Overmars on wingers and referees

Dutch fourth most capped international (84 matches) Marc Overmars (ex-Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona) is particularly interested in the performances of Robben and van Persie. The new referee rules will be in their advantage, so claims the little mercury like ex-winger. Year after year, the creative ones were butchered. Every passing shuffle or take was a risky adventure. Now, FIFA decided in their wisdom that the creative striker should be treated as an endangered species. The butcher is there for almost extinct.

The red card for a tackle from begin or fauling a player who’s through has made the game more attractive, and gave offensive football a huge impuls.
Oranje is happy with this situation. The goal Robben scored last Sunday would not have been scored 15 years ago. The S&M defender would have tackled Robben from behind and had accepted his yellow card with a smirk.
Marc Overmars: “You could almost see that defender think: I’ll pull his jersey, but he knew, if I do that, I’ll be send off.”
Overmars quit playing professional football after the EC 2004 in Portugal, plagued by a tough knee-injury. “When I broke out in my time, I knew a defender would have a go at me. If I crossed past a player, they would trip me. For sure. Now, you defenders think, and hesitate.

Van Persie and Robben (both 22 years old) are too young to remember legendary defenders like Gentile, Goicoechea or Tarantini. But they do feel that they are protected better than ever. “I noticed it in the preparation matches already,” van Persie said, “the refs are on top of things.”
Oranje will benefit from this trend, thinks Overmars. He is particularly interested in the performances of both wingers. “Of course I check them out. They both function pretty well and have an extreme high technical level of play. Those two make Oranje special, I think the team will depend heavily on their antics. They also have this drive to show the world how good they are. And that helps. Look at the S&M match, one gave the assist, the other scored. Talking about value…”