Comments on: Van Basten: Change our playing style… http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html World Cup 2010 - South Africa, Oranje, Nederlands Elftal, Eredivisie, Marco van Basten, Dutch football, The Netherlands Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:22:49 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: dirk v.d berg http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-116992 dirk v.d berg Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:28:18 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-116992 Has anyone else noticed that both Norway, and Macedonia are in our U-21 squad's qualification. I say we call up De Haan, even as just back-up coach for those two games. Maybe call up Drenthe too, whose already scored against both those teams. Has anyone else noticed that both Norway, and Macedonia are in our U-21 squad’s qualification. I say we call up De Haan, even as just back-up coach for those two games. Maybe call up Drenthe too, whose already scored against both those teams.

]]> By: Jan http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115872 Jan Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:42:37 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115872 True Finn, but we should also instill them with some venom, some character. Some players you mentioned had it, but Robben, Babel and some others may not have enough. One of the main problems in Holland with the youth teams is that the Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV and Sparta youth teams win their games easily. There is not enough pressure on these talents. And then when they play in the big teams, they are suddenly faced with not so much better, but more motivated players. And the likes of Van der Vaart, Robben, Van Persie will really have to work on that aspect to make it big. It seems Van Persie and Vaart did. I'm still not sure on Robben, though... True Finn, but we should also instill them with some venom, some character. Some players you mentioned had it, but Robben, Babel and some others may not have enough.

One of the main problems in Holland with the youth teams is that the Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV and Sparta youth teams win their games easily. There is not enough pressure on these talents. And then when they play in the big teams, they are suddenly faced with not so much better, but more motivated players. And the likes of Van der Vaart, Robben, Van Persie will really have to work on that aspect to make it big. It seems Van Persie and Vaart did. I’m still not sure on Robben, though…

]]> By: Finnster01 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115839 Finnster01 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:28:31 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115839 BTW, Rosenborg only finsihed fifth in the Norway league this year (which is bizarre by the way...). And yes, they got whopped by Chelsea in CL today, but beat Valencia twice (home & away) and drew away to Chelsea, so I think it is fair to say these guys are quite legit and as Dirk points out Iversen is a piece of work. Scored a hat-trick in the last NT qualifier away to Malta (no big deal, but a hat-trick none the less). He also scored two goals against Valencia in CL which are hard to beat at home. However, being in-form right now does not give us any favours in the future. It is a little early. I look forward to EC08 and as usual I will be rooting for the Netherlands as I always thought you play the most exciting football (perhaps with the exception of the 1986 WC Denmark team) Anyway, have always been a fan of Cruif,ruud krol, rijkard, surely van basten, gullit etc. Not so if sure they were great managers in hindsight, inluding marco(especially pissing off van nistleroy), but they sure could play football in their prime time and put a smile on the face of a little boy in Norway. I wish we had just a fraction of those guys in our own team today...Today, I like your young players like Van Persie, Babel, and Robben etc. You always seems to have an amazing way of developing talent in the Netherlands, other countries should try to copy that. Har to argue with the results... BTW, Rosenborg only finsihed fifth in the Norway league this year (which is bizarre by the way…). And yes, they got whopped by Chelsea in CL today, but beat Valencia twice (home & away) and drew away to Chelsea, so I think it is fair to say these guys are quite legit and as Dirk points out Iversen is a piece of work. Scored a hat-trick in the last NT qualifier away to Malta (no big deal, but a hat-trick none the less). He also scored two goals against Valencia in CL which are hard to beat at home.

However, being in-form right now does not give us any favours in the future. It is a little early. I look forward to EC08 and as usual I will be rooting for the Netherlands as I always thought you play the most exciting football (perhaps with the exception of the 1986 WC Denmark team) Anyway, have always been a fan of Cruif,ruud krol, rijkard, surely van basten, gullit etc. Not so if sure they were great managers in hindsight, inluding marco(especially pissing off van nistleroy), but they sure could play football in their prime time and put a smile on the face of a little boy in Norway. I wish we had just a fraction of those guys in our own team today…Today, I like your young players like Van Persie, Babel, and Robben etc. You always seems to have an amazing way of developing talent in the Netherlands, other countries should try to copy that. Har to argue with the results…

]]> By: dirk v.d berg http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115661 dirk v.d berg Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:12:10 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115661 Iversen was playing amazingly against Chelsea, and was executing a lot of back-heel passes, and mid air passes. He seems to have great control, and an okay shot. He'll be someone that our defenders will have to control. Iversen was playing amazingly against Chelsea, and was executing a lot of back-heel passes, and mid air passes. He seems to have great control, and an okay shot. He’ll be someone that our defenders will have to control.

