Oranje preps for EC Qualification match against Romania

After Oranje’s last game against Hiddink’s Russia the Dutch are preparing for the real deal… the EC Qualification match against Romania on the 24th of March…

Recently the UEFA appointed the experienced Markus Merk as the ref for the match. Last match he reffed for Oranje was the match against Serbia Montenegro on the WC2006 in Germany (Holland won 1-0 thanks to the Robben-goal).

What is Oranje without a good discussion… Demy de Zeeuw, the dynamic allrounder on AZ Alkmaar’s midfield is not amused with Oranje. Recently he was part of the Oranje group and in Dutch footbal-mag VI he expressed his feelings about it. “I didn’t like the vibe at the National Team. I don’t know… I felt I did everything well, I played good, trained good….no signals that I wasn’t good enough from the coach, and when the match was there, I found myself high up in the stands… That didn’t feel right.” He also exclaimed maybe to say no to van Basten if he is selected again. “At this point in time, AZ is much more important to me than Oranje, and much more fun too…”

Louis van Gaal, ex-Oranje team manager and Demy’s coach at AZ, was not amused with his remarks. “I had a good word with him about that interview. That is not a very smart thing to do. He is only starting as a player. If your name is Louis van Gaal, you can say these things. But, I know him well, he must have said these things in complete innocence and now the media crank it up to create a rift…”

Van Basten hasn’t reacted yet. But he did call on De Zeeuw for his provisional group for the Romania game. Together with the hugely talented but van der Vaart-like vulnerable Ibrahim Afellay of PSV. Both players are yet to make their formal debut for Oranje. The other players who San Marco included in the pre-selection are:

Goal: Van der Sar (Manchester Utd), Stekelenburg (Ajax) and Timmer (Feyenoord).

Defense: Boulahrouz (Chelsea), Bouma (Aston Villa), Van Bronckhorst (Barcelona), De Cler, Jaliens and Opdam (AZ Alkmaar), Emanuelson, Heitinga (Ajax), Kromkamp (PSV) and Mathijsen (HSV Hamburg)

Midfield: Afellay (PSV), Van der Vaart, Nigel de Jong (HSV Hamburg), Landzaat (Wigan Athletic), Seedorf (AC Milan), Sneijder (Ajax), Sno (Celtic) and De Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar).

Attack: Babel, Huntelaar (Ajax), Koevermans (AZ Alkmaar), Kuijt (Liverpool), Robben (Chelsea) and Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic).

Robin van Persie (Arsenal) is injured.