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Afellay: what a week

March 29th, 2007 | By: Jan | 9 Comments »

After the Slovenia match there were the compliments and the handshake from Van Basten. Immediately after that, KNVB boss Kesler was ready to hand-over the traditional hare-clip for the Oranje newcomer.

A nice ending for a special week for the PSV youngster. The only dark moment was the little injury he got in the last minutes of the match against the Slovenians. But then again, it also showed us a priceless moment. AC Milan star Clarence Seedorf applauded the talented midfielder from Eindhoven when he subbed for Afellay.

It does mean the game against NAC Breda this weekend will be a question mark for Afellay, but that couldn’t take anything away from the satisfaction he had after his first international game for the Dutch. Although it was his debut match, he played like a veteran. Always in command, playing with gusto and bravado. Individual tricks, smart passing, playing relaxed but also gutsy enough to take risks.

Afellay: “I wasn’t more nervous than in other situations. Once I’m on the pitch, it’s gone. Of course, we were under pressure. The match against Rumania was a disappointed and the media was circling around, but I just close myself of from that. I felt we would win and that we would play acceptable football. What more can you ask?”

His debut was preceded by a long history. Will he or won’t he? He was forced to chose for Morocco or for Holland. It took Afellay months to decide. “It didn’t cross my mind when I listened to the anthem. I made the choice and that’s that. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s over with.”

For many, the starting position of Afellay was a surprise. He kept comeback kid Clarence Seedorf (three CL winners’ medals in his pocket) on the bench. The 20-year old was less overwhelmed himself. “I must admit that I felt it coming. Monday in Noordwijk already. Hard to say why, but that’s just a gut feel.”

In the first ten days with Oranje, Afellay learned and listened. “The level of the training sessions was higher than at PSV, which is logical I guess. But I didn’t suffer too much. I got the confirmation I could tag along.”

After the training sessions, however, Afellay learned most. Like a sponge he hang on to the stories of the big boys. “Apart from my actual debut, I highly enjoyed listening to the experienced players. All those stories you know… Clarence, Khalid, Edwin van der Sar…all of them really. That was awesome. We talked football, but also other stuff. About all the decisions you take in your life. For me, it was totally unforgettable. An incredible week.”

Tags: Ibrahim Afellay, marco van basten, The Netherlands

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Comments

By Misha | April 2nd, 2007 at 12:08 pm

Just been catching up on the post Slovenia talk. Baffles me that some Oranje fans seem to be under the impression that a lose to Slovenia would have equaled a change in management resulting in the release of Marco prior to the completion of the Euro tournament. I don’t get that impression at all. Think were stuck with him until we fail on the big stage in front of the whole world, once again. I really think that as well as Affellay may have played it is a disgusting, stupid, and classless move on Marco’s part to continually insult his “veteran” players. By showing no confidence in them and throwing in any new kid he can find in the AZ roster. Its like saying “well I know what you can do, and I think so little of it that I will take a chance on any flavor of the week player”, rather than give the team a chance to develop chemistry with an established line-up comprised of a core of players that play more than one game at a time together. Does anyone remember how Oranje worked before Marco? There would be a couple of surprise starters now and again, but for the most part any one of us could have named the starting line-up prior to any game! Anyone who knows Dutch football could usually pick 7-8 of the starters correctly. Try that now! Who could predict the line-up against Romania? How many players have changed in one week to form the line-up we saw against Slovenia? Does anyone see the problem? how can the players develop chemistry and play better as a team with each other? Look at Portugal, Germany, France, etc. We could pick at least 7 of the starters for any of their games consistently. But not with genius Van Bastens team. You need a crystal ball and a strong knowledge of voodoo just to keep up with his selections. You know he keeps changing things cause nothing is working! But how can anything improve when 5 out of 11 starters are constantly changing? Now what sense does it make to sit Seedorf, VDVaart, Sneijder, Maduro, etc? And play a kid that Has no international experience, no chemistry playing with the other members of the team and no champion league experience to speak of? Not to mention that by putting him in instead of the players that you have a history with you are basically slapping them in the face in front of the entire football world. IE, Kuyt, Seedorf, Huntelaar, etc. These are the tactics of a confused and hopeless manager! we are doomed. Marco just does not know how to manage a team.

By goose | April 2nd, 2007 at 1:35 pm

@misha: well, the dismissal of vanBasten was prob. just wishful thinking…i know how it will unfold, just like the way you say, at the EC with the whole world watching..
like always i totally agree..the fact that after more than 2 years vanBasten is still not able to play certain team for a few times in a row means he still hasnt got a clou in what the best team actually is….for more than twon years now there has been no progress shown…it actually gets worse everytime (altough Slov. game wasnt that bad)..still not sure if we all arent just to optimistic when it comes to the talent and how good we think this team is or should be… i mean, im always comparing with 1998 or 2000…i know we dont have the talent like we had then but are we really this bad???
Really hope KNVB will learn their lesson but mark my words..next bondscoach for Oranje: Ronald Koeman..another 1988 guy who really never learned the trade of being a coach/manager
i remember when Co Adriaans said that a good footballer doenst nescessery (?) make a good manager…he was almost killed by an angry mob!! He was so very right!!

