Netherlands - Euro 2008 Team Profile

Sean O' Conor reports...

Netherlands Copyright © Soccerphile

Road to Switzerland / Austria

For once, the Dutch did not cake-walk the qualifying. Holland finished second out of seven in Group G behind Romania, having suffered defeats away to the group winners and Belarus. The Oranje did not impress, and were even booed off by their home fans after edging Luxembourg by a single goal.

Analysis

Dutch Van Basten has shown he is his own man, even if it means tinkering with the sacred Ajax-cow of 4-3-3.

The team played a 4-4-2 formation for most of the qualifying campaign, but the coach, in typically Dutch fashion, recently consulted his players, who settled on a 4-2-3-1 shape.

Holland's defenders are less well known than its outfield players, but conceding five goals in 12 qualifiers speaks volumes about their strength at the back.

The Netherlands are still one of the continent's big guns, but were disappointing in the World Cup, and less than stellar in the Euro qualifiers, too. The Dutch people expect their team to play beautifully, but the last two years have seen workmanlike victories and low scoring from the orange shirts. But a recent 3-0 friendly win in Croatia has lowered the pressure that was slowly building on coach Marco Van Basten.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy may not be match-sharp after his ankle operation, but with Ryan Babel, Dirk Kuyt, Jan Vennegor of Hesselink and perhaps Amsterdam ace Klaas-Jan Huntelaar available, the Dutch will not be short of firepower up front. The raw material is there for a successful Euro 2008.

Key player: Joris Mathijsen

Attentions will be focused on the well-known forwards and midfielders, but the Netherlands will not progress with a leaky backline. For this reason, one of the team's unsung heroes, Hamburg defensive anchor Joris Mathijsen, an ever-present in the qualifiers, could hold the key to success or failure. Mathijsen is strong but not quite in the class of Jaap Stam, which makes his performances for his country in Switzerland that bit more crucial.

One to watch: Wesley Sneijder

Holland's traditional strength lies in their fluid, skilful teamwork, and as the least likely team to bypass the midfield, the Dutch will need to find sparks from the centre.

Robin Van Persie and Rafael Van der Vaart will do much of the running, but the stage is there for Real Madrid's Wesley Sneijder to stamp his mark on the tournament. The former Ajax man is blessed with a deftness of vision and can pull the strings, though he can be frustratingly inconsistent or snuffed out by aggressive marking.

Coach

If we can put aside Van Basten's stunning, if brief playing career for a moment, the great striker's coaching record is still up for debate.

Under him, the Netherlands qualified easily for the 2006 World Cup, but exited disappointingly from the tournament at the first knock-out stage.

In Germany, Van Basten's gamble of shedding much of the old guard from his plans seemed to backfire as his young guns lost their touch, as well as their composure, in a bad-tempered 1-0 defeat to Portugal.

Before the tournament, the coach had repeatedly played his get-out-of-jail-free card by defending his squad selection as part of a longer-term plan to win Euro 2008, a card he cannot play this time around.

Van Basten remains a national hero and his legend has thus far inspired loyalty from most of his players, while shielding him from some serious criticism in the press.

That said, the Netherlands have been drawn into the group of death at Euro 2008, and should they fall before reaching the last four, Van Basten's star will surely wane. This is also his last chance to impress before he departs to coach Ajax.

Recent Previous Tournaments

The Dutch's memorable win in 1988 continues to resonate. Twenty years after the belated rewarding of the Netherlands' prowess in world soccer, the hero of the hour, Marco Van Basten, is back.

The author of that phenomenal volley in the final, and indeed too of the almost-as-memorable winner against the hosts West Germany in the semi-final (the first time the Dutch could celebrate since 1945, according to legend), is once more on the trail of the Henri Delaunay trophy, this time as coach of the Netherlands.

Since raising the cup in 1988, the Oranje have found penalty shoot-outs their obstacle in three of their last four European Championships. As co-hosts in 2000, the Dutch looked a safe bet for a second crown, but agonizingly succumbed to Italy on spot-kicks after a semi-final they had dominated.

In Euro 2004, Holland finally laid their hoodoo to rest by beating Sweden from 12 yards in Portugal, but then lost to the hosts in the Estadio Jose Alvalade in the semi-final.

A top-drawer Dutch team lost on penalties to Brazil in the 1998 World Cup semi-final, then failed to make the boat to 2002, before losing to Portugal in the second round of the 2006 tournament.

Soccerphile says .....

There is no hiding place as the Dutch will be tested straight away in must-win games against the two World Cup finalists of 2006 and the team who topped them in qualifying.

The clashes against France and Italy look too close to call, and the Oranje will not relish another game with Romania, who beat them in Bucharest in October. But despite the dangers, I expect Holland to finish second behind Italy, before overcoming the modest challengers from Group D in the quarter-finals.

Van Basten's men have the talent to go all the way, but with their youth still outweighing their experience, and question marks over their playing style, will probably fall one or two games short of their coach's memorable win of 20 years ago.

Euro 2008 Squad

Bet on Euro 2008

Goalkeepers Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord), Edwin Van Der Sar (Manchester United)
Defenders Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Wilfred Bouma (Aston Villa), Tim De Cler (Feyenoord), Johnny Heitinga (Ajax), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Mario Melchiot (Wigan), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord)
Midfielders Orlando Engelaar (Twente), Nigel de Jong (SV Hamburg), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid), Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg), Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar)
Forwards Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic) Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)

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