Koninkrijk der Nederlanden Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond
1889
Coach: Bert van Marwijk.
Confederation: UEFA
FIFA Ranking (Dec 09): 3
Previous Appearances: 8 1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006 Map
The Netherlands v Denmark 14 June; Johannesburg
The Netherlands v Japan 19 June; Durban
The Netherlands v Cameroon 24 June; Cape Town
Coach
Bert van Marwijk
Record
1934, 1938 First Round; 1990, 2006 Second Round, 1994 Quarter-finals; 1998 Semi-finals; 1974, 1978 Runners-up
FIFA Ranking
Background
They have reached the quarter final, the semi final and also the final of the World Cup, but the crown has always eluded their reach. Despite possessing some of the very best players of the world over a period of time the ‘Dutch dream’ has never been fulfilled in their 72 year long world cup history.
the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
There were only five countries in Group 9 unlike six in other groups. The Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Macedonia, and Scotland were the five teams.
The Netherlands were off on the road to qualification with an away match to Macedonia, which they pocketed 2-1. Next in line was Iceland who were disposed off 2-0. Norway too could not put the breaks on the Netherlands and succumbed to a Van Bommel goal. Scotland was crushed 3-0 at home.
Four games, four wins and three clean sheets was the balance sheet at the end of the first part of the qualifiers. The same streak continued, Macedonia going down 4-0, Iceland 2-1 and Norway 2-0. The last fixture was against Scotland which too the Oranje won 1-0. Altogether, the qualifying campaign was an unqualified success with all wins and just a lone goal conceded.
Strengths
The Dutch always had a spear head of two or three strikers, striking terror for the opposing camps. South Africa 2010 is no different. This time around, it is the trio of Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben. Van Persie is technically brilliant, Sneijder has great playmaking abilities and Robben, a master dribbler.
Weaknesses
A brilliant forward line can only be hapless onlookers, if the defence is weak. The present defenders have been under the scanner and cannot be termed as world quality. They have not yet been able to evolve a cohesive unity, so vital in protecting the goal line. Instead of specialists, the Dutch squad has winger turned defenders and midfielder turned defenders. Aging of Andre Ooijer, the experienced centre-back is also an issue.
The Coach
Bert van Marwijk is known to be a quiet and conservative coach and unlikely to toy with the world cup squad. Yet there are talks about bringing back Edwin van der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy from international retirement. Van Marwijk, who took over from Marco van Basten after Euro 2008, has had successes as a club coach, winning several tournaments including UEFA Cup in 2002 and the national Cup in 2008.
Star Men
Robin van Persie (Arsenal);
Robin is one of the most important players of Arsenal, the premier English club. He has the uncanny ability to take complete control of the ball with his first touch. He plays as a striker for Arsenal and would prefer to play in the same position for the national team too instead of as a winger.
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich);
One of the most sought after players in contemporary football, he is fast paced and possesses magical dribbling skills. Robben can pierce any defence on his day and cause severe problems for the opponents as a winger. But he gets injured too frequently throwing the team plan into disarray.
Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan);
A midfielder with a very dangerous long range shot in his armoury, Sneijder often surprises the opposing goalkeeper with the bolt from the blue. Very positive in his approach on the field, he always presses to take the game forward.
Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool);
The Liverpool striker is an incredible goal scorer and netted quite a few vital goals during the qualifiers. With the ability to score from any angle, Kuyt along with Robin Van Persie, will have significant role during the World Cup.
Best Footballing Moment
If winning a tournament is the best moment, then it is the European Championship victory of 1988. However in the 1974 final of the World cup, the Dutch team led West Germany -0 after only two minutes and that could be termed the best moment.
World Cup Objective
Ambition will be for the crown, but the realistic objective will be semi-finals.
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