MARCO BASTA!!!

Posted from Netherlands

By Misha | April 2nd, 2007 at 1:57 pm

@ goose, I always totally agree with you, we are playing out a demonstration of total embarrassment. So several things come to mind. 1 Is the problem with the management of KNVB and their selection process for coach? The coach has to be a good coach first no matter if he was a super star player or not. Good coaches develop talent and build chemistry, a la, Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson, or Frank Rikjard. 2 Don’t know about being optimistic with regards to our talent pool. Still think we have enough world class strikers, mid-fielders, and defenders to rival any 11 another nation can field. Just need a sensible system and good coaching, also may be smart to select the best players available to Oranje. Make them secure with their role and their spot on the team and play them together as much as possible so that they develop a good re pore and understanding of each other. And then go and win some tournaments. 3 Is it true that Marco is maybe racist towards Suriname Dutch? I have heard this allot in Holland and if that is the case then why would anyone have given him this position of power?

By goose | April 2nd, 2007 at 2:10 pm

@Misha: really?? never heard anything like that (well remember when he just came to power and broke up ‘de kabel’the surinam players who won the Camp.Legeua in ‘95 with Ajax (Bogarde, Reiziger, Seedorf, Davids, Kluivert) there was some critism form the surinam community) but dont think vanBasten is a racist..

i think the KNVB tought that to be manager of Oranje its enough just to have played in Oranje and at the top level as a player…now; im sure its a benifit but surely theres more to it…vanBasten has proven that, Rijkaard has proven that at Sparta and at the EC 2000, its just not enough to have seen it all as a player and now were doomed….it will take some time after vanBasten is gone to make it more positive….btw: just realised we havent got a real game with Oranje till September!!! F#cking long wait

Posted from Netherlands

By goose | April 2nd, 2007 at 2:13 pm

Btw: its sad but theres a difference between the talent we have and the talent vanBasten can use due to his poor people-managent, thats another of the main problems

Posted from Netherlands

By Bruce | April 2nd, 2007 at 3:40 pm

@MISHA:

While I wholeheartedly agree with you on the bizarre selections of vB, although, I think his lineup against Slovenia (for the most part) was quite solid.

The key is maintaining a mix of core, veteren players with new and emerging talent, and Ibrihim Affelay is definately one of those players (and doesn’t play for AZ, but PSV). He didn’t play Maduro or VdVrt because they were injured, and Sneijder did play.

Guys like Affelay, de Zeeuw, Emanuelsson, and Schaars need to play because they are the future of Dutch football! However, guys like Landzaat, for example, have been around long enough and failed enough to be completely written off, yet he still gets the starts. Like you said, very unpredictable on behalf of vB!!

Just a thought though… do you think if Davids, Bommel, and Ruud were actually OK with vB that they would get a spot on the roster? I’d still prefer Kuijt to Ruud and Sneijder to Bommel anyday… Just throwing that out there…

Posted from Canada

By ferenc | April 2nd, 2007 at 6:45 pm

@goose: i agree with you expect one: frank rijkaard. for me his oranje played really beautiful (dominant,attractive,etc) football., but the shoot-out was bad. oranje-italy was really special,very very sad result… but frank de boer and kluivert penalties weren’t rijkaard’s mistake. and he has proved since that he’s a great tactician and people-manager as well. anyway,i’m not too objective with him: in his generation he was my favourite player,now he’s the coach of my favourite club:-)

Posted from Hungary

By goose | April 3rd, 2007 at 6:28 am

1. dont think it was Jan…remember that it was vanBasten who told press he wanted a different ‘face’ for the team and he was the one who said that Seedorf, Kluivert, Davids were old and were just big names from the past, i mean Hiddink had the thing with Davids in 96 but he still selected him and they made up after Davids scored the winner against Yougoslavia in WC 98, Seedorf and Kluivert were always in Oranje when Hiddink was manager
2. Dont think we have much racists here in Holland in general and im sure vanBasten isnt one of those very few dumb people
3. Maybe, but still the KNVB has the last word on the subject, they made their choice to ask Cruyff as an adviseur
4. Thats maybe the case in the vanNistelrooy saga but cerntainly not what happened with vanBommel who (lets say it for the 100 th time, haha) never had a real change of proving himself

@ferenc; know you are a Rijkaard fan…im not so sure myself…we had a great team in 2000, we played at home…we were very lucky the first game, had an easy game against the Yougo’s a game without meaning against France (with that great freekick from F.deBoer) and then the first real game against italY it was all lost..true we missed 2 penaltykicks in one game but was never really impressed with Oranje that EC…still think those 88 boys have it all too easy…(Jan whats the english saying for: in een gespreid bedje komen??)

grtz

Posted from Netherlands

By goose | April 3rd, 2007 at 7:49 am

@Jan, actually i have no real recollection of the Italia game..think i must have blocked it from my memories…

i just remember leaving the house where i was watching before the penalty-shootout, remeber walking to the trainstation and suddenly hearing swearing, seeing doors swing open and people trowing out all the orange they could find…it was no surprise for me but still was very depressed about it…yet again a change to win something was missed

Posted from Netherlands

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