demasque of Oranje is a fact now. Sneijder: “At Galatasaray, some players asked who were in the Dutch national team. I named them and all I could see were question marks in their faces…”

Sneijder wasn’t present for the last qualification games. Robben was the only one left. When asked about it: “I’m not going to lie. I find it tough to be here without him. I think he could have had value for us, he’s very important. But, it’s the coach who decides, not me. But yes, it’s a wake-up call for me.”

What rests us, are the memories. Two years ago, this sentimental journey got it’s prologue. Three of the Big Four are in the bar of the Amsterdam Hilton. The Dutch team stayed the night there. Clarence Seedorf, ex-international, came by to say hi. Sneijder, Van Persie and Robben sat down with Seedorf and shared memories of the times that Oranje was a shoe in for the semi finals at big tournaments. Life was good, jokes all around, sipping drinks in front of the fire place. Sneijder grabbed his phone and said: “Let me call Raffie, ask him to come down. We’d be complete again.” They laughed and toasted. Proud and melancholic.

September 27, 2017 by Jan

Dutch School? Old school….

Dutch football in crisis. How often have we heard this? A lot. We’ve always been highly critical of our top players. Cruyff was not that revered when he still played. The man has achieved deity status after his career as player and coach. When he was a player, the Dutch public opinion called him a “money wolf” and as a coach Rinus Michels (!) called him a psychopath!

The generation Witschge, Rijkaard, Van Basten was called the “patat generatie” (chips generation). The group Davids-Kluivert-Seedorf-Bogarde-Reiziger was seen as controversial with their complaints about racism. And even our Silver Team in 2010 received heavy criticism for their lack of defensive skills.

We haven’t been winning regular European trophies since the 1970s so this crisis is basically the standard situation for Oranje.

Earlier, Ajax and PSV failed to qualify for the EL. Feyenoord met its match at CL level already at home vs Man City. Internationally, we do not register. And our National Team always had ups and downs. But last week, the crisis increased.

Beenhakker trying to “get” the patat frites situation….

Cup winner Vitesse was ousted from the first round of this season’s cup competition by a lowly amateur team. Ajax draws vs Ajax and loses against the same Vitesse (implying that Swift, the amateurs, would beat Ajax even worse than they did Vitesse).

NAC Breda also got kicked out of the cup by amateurs and they ( in Holland seen as Manchester City’s C-team) were able to beat Feyenoord at home (!) for the first time ever!

At the same time, the PSV that was in crisis some weeks ago, with Cocu under heavy pressure, beat contenders FC Utrecht 1-7 in their own home!

So the finalist of last year’s Europa League, Ajax, is currently in crisis. They dropped eight points in six games. Too much.

PSV was in crisis but seems to be the top dog for now.

Last season’s champions have lost three of their last four games.

Ajax’ problems aren’t to be ignored. They lost key players (Sanchez, Klaassen, Traore) and had to deal with the loss of the biggest talent and highly popular Nouri. They allowed Peter Bosz to leave (who isn’t doing too shabby at the moment) and replaced him with inexperienced Marcel Keizer.

The balance sheet shows a capital of 160 million euros but some of that capital should be wearing football boots. But the Technical Heart (Overmars, Bergkamp, vd Sar and the head of development) failed to replace these key players with players of a similar level. They did spend money on new players, but these have merely warmed the bench.

New coach Marcel Keizer has clear “Ajax” ideas of playing but does he have the players? The midfield of Van de Beek, De Jong and Ziyech is attractive but also inexperienced. The wingers are hold-cold and striker Dolberg is lacking form. Huntelaar has had a good spell (and will always deliver) but with the current back four (lacking pace, and leadership) it will be hard to win big games, using the “5 seconds rule”. Ajax played the EL finals and was aware that Klaassen, Sanchez, Onana, Veltman, Kluivert, Youness, Ziyech and Dolberg were on many a radar. Tete and Riedenwald were already given up by Ajax’ management. But despite the interest in half the team, Ajax didn’t act. Sanchez and Klaassen were key in the team and Ajax should consider themselves lucky that Dolberg and Ziyech are still in Amsterdam. The Technical Heart has not managed the issue too well and Marcel Keizer is now lost in different systems, doubtful about the Dolberg-Huntelaar situation and most likely unhappy with the options he has available.

ADO Coach Alfons Groenendijk as Ajax assistant coach with Henk ten Cate and Frank de Boer

Gio van Bronckhorst seemed the winner in the summer, with Martin van Geel bringing good young prospects to the team. But while Feyenoord has to play 7 games in 23 days, they have to miss their line leader Nicolai Jorgensen. And immediately, the weakness of the squad comes to the surface. There is no decent second striker in red and white. Poor Michiel Kramer appears clowneske in this Feyenoord team and stumbles and bumbles through games. The fans applaud and cheer any successful square pass he gives. And with Nelom and Diks replacing the talented Kongolo and Karsdorp (Nelom plays for the injured Haps, while rightback Woudenberg was let go so Diks could come in), Feyenoord did not improve. Haps has the potential to become Oranje’s next left back, but Diks is clearly out of his league.

Dirk Kuyt is sorely missed as well of course and when 5 first team players are absent and the rest makes a hash of it (Jones and Kramer the two clowns vs NAC), Feyenoord looks very average.

The new kids at Feyenoord are all getting the benefit of the doubt, but when key players are missing, they come short. For now.

Elsewhere, PSV plays good games and not so good games. Not that consistent, with Marco van Ginkel still having to get used to his leadership/playmaker role and Ramselaar proving to be potentially nothing more than an average utility player. Lozano op front, the new Mexican winger, alongside Locadia might well do PSV a lot of good, but the weak defence might become PSV’s downfall. Rumor has it, that Bert van Marwijk and Mark van Bommel will take the coaching roles next season.

Mentor Pep with protege Erik ten Hag

FC Utrecht is still a club hitting above their weight. They have the 11th budget or so of the competition but continuously perform at sub top level. Erik ten Hag consistently overachieves and makes players better individually. Utrecht also lost a couple of key lads (Haller, Barazite, Amrabat) but the new kids gelled in nicely and despite some big defeats, they will most likely do well. Same as AZ, the first team plays attractive football and the Academy churns out some great talents. Heerenveen is one of the most attractive teams at the moment. Norwegian Martin Odegaard impresses every week and with a fit Stijn Schaars as the general in midfield, they keep on getting the points with attractive football.

Vitesse is the last of the contenders, Henk Fraser has forged an attractive team, playing free flowing football. Their cup defeat being a big blemish, I’m sure they’ll rebound and give it their all this season.

Apart from them PEC Zwolle (John van ‘t Schip) and VVV Venlo are doing surprisingly well.

But all these domestic battles full fun and games are not so impressive in the perspective of Dutch football internationally.

If we analyse the way they most dominating teams play, we come to a highly concerning conclusion. I’m talking Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund… They do the exact opposite of what Dutch coaches (and coach’ coaches) preach about. In Holland, we say “without possession, keep the field compact, but when in possession, stretch the pitch and make the field big”. This is not what Lazio does, or what Dortmund does…

Mentor Cruyff with protege Peo

Their coaches say: “When without possession, keep the pitch small. When in possession, keep the pitch small”.

How does this work? These teams all play in “triangles”. Every thing they do, is done in triangles, meaning that when a player has the ball, anywhere on the pitch, at least two team mates are close for the bounce. The player with the ball needs to play the ball vertically, never square, even if the team mate is marked. A precise ball can be bound back to the third – moving player. And so on. So the team moves across the pitch like an organism. In triangles. Example, the left midfielder has the ball, so the left winger, left back, the striker and the mid midfielder should all be somehow offering themselves as options. If the left winger is the target, the striker will make a move so he becomes the third player receiving the ball. In that case, again the mid midfielder and the left winger (and maybe the right winger) will make themselves available.

This involves total fitness! Lots of movement. And lots and lots of practice. A typical practice is: 11 v 11 on half a pitch and you can only have one touch before releasing the ball.

This is total football New Style. And it’s not how Oranje plays. It is how Peter Bosz let Ajax play last season, but two key players (Klaassen and Sanchez) are missing from that team.