]]> By: Jan http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115431 Jan Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:54:17 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115431 Thanks Finn, that's great. I think it will be very interesting to get some insights from the Norwegian side of things. I myself have a lot of respect for Norwegian football. I remember Holland played Norway a couple of times in earlier qualifications (90s??) and I remember how tough it was against them. And Norway doesn't need star players to be tough to play against, because the physical strength and tactical discipline in itself make them hard to play. I also remember Feyenoord playing Rosenborg for the CL some seasons back and people really thought (in Holland) that we would beat them. I think Rosenborg got on top of Feyenoord all the times they played. So, no free lunches against the Norsemen... Thanks Finn, that’s great. I think it will be very interesting to get some insights from the Norwegian side of things. I myself have a lot of respect for Norwegian football. I remember Holland played Norway a couple of times in earlier qualifications (90s??) and I remember how tough it was against them. And Norway doesn’t need star players to be tough to play against, because the physical strength and tactical discipline in itself make them hard to play. I also remember Feyenoord playing Rosenborg for the CL some seasons back and people really thought (in Holland) that we would beat them. I think Rosenborg got on top of Feyenoord all the times they played. So, no free lunches against the Norsemen…

]]> By: Finnster01 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115235 Finnster01 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:16:21 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115235 For the record, just wanted to commend Jan and the rest of you regulars for creating an excellent forum here. I just discovered it a coupld of days ago. Although I live in New York, I am soccer crazy and a native Norwegian and follow very closely what the papers are saying in Norway. In fact, will keep this site updated with views from that side of the coin so you can get that perspective as well. The initial view is mixed feelings. The draw could have been both worse or better. They view the group from a "difficult" perspective as about average. There are worse groups, and there are easier ones. Having said that, the consensus amongst the players and the head coach is that the Netherlands are obviously favoured to win the group, and the battle for second will be between Norway & Scotland. However, there are already some hints that they think the Netherlands will underestimate the opposition, which they think Norway can take advantage of. Iceland is a dark horse and will take points from several teams, and so will Macedonia at home (play with a lot of heart and with some tough players. Could get pretty ugly down there) I think in this day and age, that the "underestimate" angle is a bit naive and certainly a team like the Netherlands with world class quality professionals will not fall into that trap. But I will say that Norway is certainly on the up, and were extremely unlucky not to qualify for EC08 (two very costly goalkeeper blunders against Turkey). Anyway, as more interesting news develop over there, I will keep the forum posted. I wish the Netherlands all the best of luck, although I am obviously a little biased and want to see Norway make it through also. For the record, just wanted to commend Jan and the rest of you regulars for creating an excellent forum here. I just discovered it a coupld of days ago. Although I live in New York, I am soccer crazy and a native Norwegian and follow very closely what the papers are saying in Norway. In fact, will keep this site updated with views from that side of the coin so you can get that perspective as well.

The initial view is mixed feelings. The draw could have been both worse or better. They view the group from a “difficult” perspective as about average. There are worse groups, and there are easier ones. Having said that, the consensus amongst the players and the head coach is that the Netherlands are obviously favoured to win the group, and the battle for second will be between Norway & Scotland. However, there are already some hints that they think the Netherlands will underestimate the opposition, which they think Norway can take advantage of. Iceland is a dark horse and will take points from several teams, and so will Macedonia at home (play with a lot of heart and with some tough players. Could get pretty ugly down there)

I think in this day and age, that the “underestimate” angle is a bit naive and certainly a team like the Netherlands with world class quality professionals will not fall into that trap. But I will say that Norway is certainly on the up, and were extremely unlucky not to qualify for EC08 (two very costly goalkeeper blunders against Turkey).

