Wout Brama shaking on the phone with Van Marwijk

Finnster, that’s just too obviously Freudian.

Posted from  Netherlands

I’ve learned to live with the idea of him being able to play only 60% of the time.

Posted from  Netherlands

Well susanne, Freudian or not, at least I haven’t started dreaming about Robben. Hopefully it stays that way

Im hoping for this line-up

————-Steks————
V.d.Wiel–Ooijer–Mathijsen–Braafheid
——De Jong —–Affelay——-
Kuyt———Sneijder——-V.d.Vaart (Elia)
———–Van Persie————

I dont like Ooijer, we all can agree to that.. But I dont think there isnt anyone else at the moment.
Heitinga hasnt played as CB since joining Everton,
Boulahrouz is not consistent
Loovens seems to have disappeared
Vlaar too soon??

Kuyt provides a good physical aspect to maintain the balance in the team going forward. I think he plays a very important role for Oranje as right attacking midfielder.

Sneijder and V.d.Vaart play together first half like in 2008, like against croatia early 2008 (3-0)

Elia comes on for V.d.Vaart in the second half and outrun all the tired old legs in Italy

I really want to see Affelay as holding midfielder. Rutten seems very impressed. I havent managed to see him play there. Since van Bommel looks tired, I say give Affelay a chance!

Prediction 2-0 for Oranje

Who ever said I was pessimistic ?

Posted from  Norway

Well, Heitinga comes closest right now. I believe Ooijer isn’t even in the current selection due to injurie, so he’ll have to play Boulah or Heitinga…or V.Bommel?, that would be a surprise

Posted from  Netherlands

Actually I’ll dream of Van Marwijk realizing that Gio can still be effective mentally in the dressing room even if he is not starting anymore.
I think its still camoranesi who Gio will be up against. So hopefully no big deal.
On the other end, I think it would be a great learning experience for Braafheid.

thats the Italy squad by the way:

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Marchetti (Cagliari)
Defenders: Bocchetti (Genoa), Cannavaro (Juventus), Cassani (Palermo), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Genoa), Grosso (Juventus), Legrottaglie (Juventus), Maggio (Napoli), Zambrotta (Milan)
Midfielders: Biondini (Cagliari), Camoranesi (Juventus), Candreva (Livorno), De Rossi (Roma), Galloppa (Parma), Marchionni (Fiorentina), Palombo (Sampdoria), Pirlo (Milan)
Forwards: Di Natale (Udinese), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Palladino (Genoa), Pazzini (Sampdoria), Rossi (Villarreal)

Di Natale is very dangerous. I dont know who else really is though..

Posted from  Norway

Actually V.Bommel would be a very pleasant surprise.

C’mon Bert, for once, take a chance.

Posted from  Norway

It would be god to see how many of us can think like BVM – even for friendlies how many of us can think like he does? Here is how I think the starting line up will look like provided Ooier is fit.
Steks
vd Wiel Ooier(Heitinga) Mathijsen Gio
Bommel de Jong
Kuyt Sneider Elia
vP

He can make 6 changes – my guess if it just means replacements and not tactics/injuries
Affelay, Hunter,vdV,Braafheid,Boulah,Brama,Vorm

Come on guys here’s your chance to play BVM

Posted from  Singapore

We are getting a delayed telecast in Singapore , so I wont be logging in during the match. All the WC qualifiers are “live”

Posted from  Singapore

Why isn’t Gattuso playing?

Is he injured?

I don´t know all those newcomers for Italy but it seems to me that they are lacking some quality there. I think that Holland has a much better team and we certainly can beat them again. I want to see some changes and trials by van Marwijk!!!

Italy 0
Holland 3

guys, I just read on “tutto sport” an italian website, that AC Milan is interested in Georginio Wijnaldum, I have not heard about this young guy before! I Just looked him up, seems like an interesting player but how come Milan is interested, is he playing very well?

alaa, many people rate wijnaldum as the best talent we have and a future superstar

I hope klaas jan huntelaar starts and scores because I remember his goal glutt in spain began right after scoring for us and gaining confidense

Guys some of the new italian players are good.We dont know how good they are.So it is difficult to predict a result.The young italians will try to prove their worth in the team.anyway this is friendly match and orange never take it serious and i think it is going to be draw.(Friendly means draw).Beacuse we are friends..
@carlos bro what you said about BVM is right,i am damn sure he will play with your eleven.But we dont have to think like BVM.This man is going to cost us a Worldcup.100%sure.
So think and act like kaiser,cryuff,upcoming winner dunga….