There are key advantages to play this way. 1) as you’re constantly moving around, it’s hard for the opponent to win the ball back. 2) you have several options always available to you to unleash the killer pass. 3) once you lose the ball, you don’t need to track back 20 to 40 meters to get back in position. You can immediately go for the wolf pack 5-seconds approach, get the ball back and you’re still not far from the position where you were.

These eight principles are the foundation of Napoli’s positioning game.

Coach Sarri doesn’t play ” a system” or formation. He even says: “If people talk about systems, they don’t get football”. His players will adapt their position to what is happening on the pitch. And Sarri uses specific key points to instruct players what to do and how to respond. These key points are the basis, but there is a lot of freedom for creativity as well. “What they have to do is firm, how they do it is up to them.”

Most players in the centre of the pitch
– The flanks of the pitch are only taken up by the full backs and sometimes Callejon plays a bit more wide. Most players will be found in the ax of the team. See the image on the left, above
Using the passing lines to become free in space – The oppoosing midfielders will try to block the passing lines to the key midfielders of Napoli, Hamsik and Jorginho. These two will gladly “hide” behind their markers until the right moment pops up to move a litle bit wide or away and that timing is drilled into the team, so the pass will come right on time. And it takes them just two or three steps to get the ball between the lines.
Anticipate, not re-act – The Napoli players are constantly moving. Whenever a player is played in, the others move around, finding space or making dummy runs. This is incredibly hard to defend.
Movement in conjunction – Sarri tells his players to constantly watch each other, constantly check the movements of the others and to offer options all the time. The distances between the players will be maintained this way and there are triangles everywhere.
Ignore second man, play in third – In Napoli’s positioning game, the players like to ignore the closest player but play the ball one line further up. This allows the “ignored player” to turn and move towards the goal and receive the ball as the third runner. This player is already positioned right, doesn’t need to turn and can find the next solution.
High paced circulation – Napoli plays a lot of short, fast paced passes from feet to feet. The opponent is forced to think on their feet and constantly confronted with new situations. Napoli tends to be a step ahead all the time.
More players around the ball – Wherever the ball is, the players are. They create a man more situation all the time and it is harder for the opponent to keep possession. See the situation in the image, below right. It is a 4 v 2 situation. The goal is not necessarily to get the ball then and there, but to push the opponent back.
Tempt the opponent – Once the opponent is organised and behind the ball, Napoli will slow down. The opponent will at some state try and find something and once one or two players “bite” and are out of position, the accelerations starts.

Final third play

Positioning play is nice, but useless if it doesn’t lead to chances. And Napoli has a clear plan. As they really are capable of that dazzling positioning play, the defenders of the opponent are dragged higher up the pitch. The midfielders try to put pressure on Napoli, so the defenders need to push up too. This will make it easer for them, but it also offers Napoli space behind the backline. And that is what Napoli wants. Napoli uses this situation in two different ways.

The first one is by running deep in behind the backline. The three forwards are masters in this. Mertens, Callejon and Insigne scored 60 goals together last season. Most of these goals came from a deep run in behind. They actually first come into the ball, and then turn to sprint in behind. They create their own space, but they also have a head start as a result of this “in the ball, turn, go deep” move. Which means that they can run at full speed without being off side. And their team mates get a sort of red flag sign: once Mertens comes into the ball, they know he’s going to make the dart towards goal and the midfielders can loop the ball into space for him.

The second way they create chances is by suddenly using the player on the flank, who usually moves up unnoticed (the action is all in the axes of the game, remember?). So if the opponent’s backline has moved up, the space behind can be attacked. By playing in the left back, for instance, he can swing the ball into the space – mostly low if Milik doesn’t play – and the forward runners can score an easy tap in, when the ball is played between goalie and backline in no man’s land. Left back Ghoulam does this all the time and creates easy tap ins. See below.

March 26, 2017 by Jan

Oranje Lost!

In what can only be seen as a must win game, Oranje – players and staff! – have let themselves and the fans and the whole country and the memory of Johan Cruyff down!

Bulgaria. The number 71 of the world.

I predicted a 0-3 win.

It was a disaster. Dreadful. Terrible game. Holland started slow, lethargic, uninterested. Poor Matthijs de Ligt got his debut.

He may have played 8 games for Ajax as a starter? With the memory of Ron Vlaar’s debut vs Italy under Van Basten. Vlaar needed 3 years to recover from the terrible trashing he experienced vs Luca Toni.

Wesley Hoedt was available. Veltman was available. Blind was available. Viergever. Van der Heijden. Denswil. Donk.

Why does De Ligt get his debut while Ake was overlooked when he was a key player for Bournemouth, week in week out.

I have defended Blind here at this blog for a long time. I think the attacks on him playing his son are ridiculous and believe he has been doing fairly ok with his choices. Because let’s face it: we did suffer a lot of injuries and we’re not having the top players at the moment…

But playing 17 year old De Ligt was a massive mistake. A big big mistake. Unnecessary mistake. A risk for the team, for our qualification, for this kid’s career and for Ajax. WHAT THE FUKC!

Playing Martins Indi is a risk in itself. Playing him with a 17 year old debutant next to him… Really?

Wesley Hoedt was the only player with criticism on the coach (between the lines) but he was the one who had to allow De Ligt to overtake him… “I accept the choices of the coach. He told me he wanted a left and right footed player in the centre. I think Van Dijk and Bruma – both right footed – did pretty well though. So I didn’t agree with his opinion. But, I don’t make the decisions, he does.”

I am not saying Blind should get the sack or resign.

I really don’t think a new coach coming in will turn things around. What is he going to do? Buy better players? Make our current squad stronger?

I believe – this may sound weird – it’s up to the players now to step up and support the coach by showing it on the pitch or telling the coach in private what they want to see. Like Cruyff and Van Hanegem in the 70s. Gullit and Van Basten in the 80s. De Boers and Davids and Blind (!) in the 90s. And Van Bommel and Van Nistelrooy in the 00s.

Players play. Players lose. Players win. If Wes and Arjen and Daley and Kevin feel Blind should stay, fine. Let him stay.

Btw, all big name players (Sneijder, Robben, Strootman) claim that sacking the coach is unwise and “what can you expect from another coach?”

Arjen Robben: “The new coach won’t be able to bring in new players. We need to face the music: we lost two more players in Janssen and De Vrij last week, it’s neverending. And we do lack quality in general. This is what it is. Sacking Blind will not solve this.”

But I expect Robben and Sneijder to say NO whenever Blind threatens to play Nouri next time for Oranje.

I don’t think Blind deserves all the criticism he is getting. Yes he picked De Ligt but players like Strootman, Wijnaldum, Robben and Daley Blind should by now be strong enough to take charge on the pitch. And they didn’t.

And now, the World Cup is drifting out of sight. The Russian trojka is disappearing on the horizon.

We are three points behind no. 2 Sweden. That match, we’ll need to win and we need to win all other games as well, preferably also away vs France.

This all comes at a terrible time too. Johan Cruyff is dead for 1 year exactly and is turning around so fast in his grave that he could power the whole of Barcelona for a year.

Hans van Breukelen is the technical director at the KNVB but they’re rudderless as there is no general director and Hans will probably not sack Blind without backing of his bosses. The board at the KNVB is currently working on a whole new structure for the KNVB organisation and this will take until the end of the year to manifest. I kid you not.

The KNVB is in shambles, no one is taking decisions, JC is dead and our beloved Oranje is on road to nowhere.

I need your suggestions. Who will come to the rescue?

There is no clip with highlights in this post as there were none.

And I refuse to put the Bulgaria goals up here.

January 1, 2017 by Jan

New Years Interview Danny Blind

“I focus on selecting players who add energy, not players who take energy away”

We ring out the year 2016 with the Man of the Year (and last 70 years): Johan Cruyff. Now we will focus on what I hope will be the Football Man of the Year 2017 : our national team manager. The annual NY interview with the highest executive in professional Dutch football: Danny Blind (55).

Last week, the KNVB had their annual New Years gathering. And as per usual, there were speakers. This year Martijn Koning, the comedian, did his thing. And after a chaotic year, every single KNVB individual was ridiculed and the butt of his jokes: Hans van Breukelen, Bert van Oostveen, Dick Advocaat… They all were part of the show and this resulted in great moments of hilarity and belly laughs for the people present. One name was left out though: there were no cynical jokes about our national team manager, Danny Blind. Remarkable, because if this comedian would have been there at the end of 2015, surely the show would have Blind as a main theme.

