Super goal Jan Molby finally available

Seeing Braafheid play, unlike what a lot of people/fans instantly seem to agree of(classic German behaviour, letting others think for you and copy that, see WWII, well that might go too far), is that there’s hardly anything wrong about his play, often it’s even a very entertaining and creative way of defending, in the good sense. I can’t see what al the criticism is about, should a left-back behave like a left winger, i’d hope not cause if he did you’d conceede a lot of goals, see Marcelo. A first requirement is and always will be, that a LB can defend, and if possible, might be helpful in attack. Since Bayern hardly run smoothly, what can they expect of him, risky and attacking or simple play? Besides, Robben, Ribéry and Schweinsteiger aren’t exactly generous players, frankly ,if you give them the ball as a LB and stay out of it they’d be happiest of all. Someone said he was an expensive replacement, well, if anything he was very cheap, only cost them around 2 million. Attackingly he isn’t very productive yet, but I get the feeling that because he’s Dutch, like V.Gaal, opinions about him are critical, negative and harsh more quickly than if he were German.
Anyway, there might be some unfair preconceptions in this, but I just don’t care anymore.

Posted from  Netherlands

^I’m with Alex on this one. I completely agree about Braafheid!

Why all this interest in Bayern all of a sudden? Except for Louis and the Dutch players playing there, I could not care less about Bayern. I always despized that club… being the main rival of Ajax in the 70s. What is sad however is that we don’t have a single Dutch contender in the CL. This is extremely worrisome and I hope the KNVB is as concerned as we all are about this sad state of affairs.

Posted from  United States

@Jeff: totally agree with you. i don’t give a sh** to bayern,not at all interested in what happen to them. last bayern gam i saw was against barca – and obviously i didn’t watch this game for seeing bayern
@Tiju: when i wrote that i didn’t want to see any more dutch players at bayern i suggested that even 3 are too much in a german team. honestly i prefered robben,brafheid and van bommel playing for ex. at fc lyon instead of bayern (lyon is a far better team). so,the last thing i want is to sea urby,affelay and van der wiel playing in germany. i accept that eeredivisie is not fantastic but don’t rate the bundesliga too high. same level as the portuguese liga.

Posted from  Hungary

Goose:

I support your opinion on van Gaal. Sure he had talented players but most of them he scouted them and guided them from the youth ranks of Ajax to being champions of Europe. Kluivert, Seedorf, Davids, Reiziger and many other players were great because of van Gaal. He trusted them and most of the players of Ajax 1995 had wonderful careers and some are still active like Seedorf and van der Sar. Some people do not give van Gaal credit because he is stubborn and many other things but as a coach he has been much much better than Rijkaard and other Dutch coaches…Gee, comparing van Gaal to Rijkaard is like comparing Bergkamp with van der Meyde. Van Gaal has achieved important things in most of the teams he has coached. Rijkaard had a great year with Barca with a Ronaldinho playing the best games of his career, something Rijkaard was not responsible for. Of course van Gaal is bad tempered but in a business like any other some managers are like that and at the end you are judged by your results and in those terms van Gaal has been a succesful manager.

I don´t care how well it goes for him at Bayern. The last great success for Dutch soccer was in 1995 because nowadays it seems almost impossible for a Dutch team to lift the Champions League again. He did with a team made at home and then the Bosman rule came and everything change but that team was the last great Dutch team that was the base of Oranje 1998 and 2000…the last great Oranje because since that we have been very far to peak at that level. I am hopeful that in South Africa Oranje can play at a level like in 1998 and if they do Holland can aspire to win the WC. But being sincere, that team had superior players in most areas of the pitch. But van Gaal doesn´t deserve the credit because he is an asshole???. Let´s be objective: Hiddink has enjoyed successs being the underdog. He coaches teams that are not obligated to win a tournament. And without that pressure he has managed his teams to get to semifinals, but apart from that he hasn´t won anything bigger that his Champions League with PSV in 1988…Ah, and in 2002 he was with S. Korea, a team that was HELPED in all games of that Cup. Something embarrasing for football history. For me van Gaal is much better than Hiddink. He doesn´t have Hiddink charisma but if van Gaal had coached Holland in WC 1998 he would have won it without any doubts. That team was almost his Ajax. In 2002 like Goose suggests, the players thought they were legends and thought that without playing the World Cup “deserved” them. And sudddenly they were out and van Gaal was crucified by some people who wanted him and still want him to fail.