Posted from  India

Actually just found the answer to my own question. Gattuso is indeed injured.

i don’t expect victory,it will be a draw,1-1 or 2-2. anyway it’s a pointless friendly,players are bored to play this kind of game,tehy don’t want to be injured etc. young italian players are not as bas as some of us suggest. be catious – last year we won against them 3-0. but it was a different team: they have no lippi (who’s still one of the best coaches of the world),they don’t have toni and some players of the old guard anymore,they have some talented young players. the 3-0 is history, i seriously think this italian team is far better than last year.
(i certainly will watch france-ireland or bosnia-portugal)

Posted from  Hungary

my lineup for tomorrow:
stekelenburg
van der wiel,heitinga,matthijsen,gio
de jong,van bommel
kuyt,sneijder,elija
van persie

Posted from  Hungary

Tiju: bvm won’t cost us the world cup. if we don’t win it,it won’t be his mistake. he’s a very good coach. not a genious like michels but apart from lippi, hiddink and capello no genious coach won’t go to the world cup. dunga is not a genious. he’s good but not better than bert. johan cruijff is a genious,but his health is good enough for coaching catalunya during one friendly per year but definitely isn’t good enough for coaching national teams at world cups.

Posted from  Hungary

Alaa, there’s many articles on the blog on Wijnaldum. Check the search option in the upper right corner or go to the archive of past articles.

hmmmmmm…my buddy Ferenc and I think like BVM . ?????

Posted from  Singapore

Ferenc buddy you are realistic..My intusion is saying that dunga will lift the cup.He is master in tactics and he has some world class players in his hand.Only spain can stop him from that.
if we loose in 2010WC that would be because of BVM.coz role of coach is very very important in winning.so why we blame vanbasten for 2006WC mistake?ditto goes with BVM.
We will see a difference between lippi and donadoni in this friendly.
An 80% cryuff is enough to win the title for us.

Posted from  India

@Mario, in regards to Italy being a good test (your words: “Against Italy and Paraguay we will have a better sight of what expects Oranje in the World Cup”).

I would have preferred a team with a more effective attack than Italy if you really want to know where we stand. All we’ll find out now is whether we still have the creativity up front to brake open tight defences. I don’t expect Italy to come at us the way Spain, Brazil, Argentina or even Portugal would come at us. Those would have been better sparring partners for our defense.

We can still get our asses kicked by them though, cause vdSar won’t be there to safe us like in 2008 on multiple occasions. So in those regards it’s an interesting test how Stekel will do and if Kuyt starts will he hamper our creativity or speed up front to make it easier for the Italians to defend. Without Robben I’m expecting Kuyt to start on the rightwing again.

Posted from  Netherlands

@Rami: Watch out for Gilardino as well. I believe he will be in the starting eleven ahead of Di Natale because he’s been very efficient for Italy lately (scored a hattrick in 12 minutes when Italy was trailing 2-0 against Cyprus in their last qualifying match, winning the game for Italy).

Posted from  Netherlands

Carlos,buddy,i tried to be realist and think like bvm

@Tiju: being realistic,if we won’t win the cl it will mean that there are better teams. actually i think spain (the big-big favourite with fantastic players,barca-style gameplay and a very good coach) and brasil are better. we are good enough for being in the final four and with good luck might win it.

Posted from  Hungary

@Sol:

I understand your point about you expose and sure it would be an even better test to play against offensive teams like Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Ivory Coast or Portugal. That will give Bert van Marwijk and us the sight of how the defense can cope with those kind of attacks. Anyway, Italy and Paraguay will be tough rivals and although it´s only a friendly many players want to “earn” their positions for the World Cup so don´t expect the players taking a break because from now on the team managers will be very strict in terms of who´s playing at an excellent or good level and who´s not and that can be decisive at the time that they will have to turn in their 23 players lists. Players like Babel, Van der Vaart and Huntelaar have to take advantage of these games to get more minutes and show everybody else that they are fit and still capable of playing the football who all know they can display but at their clubs simply they are not receiving the opportunities to do so or the system their clubs use do not help them to play at their best.

Folks, I do expect Oranje to play at a good level and it´s no excuse that it´s a friendly because everybody who has play football knows that friendly games do not exist. I´d rather call them preparation games and it´s obvious that the players will be more cautious because nobody wants to get injured and return injured to the club that pays you your huge salary but when there is a tournament such a World Cup very near, then the players will have that in mind because none of them will want to miss that stage.