Having lost 1-0 to Spain in the final of the last Fifa World Cup in 2010, The Netherlands should again be confident of reaching the latter stages.
However, the absence of AS Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman with a serious knee injury and the imminent threat of coach Louis van Gaal being poached by English Premier League giants Manchester United, have thrown the Dutch into disarray.
Van Gaal rated Strootman as his team’s best player in qualifying and one of his three certainties for the World Cup alongside Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben.
Quite why Wesley Sneijder doesn’t feature prominently in Van Gaal’s plans anymore is uncertain, but with Strootman out and Holland’s only other midfield options being Jordy Clasie and Leroy Fer, Van Gaal may have no choice but to bring the Galatasaray star in from the cold.
Such a compromise would be unusual for Van Gaal, however. The 62-year-old sticks rigidly to a 4-3-3 attacking formation regardless of his opponent and plays with one defensive midfielder, two central playmakers, one striker and two wingers.
Rather than accommodating individuals, he applies profiles to a set plan. That Sneijder is apparently out of that plan is telling and mirrors previous bust-ups Van Gaal has had with big names such as Rivaldo and Franck Ribery at Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively.
It’s more likely Van Gaal, a champion of youth who is famous for winning the Uefa Champions League with Ajax in 1995 using mostly academy players, will opt for players of a more impressionable age instead. This will heave pressure on Robben and Van Persie.
As recent World Cup finalists, the Netherlands collapsed under the weight of expectation at Euro 2012 by failing to get out of their group. They should go further than that this summer but, with so many distractions, it may be only by one more game.
Netherlands
Group B
Fifa ranking: 15
Top man
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Arjen Robben |
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Coach
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Louis van Gaal |
Best 11 (4-3-3)
Jasper Cillessen; Daley Blind, Ron Vlaar, Bruno Martins Indi, Daryl Janmaat; Rafael van der Vaart, Nigel de Jong, Jordy Clasie; Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen (Ajax Amsterdam), Tim Krul (Newcastle United), Michel Vorm (Swansea City)
Defenders: Daley Blind (Ajax Amsterdam), Stefan de Vrij, Daryl Janmaat, Terence Kongolo, Bruno Martins Indi (all Feyenoord Rotterdam), Paul Verhaegh (FC Augsburg), Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa), Joel Veltman (Ajax Amsterdam)
Midfielders: Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord Rotterdam), Jonathan de Guzman (Swansea City), Nigel de Jong (AC Milan), Leroy Fer (Norwich City), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven)
Forwards: Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04), Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce), Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kiev), Robin van Persie (Man United)
Group opponents
Qualifying campaign
Topped Uefa Group D with 29 points, nine ahead of their nearest rivals Romania, after collecting nine wins and a draw from their ten matches.
World Cup history
First tournament: 1934 (Italy)
Appearances (before 2014): 9
Best finish: Runners-up (1974, 78, 2010)
Pros
- The Netherlands will be fired up for revenge against opening opponents Spain, who they lost to in the final of the last World Cup.
- Van Gaal has capped 25 new players in his 19 games in charge, merging promising youth with proven experience.
- Holland scored 34 goals in qualifying — a total only bettered in Europe by Germany (36).
Cons
- Midfielder Kevin Strootman’s absence through injury is a major setback for the Dutch as Van Gaal had rated him as their best player in qualifying.
- Ongoing speculation linking Van Gaal with the vacant Manchester United job can’t be good for the team’s concentration and morale.
- Van Gaal has been critical of experienced playmaker Wesley Sneijder, so even if he travels he may not be first choice.