Danny Blind: “It’s funny indeed. My parents told me that when (famous Dutch comedian) Wim Kan would leave out a politician’s name in his comedy shows, these politicians would be disappointed. Because it means you were invisible, hahaha. I think I might just be happy with this for now.”

Asked if Blind thinks this might be an indication he is getting it right and clearly there is not a lot to ridicule at the moment: “Yes, I do think people are starting to respond more positive to me and the staff… We had some difficult times at the KNVB and that took some pressure off of me, really… And I think the results and performances have been improving, which is key. But I also think I’ve demonstrated to have composure under pressure. I”m down to Earth and I think people appreciate that.”

As you said: it feels the KNVB is working really hard to get the attention away from you….

Blind, laughing: “Well, there was a lot of material for “other stories” yes. And that is Hans van Breukelen’s task isn’t it? To keep the pressure away from the players and the coaching staff, hahaha. He did a good job!”

Was 2016 a year in which you could get your way across, more so than in 2015?

“For sure. And in particular the group dynamics. Much bettter and different than in 2015. We started this in November 2015, with the Wales game, when we missed out on the Euros. I changed the way we selected players. In short: we had a short four game run when I took over the reach the Euros. And I selected players on that basis: we needed to win four finals. So I put my chips on experience. I looked at experience and the level of the clubs they were at. I had to pick between young Tete of Ajax and experienced Van der Wiel of PSG, for instance. Tete would be making his debut. I didn’t think it was responsible to pick a debutant, so I went for experience. Anyway, we now know that you can’t rely on experienced players for the full 100%. They didn’t come through, sadly. But there is no guarantee that the new kids would have… Essentially, I am now more focused on energy and personality. What do they bring to the squad. I focus on players who give the team a lift, and not so much need energy themselves. It’s what you can give, not take. That is the selection policy in summary, but quality and fitness are key, a given, of course. That’s where it starts.”

So, whether players play all the games, playing minutes in other words, are less important?

,,Still important, of course. But not longer priority #1. Under Louis van Gaal and Van Marwijk that was key and was easier to hold up. But it’s getting too hard. We are losing out. Check the clubs where Van Marwijk’s team played in 2010 versus the clubs our players are at now. And not only are these not the top clubs anymore, the ones who are with the second tier clubs sometimes don’t even play. It’s all a bit thin. But that away game vs Wales, we won 2-3 and ever since we only lost to France, of which the WC qualification game was quite close and we had an unnecessary loss vs Greece in the friendly. But hey, the tough times are not over. We played Belgium and didn’t create one single chance. Then again, neither did they, so that is also a positive.”

As you said: the vibe in the group now is: no whinging and whining, otherwise: stay home!

“Yes and that came from the group. They have their own team talks too. And players like Strootman, Sneijder, Robben and Wijnaldum are the initiators of this mentality. Wijnaldum is a top example. Started his career as a creative midfielder but is currently one of the strong holders in Liverpool’s midfield. Playing with constraint, with discipline. I have abused his qualities a bit this year and I told him this. I used the word abused on purpose, I had him playing full right back versus Belgium. And Wijnaldum responds with: “Trainer, I am here for the team and to reach the World Cup. I won’t whine or complain, I’ll play where you need me.” And even if we don’t play well, I always see great commitment.”

Dick Advocaat has thrown Van der Wiel out of the Fener squad as he’s dealing with too many peripheral activities. He was a starter in 2015 but never made it back in 2016…

“I will let you name the players. But if you see the recent developments with some players, the picture becomes clear, right?”

More on the team later. Let’s discuss this Performance and Innovation Manager (PIM) role at the KNVB. Did you come to some resolution with Van Breukelen? You seemed to clash about this role?

“Yes, we clashed about that. Because my point was and is: you can’t combine this PIM role with team manager (the role Hans Jorritsma has). I can’t see that. The team manager role is a full time role. And I have a good staff I’m working with and they are my PIM. We have physiologist Luc van Agt. A top expert on anything related to fitness, physiology, intensity, etc. We have a team of video analysts, who measure everything that can be measured and we have our scouts. I also use the experts at club level. As you know, the Feyenoord and Ajax academy are top notch. We can learn from them. And all the clubs where our players are, feed us with useful stats.”

So take Wijnaldum, who is now playing as a controlling midfielder for his club, you can use those Liverpool stats to utilise with Oranje?

“Exactly. And I do think Wijnaldum can play in this role for us, in the future. I get annoyed when people say “the football world is conservative”. I think the football rules are conservative and Marco van Basten might be able to lossen that up. Ridiculously conservative. But in terms of data collection and analysis, it is really good. When we went to Brazil in 2014, all players visited the dentist. We did that in Holland. As they can see what kind of physical issues are lingering in your body via your teeth. What issues can we expect and what can we do to prevent it. Van Breukelen is now witnessing all this and that will affect his decision making.”

How is your relationship with Van Breukelen. You were coupled with him out of the blue: technical director and national team coach. Is the love there?

“Our working relation is good. We respect each other. That, I can say. And Hans was reasonable enough to admit that his assessment of combining the team manager with the PIM into one role will not work. And that PIM job was emphasized so much, that this role became too big in the media. The saviour of Dutch football. But it’s not, it’s just one cog in the machine. And it’s a role behind the screens, in the background. I think they should not have hyped it up so much. It’s important to think strategically about these things. It got blown out of proportion. And Peter Blange (ex volleyball olympic champion, ex volley ball coach and sports expert) will now focus on collating information about youth development and intensity training. And he’ll focus on the Eredivisie. Great. And he’ll need to go via the clubs. If we want to improve our football, the clubs are the key. But listen, when you talk to Blange, you talk to and listen to a pro. Someone who knows what top sports is about. A good guy. And he knows his contribution will not have a 40% increase in performance, or even a 10% increase. But if he can give us 3% improvement I will be cheering him on. Everything counts. I think we need to change the circumstances in which we play, through new rules. Like Wim Jansen said: organise a competition with 4 Ajax-Feyenoord games. I am all for that! And stop with artificial pitches. It changes the sport and not in a good way. Invest in better coaching classes and have referees allow more on the pitch.”

What did you think of Guardado during Ajax-PSV. Was he taking it too far? Or was it needed?

“I loved it. He needs to do that. But in Holland, we are all confused for days after that. I don’t get that.”

Blind looks out and watches the golf player on the Borchland golf course. Four years ago, Blind was interviewed here after the Euro debacle of 2012. The main topic was: who is Holland’s best striker: Van Persie or Huntelaar? Both players have been surpassed and this applies to other 30+ players as well. Blind is sort of in charge of selecting a new aquad after a period of 10 years of familiar faces. A generation that gave Oranje it’s face for decade or more.

So how do you say goodbye to those kind of players? Can you do it without a hassle, or frustration?

“Well, it’s part of my job alright. I have been there myself as a player. And players like Cocu, De Boer bros, Van Bronckhorst… a top generation and they took the bow themselves. Cocu was still world class at 34. That is quite handy for a coach. I’m not making decisions based on “this or that player should not play for Oranje anymore”. It’s more up to them to demonstrate their quality, so I can select them. They select themselves.”

So you need players who give energy to the group instead of taking energy?

“Yes and in the broadest sense of the word. How do you perform off the pitch? Are you self centered? Closed off? Or do you work with others? Do you want to be part of the group process. What I don’t do though, is work towards a squad for the World Cup. That is too early now. We need to get there first, so I pick the players who will be able to bring us there. Forging a winning team for the World Cup will need to happen in the run up to the tournament. We need to get there first.”

Let’s zoom in on Sneijder. Your second skipper. Was involved in four goals for Gala before Xmas. In Oranje, you can see it is not getting better with him. How do you see him?

“Wesley is a leader in the group. He is the role model. He can tell people exactly what is needed to make it to the top. And he talks to the youngsters about this. About his sacrifices, about what it means to score and be great on the World Cup stage. He’s important to us.”

But you seem to question his best position in the team?

“No not really. I can use him on different spots and I have made those choices already. But I will definitely still use him as a real #10, don’t worry. He did well on the left vs Sweden too. But Sneijder, he was dominant for whole games when he was younger, now he will be less dominant, but his set pieces alone are key. Even if he doesn’t play well, his kicking is amazing. And he does this with Oranje too. A player like Sneijder used to dominate a whole game, but now he can still be decisive in a couple of moments.