Anyway, as more interesting news develop over there, I will keep the forum posted. I wish the Netherlands all the best of luck, although I am obviously a little biased and want to see Norway make it through also.

]]> By: Finnster01 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115221 Finnster01 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:43:39 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115221 Dirk, I think you should actually try to line up Finland and/or Sweden because you are playing two Scandinavian teams (Iceland & Norway) and they all play very similar style. Sweden is of course a quality team but Finland is on the way up and nearly qualified for the EC08. However they all have the same characteristics as each other. Denmark on the other hand actually play a different style, so it would be no use to play them in a friendly Anyway, I think it has been a while since Holland played a typical Scandinavian team and they do play a very different style than what you have had to deal with when qualifying for EC08. Norway & Iceland both play direct over the middle, plays the quick counterattack, and try to create unbalance on the attack. They both have huge tall men upfront for set pieces etc (Norway has Carew & Iversen, Iceland has Gudjunsson). Normally the Netherlands should take care of business but I think a friendly or two against someone like Sweden or Finland would not hurt at all. Dirk,
I think you should actually try to line up Finland and/or Sweden because you are playing two Scandinavian teams (Iceland & Norway) and they all play very similar style. Sweden is of course a quality team but Finland is on the way up and nearly qualified for the EC08. However they all have the same characteristics as each other. Denmark on the other hand actually play a different style, so it would be no use to play them in a friendly

Anyway, I think it has been a while since Holland played a typical Scandinavian team and they do play a very different style than what you have had to deal with when qualifying for EC08. Norway & Iceland both play direct over the middle, plays the quick counterattack, and try to create unbalance on the attack. They both have huge tall men upfront for set pieces etc (Norway has Carew & Iversen, Iceland has Gudjunsson). Normally the Netherlands should take care of business but I think a friendly or two against someone like Sweden or Finland would not hurt at all.

]]> By: Jan http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115211 Jan Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:33:19 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115211 Thanks Finnster01, that makes sense and clears things up. If I was Marco I'd want to play similar teams to Norway and Scotland: Ireland? Sweden? Denmark? Finland? As for friendlies before the EC, yes...bring on the big guns. Argentina, Brazil, Australia, England... Thanks Finnster01, that makes sense and clears things up.

If I was Marco I’d want to play similar teams to Norway and Scotland: Ireland? Sweden? Denmark? Finland?

As for friendlies before the EC, yes…bring on the big guns. Argentina, Brazil, Australia, England…

]]> By: dirk v.d berg http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115170 dirk v.d berg Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:57:11 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115170 Who do you think the Netherlands should set up friendlies against. I personally think we should get used to playing top teams like Germany, France, etc. Who do you think the Netherlands should set up friendlies against. I personally think we should get used to playing top teams like Germany, France, etc.

]]> By: Finnster01 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html/comment-page-1#comment-115118 Finnster01 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:08:57 +0000 http://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/1/van-basten-change-our-playing-style.html#comment-115118 I've seen on the site that there is some confusion regarding how to determine the ranking of the best runner-ups since there are 8 groups with 6 teams and 1 group (The Netherlands) with 5 teams. In other words, there will be an opportunity for 48 teams to play 2 more games (i.e. 6 more points) than the remaining 5 teams. Let me try to explain how this is cleared up: The rankings of the best 2nd place teams from the 9 groups (after all the games have been played) will be determined by ignoring any points gained from the team that finished 6th. This is because the 5 teams in Holland's group never had a chance to get one of the weakest teams (in Pot 6). This way, it will be pretty fair and there is no advantage of being in a group of 6 from a point perspective. Hope this help I’ve seen on the site that there is some confusion regarding how to determine the ranking of the best runner-ups since there are 8 groups with 6 teams and 1 group (The Netherlands) with 5 teams. In other words, there will be an opportunity for 48 teams to play 2 more games (i.e. 6 more points) than the remaining 5 teams. Let me try to explain how this is cleared up:

The rankings of the best 2nd place teams from the 9 groups (after all the games have been played) will be determined by ignoring any points gained from the team that finished 6th. This is because the 5 teams in Holland’s group never had a chance to get one of the weakest teams (in Pot 6). This way, it will be pretty fair and there is no advantage of being in a group of 6 from a point perspective.

Hope this help

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