Like I say, if van Gaal failes at Bayern I won´t change my mind: he is one of the best coaches of Holland and he was the last Dutch coach that won something really important. Can van Marwijk win something better than Louis in South Africa 2010???.

hey guys, i respect your opinions on the bayern situation.

But i just have to go back one last time to braafeid. The first time I saw him was a game against Scotland I think? He played really well. Especially defensively. but every game so far in the bundesliga he has really struggled. I kinda feel bad for him. Every team has been picking his flank to attack down (leave lahm with nothing to do) and braafheid has really struggled to deal with it – its like the coaches of the other teams have said to their players, this guys rubbish, play the ball down the right hand side every time – and its worked!
The other thing thats happening week in week out is that teams are giving braafheid all the room in the world, allowing him to do a lot of build up play (like russia did with boulahrouz) and he just hasnt delivered anything there yet…

As a huge Dutch football supporter I really want this Dutch management of van gaal and his number two to succeed. It just hard to support them at this time since they’ve been playing so frustratingly bad and showing no real enthusiasm to even try and improve.

Posted from  Australia

And i think everyone knows what Bayern’s management is like, if you’re not through to the knock out stage of the champions league and winter break champion. The coach is out – no matter who he is.

Posted from  Australia

Babel just scored a cracker of a goal for Liverpool

sneijder has played pretty well today

he set up a great chance for eto’o with a through ball and then later set up the tying goal

also his set pieces have been pretty good

and he has probably just scored the game winning goal!

babels goal was so so good, then his next two attempts were so so poor. Also missed that opportunity to head the ball away before lyon scored (the goal wasnt his fault but he couldve done more to have prevented it)

gah, youre so frustrating ryan.

Posted from  New Zealand

sniejder:):):)

finnally an orange makes us smile!

@alaa

robin van persie and eljero elia have been making me smile all season

sneijder… so happy for that guy.

Posted from  New Zealand

There we go…Wesley!!!

Sneijder goal and assist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCWt7GRucCY

Posted from  United States

1 assist and 1 goal. wow he just saved inter!!!.

Mario pal you ask “Can van Marwijk win something better than Louis in South Africa ?” He already has – he qualified !!! Unbeaten !! Maximum points ! All 3 better than Louis.

Posted from  Singapore

Dutch teams in the last few few years are getting humiliated in CL, it is better not play in champions league anymore, we dont like to see representitives of dutch soccer getting humiliated like AZ did today.

Carlos:

I am not talking just about Oranje. I´m talking about their whole careers. Of course van Gaal failed at the National Team but as a coach van Marwijk just won the Uefa Cup. A very good achievment but a Champions League is much tougher tournament as we all know and in terms of titles van Gaal clearly outplays van Marwijk. But all that will be surpassed by BVM if he manages Holland to win the World Cup…Hell, he would even beat Michels.

9 games without a goal or an assist for Dirk Kuyt

i think we should start Eljero Elia in the next friendlies to remotivate him.

AZ is seriously in trouble. If Louis was there, they would have done a bit better but the situation at the club is bad. That does have effect on the team and their games. It’s sad, really….

alaa one of the problems is we are too proud in our attacking play

when you go to the emirates 10 men behind the ball. frustrate them, play like fulham but with more skill and we would be more succesfull

Mario: frank’s squad at barca wasn’t stronger than luis’squad,frank won a cl with them,luis didn’t. oranje played beautyful football with frank (and lost in the semi by penalties…),luis failed to qualify oranje for the wc. agree that the players thought that they would automatically qualify – but who’s the responsible for their mental fitness,psychological preparation etc?
one more thing: bvm’s uefa cup winner squad was far inferior to luis’ajax.

Posted from  Hungary

Personally think Braafheid can make it. He’s young and needs the pressure and pleasure of playing at Bayern. Like Hunter its a great test for him. Let him fail a few times, he learns that way. Right now still my choice above Drenthe but Urby getting close to top spot (only not sure now if he’s a left back?)

Posted from  Singapore

i have exactly the same dilemma with urby: is he a real left back? i’m not sure.

Posted from  Hungary