He tells us he is looking at the game more like a coach than as a a player.

“I think that is true. I can see this development. Wesley is streetwise and shrewd, he would make statements that will help build his image, I’m sure. But, I know Wes from when he was 14 years old. And whatever you can say about him, he is genuine and pure in his commitment and desire. I always talk to him before he comes in for internationals. He’s a co-skipper and I talk the week through with my skippers. And he has a strong opinion about things and he sees things really well. He demonstrates leadership and has a lot of respect from all the players. Arjen as well. It’s clear, that both are the key leaders in the squad.”

But surely, you will not be the coach to tell Sneijder that you will not allow him to get his record international games…

“That’s not up to me. It’s up to him. He got a tough lesson from Van Gaal back in 2013. Louis dropped him in a harsh way: stay fit and play to your strength. His strengths are playing with venom, shoot with venom, accelerate the game and find the through pass. I know Wes will make sure he will demonstrate enough of his specific qualities to reach his record. His added value can all be shown in mere minutes right?

What did you think of Robin van Persie’s interview (posted here recently too) in the AD?

“I read it of course and I have no issues whatsoever with his view on things, if you mean that.”

Do you think he is right, that you needed to call him more often last year?

“I dont actually. Listen, he was tremendous for Oranje and Dutch football. And this is why I called him before Kazachstan away and explained in detail why I wouldn’t select him. In a personal conversation. I called him again for the Czech game, three days later. That second time wasn’t needed I guess, but I felt his stature deserved it. And after we failed to qualify, I called him again and explained my ideas. For me, to call him again after that, should only happen if my message would be different. If I would make a change and needed to explain this to him.”

Because?

“I don’t want to raise false expectations. And to be clear: I had no intention to change my policy and plans. Vincent Janssen was doing very well. And for me, Robin and Klaas-Jan are no substitute strikers for me. I know they have difficulty with that role. And listen, we follow Robin and all others every week. He had a good tun, but then he got injured again. And against Feyenoord for the Europa League, he didn’t impress. I didn’t see any threat from him. As a striker, you need to be dominant.”

**There is an other alternative for center striker: Jeremain Lens. Is he an option?**

“Why not? He hasn’t disappointed against Belgium. He had to go off with an injury but he confirmed the form he displayed with Fener. He has energy, is powerful and can be decisive. And he anticipates well on space becoming available. With Oranje, we are not that strong anymore, we don’t dominate games structurally in and around the box of the opponent. We are now focusing on the turn around and use the space available to us. Lens has the qualities to play in that center role. He played there in Oranje for Van Gaal as well.”

What developments do you see or expect for 2017?

“I can see Van Dijk, Bruma and De Vrij developing more. Three central defenders with big clubs in big competitions. And at an age where they can still grow. Wijnaldum is also in that group of players between 24-28 years old and he’s not doing too badly at Liverpool. Strootman is fit and doing well. Quincy Promes has room to grow too.”

Are you concerned for players like Janssen, Daley Blind and Memphis?

“Janssen does need to play and get minutes in the coming months, but I’m less concerned about him. He fits our game plan really well and I think he’ll be fine. Blind is currently active in four competitions and even if he doesn’t play all games, he still plays as a starter once a week. He has 70% of the Man United games still and this means he’s part of the Man United core group. I don’t think Daley will leave Manchester United. Memphis is not part of this core group and I think he may have to make a move this winter. Everton and Koeman? It would be a good option, as Koeman knows him well, but Everton has other options for the wings too. And if these guys step up, it might still be hard for Memphis. It’s not a given he will start playing regularly in that situation.”

So why will we reach the World Cup?

“We can still win the group. And we won’t give up without a fight. And if not winning the group, we should finish second because we are better than Sweden. Simple. Sweden without Zlatan is finding their feet though and they’re improving. They did well versus France. My biggest disappointment of 2016 is not winning in Sweden. We should have and should have had three points more than them, with a better goal difference. We also have a good core group now, with Bruma, Van Dijk, Blind, Strootman, Wijnaldum, Klaassen, Promes, Janssen… And they need to make some steps. I do hope talents like Berghuis, Karsdorp, Vilhena, Ramselaar, Hendrix, Bazoer and even Van Ginkel will make some headway. So, add Robben and Sneijder and potentially other older players – like Vlaar or Van Persie – and we should have a good enough squad to reach the World Cup and make a difference there. We might not have a whole lot of world class players, but we can still forge a world class team.”

October 13, 2016 by Jan

Oranje adds character to its armour

For years, the Dutch national team was synonymous with class. The passing of Sneijder, the dribbles of Robben, the trickery of Van der Vaart and the wonderful goals of Van Persie… In a somewhat more distant past: the guile of Van Basten, the touch of Bergkamp, the elegance of Rijkaard… Or maybe the magic of Cruyff, the intelligence of Van Hanegem and the unfathomable solos of Rob Rensenbrink…

And sure, we had grit. And fight. In midfield or defence, there was always a Johan Neeskens, Edgar Davids, Jaap Stam or a Nigel de Jong. But these players would be in service of the protected prodigal sons.

Jaap Gladiator Stam

We still develop great talents, but all nations around us have developed their technical and tactical skills while keeping hold of their specific national “traits”. Defensive strength of the Italians, the mental strength of the Germans, the physical strength of the English and of course the all round athleticism of the French… Playing shrewd can also be seen as a quality aspect, as the Portuguese have taught us many times over.

Holland needs to add some character, some intent to their game and at times we have been able to. Van Marwijk used 6 players in service of the Big Four, with Van Bommel and De Jong offering grit. Van Gaal did it with his tactics and bravado.

Under Danny Blind, a new chapter seems to be in production, trying to incorporate the best of all worlds… Technical skills (Promes, Sneijder, Wijnaldum, Blind), tactical smarts (Blind, Strootman, Sneijder), guile (Janssen, Karsdorp, Van Dijk) and…character…

Rick Karsdorp, Vincent Janssen, Kevin Strootman… They had to acknowledge that beating France at this stage was basically a bridge too far, but with courage and character thrown into the mix, we can go a long way. Again.

Johan El Torro Neeskens

Let me take you back: it was an icecold wintery Monday evening in March 2015 when a livid Karsdorp pressed his forehead against the face of referee Stieler. The German ref gave Young France a third penalty for a foul on super talent Benzia. Young Oranje is being taken to the cleaners and Karsdorp loses it. He would tell the Dutch media days later “never to have been played off the pitch in his young career as on that day, by the frickin’ French (4-1)”.

We’re 1,5 years down the track. The impatient Benzia decided to play for Algeria, as the French coaches overlooked the youngster for the senior team (hello Hakim Ziyech). And Rick Karsdorp? He was one of Holland’s best players in the senior game vs France in Amsterdam.

Karsdorp’s story is one of falling and getting back up again. Showing character when things turn bad. Biting your lip, instead of giving in. In that Young Oranje match, there was another youngster who doesn’t know the words “giving up”. Vincent Janssen, striker of Almere City, was a sub on that night in North France. He was looking to stake his claim after Feyenoord told him he didn’t have what it took to make it at Feyenoord.

Karsdorp

And Janssen was also impressive, against the French at the highest level. Every time, people would say he was too light for the top. Karsdorp and Janssen are currently the role models for technical director Hans van Breukelen, who keeps on emphasizing the fact that Dutch football “might have the best technical skills, but is lacking the winning mentality”.

After Karsdorp’s clash with Laurent Koscielny, the medical staff of Oranje urged the Feyenoord back to come off. Joel Veltman was warming up already. But Karsdorp wouldn’t think about it. “I couldn’t even lift my arm up, but leaving the pitch? Never! I really wanted to finish the game.”

“Of course I know Dimitri Payet. I saw him play for France at the Euros and when he was subbed, I felt even stronger. Against Belarus, I felt my legs cramping up, 20 minutes before the end. But now, I could have played three more matches. Despite my shoulder.”

