Oranje headed for the Alps

Boulah at Sevilla

Today, most Oranje players start with their preparation for the EC in Switzerland and Austria.

Around lunchtime, the players will come in at Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk. THe Madrid players will arrive later in the week, and so will Edwin van der Sar (CL finals) and Vennegoor of Hesselink (Scottish competition).

Van Basten will hold a press conference Tuesday evening. He will inform the press about the Clarence Seedorf situation and will also explain why Emanuelson, Maduro, Koevermans and Jaliens were sent home. Khalid Boulahrouz however is given a second chance. The Sevilla defender is at long last recovered from injury. Van Basten wants to determine whether Boulah is fit enough to play on the EC.

Coming Saturday, Oranje will play a friendly in De Kuip against the Ukraine. Four days later he will send the definitive list of 20 field players and three goalies to the UEFA. Van Basten needs to send two more field players and one keeper home.

Van der Sar and Stekelenburg can be assured to come to the tournament. The keeper decision will be between Timmer (Feyenoord) and Boschker (FC Twente).

On Thursday May 29 Oranje will play a friendly against Denmark in Eindhoven. The last friendly will be against Wales on Sunday June 1 in De Kuip again. Two days later, the Dutch selection will travel to Switzerland, where world champs Italy will be the first opponent for the European title.

The support staff of Oranje consists of 23 men/women. A support of one-on-one, you could say. Among them of course the technical staff (Van Basten, Van’t Schip, Witschge and Hesp), two chefs, four physios, two masseurs, three material men, press officers, security people and admin staff from Zeist. Among them Kees Jansma, the press chef, and Hans Jorritsma, the coordinator.

The most surprising name in the current group is of course Boulahrouz’. The cannibal who became a ghost, according to the Correo de Andalucia, the biggest paper of Sevilla. But Marco van Basten hadn’t forgotten about the impressive center back.

Last Sunday, Sevilla played it’s last game. Boulah was fit and part of the group but didn’t get to play. No one in the Pizjuan stadium was looking out to bid him farewell. The running gag in Sevilla is: “Boulah isn’t here and we don’t expect him either.”

Sevilla rents the defender for 750.000 euro per season from Chelsea (who paid 10 Mio euros after the WC2006). The Spanish side will not use the option to buy.

“I feel 100% fit and ready to play. I feel great now that complicated injury is behind me. It was never clear how long the recovery would take.” Boulah spend two months in Amsterdam to work with Oranje physio Leo Echteld. Something the Spanish club didn’t like too much.

Sevilla’s club doctor Munoz didn’t trust it and went to Amsterdam to check on Boulah. The rumor was that the former RKC-defender didn’t like it in Sevilla was “skipping class” so to speak. The player complained about pain, but the medicals at Sevilla were never able to find anything.

When he got fit, the Sevilla manager didn’t bother to use him, like Mourinho ignored Boulahrouz after he injured his shoulder at Chelsea. Since the WC 2006 it has gone south for the robust defender. His start at Chelsea was impressive but since January 2007 Boulah omly played four matches for The Blues, two with Oranje and ten with Sevilla.