Ruud: France is world class!

Ruud van Nistelrooy again will have a key role for the Dutch. Against Italy he was like a ghost striker. He’d move around all the time, leaving Materazzi guessing what his next move would be. He hopes to do it again against Gallas and Thuram: scaring the opponent, scoring, making space for team mates.

Is this your new role?

“The match demanded it. I wanted to show that I can play “in the ball” as we say. Making a lot of noise, keeping the opponent busy and creating space. And you saw it, Wes and Raf were on fire!”

Not everyone recognized your value, but the BBC did and so did Van Hanegem.

“It’s typically something players will see. The central defenders were lost. I could almost stroll away from them. That third opportunity should have been a goal, really. And then there was the one where I could have gone down.”

Why didn’t you?

“Because I honestly thought I could score. I was a tad sooner at the ball than Buffon, so….”

So it wasn’t good sportmanship?

“Hmm…I heard that later on. Fair play. No, it didn’t cross my mind. I did think later that I built up some credit with the ref. You know, good karma? And later on he saw it sharp when Panucci was behind the line, so….”

What, apart from the result, is top of mind for you about the Italy match?

“The intensity of how we played. We played as on a roll. We didn’t feel tired, we kept on pushing them.”

How do you start in a match like that?

“When we kicked off, Wes, Raf and I talked a bit and said: let’s put the pressure on right away. And do we did. After 35 minutes I called out to tone it down a bit. Both of them said no! We’ll keep on going. And we did. We became indestructible.”

How do you rate France?

“I saw the France - Romania fixture. It wasn’t high standard, but it was tight. The French use this defensive block that is very strong. Very experienced and physically strong bunch.”

How would you play France?

“Like we did Italy. Same concept. But, they are a warned team. Italy thought we were vulnerable. The French will know better. Let’s watch these boys, you know? But, they will have to come, although I can’t see them pressure us back. And they are World Class, we need to be very careful.”

But Oranje gets the respect now.

“We shouldn’t overestimate ourselves. Let’s face it, we played one, only one, good match. And the loser that night, Italy, isn’t out of the tournament yet.”

Do you think Holland could fall back to the level of, say, Albania?

“No no… This team has grown, no doubt about it. And you can and may expect a lot from us. I have never played in Oranje with any team at this level. The unity and team spirit is tremendous! And that’s all apart from the results. That feeling has always been there and now it’s paying dividends.”

How did that happen?

“No idea. I think it just happened. We grew towards each other. Wes and Raf were mates already. Wes and Arjen became close in Madrid. Sar and I know eachother. There’s the HSV connection. There’s a lot of good dynamics.”

Does it help that some players aren’t here?

“No, I didn’t have problems with anyone. Not that I am huge mates with them all, but that isn’t necessary either. It just clicks.”

You did have problems with Van Basten. did he change?

“That issue is behind us now. Marco is more relaxed. He is still intense and focused but also more confident. In terms of discipline, it’s similar, but we play a bit more loose. We don’t focus on what we’re not that good at. We used to talk a lot about “build up”. He stopped nagging about it and suddenly the players stepped up to the plate.”

What can we expect against France?

“Well, the Italy game was good. That is a level we can reach. We should stop thinking about Italy and try to reach that level against France.”