This month, it’s actually two years ago when Karsdorp was in tears in the Feyenoord dressing room. His first sub turn at Feyenoord and his mistake led to Rijeka’s goal in Croatia in the Europa League. It seemed his career for Feyenoord was over before it began. Fred Rutten, then coach of Feyenoord, was responsible for taking Karsdorp from Feyenoord 2 – the playmaker! – and putting him on right back in Feyenoord 1. Not only that, Rutten predicted that Rick would be the next right back for Oranje! A day after the match, Rutten talked with Karsdorp: “It is up to you. If you now succumb, yes… you career is over. But if you stand up and straighten your back, you will have a big future ahead of you.”

Karsdorp grows when others run for the exit. “After two years since that situation, I know what I have in me”.

Janssen doesn’t take shit from nobody

Vincent Janssen will be able to empathise: “I can find the positive in everything. Like this match. Yes we lost. That is a disappointment but we are a team again. All noses point in the right direction. We can build on this!”.

In recent months, apart from the likes of Janssen, Karsdorp and Berghuis, Quincy Promes emerged. Developed at Ajax, sent away by Ajax, back in the lime-light at FC Twente and after one year transferred to Spartak Moscow. Where he is a star. Since last week, he now also is a man to reckoned with in the orange jersey.

He had the misfortune of flipping his ankle early in the France game, but Promes lives up to his promise, finally (apologies for the pun).

When talking to Promes (24) you know there won’t be a silence in the conversation. The Spartak forward talks as fast as he takes on Russian defenders. He renewed his deal this summer and will be with Spartak until 2021. “It was a conscious decision. I’m not ready for a step up. I’m developing well in Moscow and there is more to come. Making the right move is not going to be easy. In terms of price tag, I’m expensive now. The mid-tier clubs in the bigger leagues won’t just buy me like that. Should I go to a big club, I run the risk of coming for the bench. I rather make more of a name here at Spartak.”

Promes vs France earlier on

This career path is remarkable for a lad who left Holland after one season at Twente. For an adventure in Russia? “I never wanted to leave Twente. But they were in financial dire straits. They called me in and said there was a massive deal on the table for me. They needed to sell me. I was pushed out.”

Scoring 18 goals in his first season, he did have to take a hurdle before scoring in Oranje. “I’m simply not the key man in Oranje. I play in the number 10 role for Spartak, protected, and the ball comes to me a lot. In Oranje, I’m more a winger. But listen, I know I can score. I wasn’t in doubt. The key thing is not me scoring, though. It’s Holland winning. Who ever scores. It’s not about me, it’s about Oranje making it to the World Cup.”

And the fact that the World Cup is in Russia is special for Promes. “Sure, it is. I’m happy to be on the team sheet always in Moscow. That makes it easy for the coach to select me. And I’m super proud to play for Oranje. Whenever I pull on my jersey, I get goosebumps. And I want to go to the World Cup.”

You are a very proud lad. And there is always that line in interviews or articles saying “sent away at Ajax”…

“I was a very difficult lad when I was young. I won’t lie about that. Super selfish. I played in Ajax youth and the arrogance comes with that. You think you are da man. But in all honesty, you’re not. You only sniff at the opportunity. At Ajax, at some stage, they had enough. And I could leave. I am grateful to them though. It changed my life. It opened my eyes. I should not be praised, I should always be pushed to fight. Then, I’m able to give my best.”

So what happened after Ajax? “I went to Haarlem but they went bankrupt almost immediately. FC Twente came and Patrick Kluivert was my coach in Twente 2. That man did something to me. They loaned me to Go Ahead Eagles and (current FC Utrecht coach) Erik ten Hag was there. He gave me the key to success. He was super strict. I didn’t get that at all. Until I suddenly realised he did it to help me. He turned me from a piece of coal into a diamond. I started to score goals at the Eagles and I was off. Next season, it all happened at Twente and now I’m with Spartak.”

So Kluivert and Ten Hag made you what you are now? “And Alfred Schreuder at Twente. I also became a dad at Go Ahead. Seeing that little one changed me tremendously. For the first time I realised I had responsibilities. I stopped living just for myself, I now work and live for my wife, my daughter. Well, daughters, we have two now.”

Quincy at Go Ahead Eagles with mentor Erik ten Hag

How is life in Moscow? “I don’t live in an apartment anymore. Moscow is really a cool city, just very cold in winter. I will never get used to that. But Russians are typical people. They’re not very open or social, but once you break through that veneer, they will do everything for you. It’s not like in Amsterdam, where you can just borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbours. In Moscow, they won’t open the door even.

Would Spartak Moscow win the title in the Eredivisie? “Hmm, don’t know. PSV and Ajax are strong teams. But I don’t think Spartak would finish lower than 3rd or 4th. We are no Utrecht or PEC Zwolle, with all due respect.”

Speaking about Ajax, it was always your dream club. How is that now? “I’m from Amsterdam. Which means you want to play for Ajax. But, I’m not sure whether that’s ever possible. Probably not. But…you never know.”

And to finalise our portrait of winners… Kevin Strootman is renowned for his mentality. And in typical Strootman form, he was very angry at the player who made the mistake against Sweden, allowing them to score. This player was Strootman himself.

“The will to win is strong in me. Very deep. Fighting for the team. I have always done that. Friendlies, practice games… I find it hard to deal with mistakes that cost us points. And when I’m the one making the mistake, well….”

Strootman came in front of the cameras after the Sweden game and was super critical on himself. He came to the Oranje camp for Belarus and France with a thigh injury but played a decent game vs Belarus. In the France game, he was again partly at fault for the goal conceded.

Did the Sweden mistake play around in your head? “Well, yes, for a couple of days. Sure. But once you’re at the club, there is that rollercoaster ride of games and you can put it aside. But when I came back to the Oranje camp, it immediately popped up again. We looked back at the Sweden game of course and that blunder was on the big screen again. I looked away. This simply cannot happen.”

This self criticism is part of your personality. Did you have this in the Sparta youth as well? “For sure. But listen, you have a job. If you make a crucial mistake in your job, you’d take it home with you. I think every player has this, but maybe not all players show it.”

Really? I doubt it. “No, I am telling you. This was an obvious howler. A pro player who’d try to talk his way out of this would be ridiculed for days. I made a decision against France. The Pogba goal. It was the wrong decision in hindsight. But it was calculated. I didn’t think that was a blunder. We were out of position. If I bite, and Pogba goes past me, he’s in on goal. I rather have him take a shot from 30 meters than from 15 meters. I forced him to go to Maarten’s right, which is his strong side. Sadly for all of us, the ball was too good. In hindsight, yes, I might have done better to close him down, but that’s all irrelevant now. You make a quick decision and sometimes you’re wrong. With the Sweden mistake, I could live with that better if Bas Dost’s goal would have been allowed. Making a mistake but winning is not that dramatic.”

Strootman is skipper in the absence of Sneijder and Robben. He was positive about Oranje’s development. “We controlled the game versus Sweden and Belarus, bar 20 minutes. The France game, we knew it would be tough to control them. But overal, it’s more stable than – say – 5 months ago. We seem to be able to execute all the tasks the coach puts on us. We don’t give a lot away, we coach each other and work hard. The way we defend dead balls is also much better. Everyone is focused. These are key moments in top football. You got to “stand right” as they say. I remember the Iceland away game. Two moments of loss of focus and we’re 2-0 down.”

The only way is up. “We can play much better even. I think the vibe in the group is excellent. We are a team, we fight for each other. I am sure the rewards will come. And you know what, I think it’s a good thing that we can’t be certain to beat Sweden or Belarus, like we did in the past. We now know we have to give everything against so-called smaller nations. Holland used to qualify with ease. That is behind us. I actually think it’s a good thing. Sneijder said recently, “There was a time when we got out of the bus and said to each other: let’s win this 3-0. That time is over.””

Louis van Gaal allowed Strootman his debut four years ago, against Andorra. He got the skippers band at 22 years old. And everyone thought: Strootman will have 50 or 60 caps when he’s 26 years old and will have played three or four big tournaments. The 2018 World Cup will be his first big tournament, should Oranje get there.

Edgar Pitbull Davids

“Well, I was at the EC2012, but I didn’t play a single minute. The World Cup 2014, I watched on TV as a result of my injury. And we missed the last Euros. I really want to experience a World Cup now and play. It’s a huge motivation. I’m 28 years in two years time. It’s about time I start to present myself on that stage.”

Strootman’s massive injury problems started with a game vs France. Did this play in his head? “Well, I did get a slight knee injury in that game and was subbed. But the real injury happened in a game vs Napoli a week later. So, no. It didn’t cross my mind. I now was troubled with a muscle injury, but the knee will always demand attention, for the rest of my career. I need to work through a schedule constantly, but when I do I am free in my head to play the match. And the more I play, the stronger the knee will get. Your whole body, basically. And the more confidence you build.”

Do you experience the game differently now, post injury? Do you look differently at your career? “With regards to the game, no. And it’s not so that I am less serious about my game, or less frustrated from mistakes. I don’t think I’ll look at my career until it’s over. No time to do that now, hahaha. And football life in Italy doesn’t allow it. You need a top mentality in Italy. In Holland, when you’re injured or a sub, you still get guidance and attention from the coach and the club. In Italy, if you don’t play, you need to make sure you stay fit and that the coach keeps seeing you. It’s tough.”

Is Kevin Strootman the leader of this new Oranje? He shuffles on his seat uncomfortably. “I am one of the players. I’m not bigger or better or more important. I’m a player in service of the artists. I won’t dribble past 5 players to hit the ball in the top corner. Sadly. My qualities are to keep the balance. Fill the gaps. I will lead by example, not with words. I will fight and battle and go into challenges with all I have. I want to win. That is deeply engrained in me.”

But, there is a chance that in a year or so you are the first captain of Oranje? That surely is an honour?

“But do you know what that means? That Arjen is still not fit. That Wesley isn’t available. That is not something that would make me happy at all! It wouldn’t be good for Oranje, nor for me. No no, please let me be the third skipper for a while, behind these two. All good!”

October 8, 2016 by Jan

Oranje does the job: 4-1 vs Belarus

It was a must win game, said Danny Blind. And he was able to find and fuel the spark in the starting eleven as the Oranje lions started with focus and determination against a tight and compact Belarus. Not to be underestimated. Their youth representative teams did well in the past years, and Belarus does not lose games easily. But the signs were clear in the first stage of the game, with some solid attacking flank play on the right (Karsdorp and Promes), some first time passing and some good centre striker play from Janssen, who was close to a goal already early in the game.

It fell to much criticised Promes to break the resistance of the White Russians. Blind kept faith in the Spartak Moscow star and said he sees him play weekly as one of the best players. “He will show his class in Oranje, I am sure”, Blind said. And how he did. A Man of the Match performance for Promes, who with his quick feet scored the first one, nutmegging not one, not two but three defenders: 1-o in the 14th minute. Holland dominate play in the first half hour, with more than 70% possession and good movement. In the 23rd minute, Oranje should have been up 2-0, when Van Dijk guided in a Sneijder free kick in an on-side position. Two other Oranje players showed up in front of the goalie in off side positions, one might argue, and maybe this is why the linesman decided to rule Van Dijk’s goal out, but in my view, again, we were robbed. Sneijder look leggy in the match and it was no surprise that the young legs on the right offered up most threat to Belarus, who saw Janssen in typical striker style turn and shoot in one move, without any backswing, but the ball was too close to the goalie.

On the half hour mark, Oranje got what it deserved when Promes came in from the left, on the edge of the box, to take a dropping ball from a corner kick on the volley. A confident player does this and Promes made his own luck, as the ball got deflected and went into the goal out of reach of the keeper’s outstretched arms.

Holland was coasting, it seemed, and dropped the pace a bit which allowed Belarus to get back into it. The Belarus team has the ability to counter with some good runners up front, able to pick the moment. Whenever Karsdorp would push up it was Bruma’s role to cover the space and in the last 15 minutes before the break, he lost his man a couple of time, allowing Belarus the opportunity to score a goal. Or two.

Holland reached the break without conceding, and returned sans Sneijder who was left in the dressing room with a hamstring problem (indirect result of the thigh injury of last weekend, no doubt). I think he overstretched late in the first half when sliding for a loose ball. Davey Propper was Sneijder’s replacement and Klaassen went to play in the Sneijder role, with Wijnaldum moving into the Klaassen role. But before the players could settle, it was 2-1. Sloppy defending by Bruma again and a late reaction to the situation by Daley Blind allowed Rios to tap in the ball. Stekelenburg hadn’t been called to action, really, up until that moment and the Everton goalie could only watch the ball go into the net.

Confidence might have been rattled, one would think, but instead of Belarus pushing on, it was Oranje taking charge, under the leadership of Strootman in midfield and the excellent off the ball movement by Janssen, Klaassen and Promes who were always available for the out ball. A horrific defending error by the Belarus centre back got Oranje back into the game. Promes kept harassing the player, who couldn’t get the ball out of his feet. Janssen on the turn took the shot on and hit the post. A very attentative Klaassen still had some work to do to guide the ball – coming straight at him – into the net: 3-1.

This seemed to break Belarus who never looked likely to get back into the game. By then, the threat was dealt with and it was simply a matter of will-we-score-again and who-will-it-be? Janssen was very keen to get his goal, while Wijnaldum was making more moves into the box. Promes was on a hattrick, so you couldn’t blame him for trying. But – as one might expect from a good striker – it was Janssen who’d clinch the best goal of the night. Another error at the back, Janssen – not the quickest – took the ball and sprinted away from the slipping defender. One look up and he was only going to do one thing: with his gifted left, he guided the ball high and composed into the top corner. Janssen looked relieved after not scoring yet in the EPL but this game will show the Spurs fans what a prospect he is: 4-1.

Oranje professionally played the game out, but had chances to score at least two more, with Wijnaldum hitting the post (and a great opportunity in the rebound to pass into Janssen) and some good interplay between Karsdorp, Promes and Janssen in the box, trying to set up Wijnaldum yet again. Take the disallowed Van Dijk goal and Oranje could have won this 7-1.

All in all: a bright performance, Promes finally showing his class, Janssen a hand full, an assured performance by Karsdorp and solid performances by a not 100% fit Strootman and Wijnaldum.

The only real question mark for me is Bruma, who has his ups and downs and sometimes seems to fall asleep. With De Vrij back and Vlaar hopefully fit soon, Blind will have more options at the back.

Rick Karsdorp was on Cloud 9: “I think I had a good debut. We played well and I think I did ok. It is no use to play great at your debut but lose the game. So I’m happy. The win was important, and I think I played my part. It is a dream come true to play for Oranje at my home ground. I was 9 years old when I started to play for Feyenoord and now this… It really means something to me…”

For the France game, Danny Blind won’t be able to use Wesley Sneijder. The Gala playmaker will stay with the group and there is a small chance he will get fit, but Danny has called on Tony Vilhena to join the squad for the France game.

Sneijder: “It is the same muscle as the one I had trouble with last week. It’s always a risk to play after a problem like this. And it was when I had to make a sliding. It’s a good thing we were 2-0 up. We couldn’t take chances. It will be hard to reach France, we only have 3 days or so, but we’ll see….”

It seems Stekelenburg will defend our goal vs France as well. Blind: “With the goalies, there is so little difference. It’s just details. I just feel Stekelenburg is making a slightly better impression. Hard to explain. It’s a gut feel. Zoet hasn’t failed me, at all, but I will go with Maarten. It’s a tough decision to make, but that is part of the job.”

Blind also hinted at playing with five at the back versus France, which had an impressive comeback vs Bulgaria.

Danny Blind after the Belarus game: “I am pleased with the result and I think we’ve seen some very good things. But for at least 15 minutes in the game, we were sloppy. We got away with it, but against France, that will be lethal. We need to work on that. But overall happy with the performance.”

September 22, 2016 by Jan

Prelim Schrelim Oranje Squad. The point being…?

Our heroes: invisible Michael van Praag (left), ~~new leader~~ leader-in-waiting Gijs de Jong (second from right), visionary Johan Lokhorst (right)

Now here is one of those mysteries in football for you. The Preliminary squad. Where did that come from?

Who started this? And when? And why? There is no rule, Fifa or Uefa, obliging federations to publish these… But it suddenly appeared. And when it did, suddenly the media made it headline news. There are press conferences. Press releases. Twitter debates, forum discussions… For what purpose?

It is not so, that once a prelim squad is announced, the coach HAS TO pick the definitive squad from the prelim. We saw in the past that when a player got injured and had to leave the definitive squad, the coach simply picked a player who wasn’t even in the prelim squad. Bypassing other players on that same position who were!

Coach Blind can pick players for the definitive squad from anywhere, as long as they’re Dutch. I have as much chance as being selected as Leroy Fer. Vurnon Anita might be dropped from the prelim and if Strootman gets injured (God help us), Fer could suddenly make his way into the squad.

Danny, on the bench alone….

What nonsense is this? Who is helped with this? The players? The KNVB could easily let them know via the clubs. Why this media humbug?

It just adds to more confusion, once Blind decides to pick Memphis thanks to his glorious performance in the League Cup.

Just another example of KNVB madness. The chair of the board resigned last week. The guy, successful CEO of a gingerbread company, was ridiculed week in week out. When Hiddink was sacked and Blind took over, he held a press conference. The question put to him was: “What need to happen now, what strategic vision do you have to bring Oranje back to the top?”. His answer, after some nervous fiddling and shuffeling on his chair: “Now, we need to do everything we can to win every game we play!”. Great vision. Great strategy. Great leadership.

De Vrij is back!

He allowed Van Oostveen to mess things up, he allowed the board to appoint the number 2 at KNVB to be promoted as general manager, without any accountable due process in the selection. The clubs, the media, everyone has a gut full. The full board is expected to clear out. And the clubs have vetoed the appointment of Gijs de Jong as the new general manager.

Gijs de Jong

The Ship of Fools is without a skipper. Unless you think Hans van Breukelen is able to steer the boat?

No management and no board means Blind cannot appoint new assistant coaches. With Marco van Basten on collision course with the KNVB about his exit, it seems San Marco will be asked to clear out asap and Blind will have to go the next games alone. What a mess!

Daryl Janmaat is two weeks out with a shoulder injury. The Watford wingback played the full 90 minutes against Sweden, but on October 7, vs Russia and October 10 vs France (for real!), Danny Blind will most likely use either Kenny Tete (sub at Ajax) or Rick Karsdorp on the right full back spot.

Janmaat tackled by Martial’s head

Some positive news then: 90 year old Kees Rijvers, the legendary forward of NAC, Feyenoord, St Etienne and Oranje fame released his book “Prof” (English: “Pro”) this week. This must be a good read. The little wizard coached FC Twente and PSV to success in the 1970s and was Oranje’s coach in the famous 2-3 win in Ireland, when one Marco van Basten and one Ruud Gullit came on at half time to turn the 2-0 scoreline into a 2-3 win.

For the youngsters under us: here is a highlights clip of that game:

September 17, 2016 by Jan

Dutch resilience with Feyenoord and Ajax victories

Note: I don’t get to post pictures like this often, ok? Please let me enjoy this 🙂

Have we turned a corner? Even slightly? After a dreary period of Dutch club football (and a shorter dry spell for the NT) both Oranje and Dutch club football seems to be making their way up again.

Overall, Ajax missed a huge opportunity vs Rostov to get back into CL football. A couple of reasons: 1) signing Peter Bosz as head coach, 2) being too frugal with funds.

Bosz is known to be a head strong football idealist, who was signed by Ajax for that reason: strong philosophy, able to build attacking teams. On the downside: he needs time and he will not budge to change his ways just for the result.

Vs Rostov, he gambled and lost. Not just the game, he lost 15 mio euros for the club and lots of prestige.

As a result, the fans demanded something. And they got what they wanted (and Bosz didn’t need): Hakim Ziyech.

With the Moroccan playmaker, Ajax will have a chance in the Eredivisie to get back on top but lots of work needs to be done to make Ajax great again. They have the Academy, they have Bosz and they have funds. So it is doable.

PSV led the way last season with their tremendous displays and results in Europe. The knock out game vs Atletico last season could have been won. They got so close.

In this CL group fixture vs the Leticos, PSV deserved more. Again, the home team fought with spirit and conviction. At no stage in the game did they look overwhelmed, even with the bright start by the visitors. The disallowed goal was a disgrace. De Jong’s goal was legit and PSV should have been up. You could even debate that Atkinson should have disallowed the Atletico after the clash of heads with Propper. Some PSV players clearly got distracted, but then again…play the whistle… The first push in the box on Narsingh should have been a penalty too. This probably prompted Atkinson to be lenient when Narsingh stumbled later. Penalties unfairly rewarded have a higher percentage chance of being missed, is my theory. Players subconsciously know the pen was unjust and goalies muster extra motivation to undo the injustice. I might be wrong.

But fact is, PSV has a dreadful record re: penalties. Luuk de Jong has his qualities, but taking spot kicks is not one of them. This time around, Davey Propper was the designated shooter. But he was being treated on the side line for his head wound and when he wanted to come on to take the penalty, he was denied by the ref. Mexican midfield motor Guardado stepped up and followed his captain in failing to convert. Mediocre penalty (height!), good save.

Ajax did the business away in the Greek Hell. A tough place to go to, although the Ajax with Litmanen did great business there in the 90s. Ajax fought back after conceding and Riedewald ended up being the match winner after Klaassen fudged his penalty as well.

AZ disappointed vs Irish battlers Dundalk. An unnecessary draw. AZ is currently the freshest team to watch in Holland. Free flowing football, by players with a constant smile on their faces. They enjoy themselves on the pitch and the duo of Wuytens and Vlaar give this team backbone. I rate John van de Brom as a coach and I’m sure they’ll fight themselves back into it, even though this is a tough group and the 2 points lost vs weak Dundalk could well be the points AZ will come short to stay in Europe past the group stages.

The biggest challenge was for Feyenoord. The group with Fener and ManU looks pretty tough and I’m sure Gio would have made his calculations based on two defeats vs the Red Devils. I’m sure Feyenoord would have considered a draw at home a good result. In a disappointing set up in the De Kuip stadium (only 31,000 fans vs 46,000) and big nets around the pitch and blacked out stands close to the field, Feyenoord expected a strong ManU, but after 10 mins everyone watching the game could see Man United wasn’t able or willing to force the issue.

Everyone at Feyenoord showed up on the night. And the 31,000 demonstrated that they could compensate for the missing fans easily, continuously supporting the team and chanting their battle hymns. Feyenoord has made “You’ll never Walk Alone” theirs in Holland, in the past decades and the Man U fans were a bit rattled hearing it, as it obviously also is the trademark tune for arch rival Liverpool.

Dirk Kuyt being the man with the hattrick vs United from his Liverpool days was the least impressive man on the pitch. The years are showing. He wasn’t instrumental throughout the game, but for some solid hard work. His passing was off, his ball handling off pace, but all in all the whole team did well. The defensive four were excellent even. Botteghin looked like he could be yellow carded three times in this game, as he started clumsy, but he set the tone for a strong performance by the team. With Karsdorp and Van der Heijden using their physical strength and Kongolo powerful with his runs (forward and back). El Ahmadi was the boss in midfield. Constantly nipping at Pogba – in particular – and in possession making the right choices. Vilhena was lively and Berghuis had his moments, particularly in the first half, with Rojo becoming more and more erratic.

The win was flattering for Feyenoord who only had a couple of distant shots and a flubbed chance for Toornstra created by Kongolo. The goal – nicely put away by Vilhena – came from an off side situation. Man U on the other end, only had one real chance and Martial picked the wrong corner for his attempt, missing the target.

A good start for Feyenoord, and with Fener drawing vs the “other club”, Feyenoord looks solid in this group, for now. PSV here we come!

A quick word on Memphis. I think he played well. He started with some intensity and desire. Passed forward all the time. Went straight into space to make himself available again. Played with composure and confidence and in the way he talks with/to Zlatan and Pogba on the pitch and off, it seems he’s settled.

Yes, he tried to do too much. Free kick overhit, volley hit in the stands, some more attempts to score. But…that is what you get if the coach doesn’t use rotation and then puts players like Memphis in the team with the message “this is when you show me what you have”, while lacking rhythm. It’s a given that a player like Memphis will not pass the ball when he has a shooting opportunity. Hitting it in the top corner is the message Mourinho can’t ignore.

This Man U performance is on Mourinho. Not on Schneiderlin, Rashford or Memphis. Give a player 30 minutes to “prove himself”, what can you expect?

Mourinho needs to create a system with a preferred line up and players in the squad who know whose understudy they are. Clarity. Now, Pogba is trying to do everything (running with the ball, dribbling, shooting) whereas he needs to pass and go, pass and go. He feels he came to Man United to be Messi. Also, Mourinho shouldn’t play two central holding mids. Against Feyenoord? Really? He probably doesn’t need two of these guys ever. Rashford was isolated and their never was a flow in midfield because somehow Schneiderlin and Herrera was set up to cover Dirk Kuyt (37 years old).

If Man U plays weak vs Watford, I’m sure the pens will be sharpened yet again.

As for the Feyenoord Stadium. Yes. It always was the home of Oranje. The reasons: capacity, super pitch and atmosphere.

This is one of the few perfect pitches in Europe, 100% made of real grass. No synthetic stuff. The Feyenoord groundsmen win award after award internationally and we lost some in the past to the likes of Arsenal and Barca.

The reason why the KNVB doesn’t use De Kuip anymore is money, basically. This stadium is merely that: a stadium. Hardly and sponsor homes, meeting rooms, presentation rooms, no museum, no shops, no commerce going on bar the Feyenoord restaurant. There are urinals from the 1930s and the safety / security infrastructure is obsolete.

The Ajax Arena is a terrible place to play football if it’s not at full capacity. The pitch is horrific. They change pitches more than I change underwear! But, they have a parking garage, an Ajax museum, shops, many restaurants, talking toilets, elevators, escalators, sliding doors…

The everlasting debate in Rotterdam is: 1) do we upgrade De Kuip or build a new one, 2) who will pay for it, 3) where do we want it.

Still no answers.

The Feyenoord die-hards (fans, sponsors, ex-players) want De Kuip to stay where it is and to have it renovated. The project development sharks and the local government want a new site for Feyenoord and a completely new stadium.

Traditions vs Commerce. I wonder what will come out on top?

September 4, 2016September 6, 2016 by Jan

Swedish Smorgasbord for Oranje? – Update

Today is the Day. First WC qualification game for Oranje.

Based on the game vs Greece and the training (and talk) sessions of last week, we can expect some changes.

Not confirmed, but according to the AD (official partner of KNVB), Blind will use a defensive heart of Bruma and Van Dijk (who’ll have to deal with the lone striker Sweden will deploy). Daryl Janmaat is now match fit and will take the right full back position – as predicted – and Jetro Willems will lose his spot to Daley Blind.

Blind will most likely play more as a midfielder, with Klaassen coming into the team to strengthen midfield and add legs and penetration, allowing Sneijder in a more protected play-maker role.

Danny Blind: “We need to play more compact. Keep the lines more tight. We did well before the Euros in our friendlies, but we didn’t manage to do so vs Greece.”

Wesley Sneijder (hitting the balls in the goal at practice from every single angle), with a cheeky grin: “Tonight is a night for Big Boys. Let’s see how many Big Boys we have in our squad…”

With all the drama we had to endure in the last months (Hiddink gone, no Euro qualifications, Robben still injured, assistant coaches resigning, Hans van Breukelen axing Jorritsma’s tenure), the loss to the Greeks in a friendly seems just another little annoyance.

We started well. Janssen impressed again. Sneijder looks superfit. Stekelenburg and even Vorm are back in good form and Strootman is back (with Robben not far away).

But individual mistakes (and some unfortunate substitutions) helped Greece to the victory.

Mistakes that we’ll need to iron out of the team. And fast!

I’m sure Danny Blind has a way to go, still, in finding the right line up for Oranje. Janmaat disappeared from the squad a tad, Willems is not at his usual best. Promes hasn’t set Oranje on fire yet and it is not yet clear who should be partnered up with Daley at the back.

But, his options are limited. Ron Vlaar is out for Sweden (injury) so it will be between Van Dijk and Bruma now. Van Aanholt is a good sub for Willems, but like Willems, the Sunderland man is vulnerable in defensive terms.

Veltman doesn’t cut it as right back for me, but somehow Janmaat doesn’t have the coaches’ confidence.

Zoet has been impressive for PSV but didn’t look solid in those two Greek goal situations.

Work to be done.

It also has to be said: we didn’t have a lot of luck. The two Janssen attempts deserved better, Sneijder had a solid crack and when Zoet boxed the ball away for the second Greek goal, the scorer was quite fortunate that the ball came straight at him. If that ball was pushed one yard either way, the guy wouldn’t have scored.

For me, in the state we’re in, 4-3-3 should not be sacred. We lack physical presence at the back. Defensive killer mentality paired with length and speed…it seems only Ron Vlaar brings that to the team. Van Dijk, Bruma, Veltman, Kongolo, Riedewald…it all seems to timid still. Hopefully De Vrij will get back into the team soon.

Our two top class players are Sneijder and Strootman, for now. These two should play in the axes of the team. A diamond in midfield for me. With Klaassen on the left, Wijnaldum on the right, for instance. Sneijder in the #10 role, and Strootman sitting deep in front of the defence. I’d use Janssen and Berghuis upfront, with Robben replacing Berghuis asap!

Should Depay or Elia get back into contention, we’ll see how we can utilise them.

I’d also go for Van Dijk over Bruma, personally, and I’d use Willems on the left and Janmaat on the right. Although Willems needs a stern talking to by Blind, as he was not really tracking back when the Greek broke for the second goal.

In the meantime, rumours are rife re: Blind’s new assistants.

I think it is key for the KNVB to add some warmth and grit to the bench. Blind is a good analyst of the game and a good communicator, but not really warm and passionate. Someone like Henk ten Cate or Ruud Gullit would complement him on the bench.

Aad de Mos (ex Ajax, PSV, KV Mechelen) and Willem van Hanegem (ex Feyenoord, FC Utrecht, assistant Oranje)

In Holland, a sort of lobby has started to get Aad de Mos and Willem van Hanegem to join the coaching staff, potentially with a fourth assistant, someone like Fons Groenendijk. The latter has done exceptionally well with Excelsior and used to be in the Ajax youth academy after his playing career (Ajax, Manchester City). Aad de Mos will bring grit and venom (and tactical smarts) while no one works better one on one with players than Willem van Hanegem.

If Van Breukelen is smart, he’ll drop his idea to replace Hans Jorritsma. The players wrote a collective urgent letter to him, asking him with force to reconsider that move. Sneijder in particular is very close to Jorritsma and everything De Breuk does now, should be in service of the First Team.

The pressure is on though, and Blind will realise that a loss vs Sweden will put him under a lot of pressure. As the KNVB will have to replace the two assistant coaches, they might well decide to let Blind go as well. At this stage, it would be hard for any inexperienced coach to keep his head clear and the KNVB might be forced to go to the aforementioned Aad de Mos or Co Adriaanse to rejuvenate the team.

The power brokers from left: outgoing Van Oostveen, Michael van Praag (ex Ajax chair but sadly invisible at KNVB), unkown and new general manager Gijs de Jong (no reason to smile, but probably happy to be promoted)

Despite this pressure, the players are quite stoic. Kevin Strootman simply believes that we shouldn’t get to worked up about results in friendlies. “We need to do the business on Tuesday. We shouldn’t be too focused on a loss or a win in a friendly. When we need to do the business, we will, I’m certain. And don’t forget, it we would have beaten Greece, everyone would have said “yeah nice guys, but don’t forget: we need to win next week!”. We conceded two goals and that was too easy. But it’s not the fault of this player or that player. It’s a team failure. We lost too many duels at one stage. We need to act better as a team. We did ok in the friendlies before the Euros. And we didn’t give away too much. Even against Greece, we only gave them two chances, but they did score in both situations. But hey, Greece at home… we should have won that game of course…”

Wijnaldum: “Whether we lose 1-2 vs Greece or win 5-0… Our plan for Sweden remains the same. The Greek game could have been 3-2 if Janssen had been a tad more lucky. We are focusing too much on the end result. My coach at Liverpool always says: The best players aren’t key to winning and even the best team is not key to a win. What is key is the best game plan. I don’t think we’ll have more pressure due to this loss. The pressure is on due to us not going to the Euros. We know this and we can handle it. Portugal won the Euros. Were they the best? Not really, but they worked as a team, gave it their all. Leicester in the EPL. And even Oranje at the WC2014. That is what we need to focus on, instead of the fact some players are injured or we seem to have a weaker generation. Klopp always says: “99% is simply not enough. You have to give 100% or go home.”