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.”
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Ruud’s the man. Solid interview, getting very excited about tonight!!!
Posted from
Australia




i know as a fan its a very nervous moment watching holland vs france
the expectation is high of course and there is a bit of pressure as well. france is different frm italy but they r feeling more pressure than us thy lost points against romania and the team isnt very balanced, big players not being fit and some taleneted ones were diasappointing that day.
so lets attack them. nothing else in our mind lets do it again. i really feel they are scared. lets not be too over cautious and at the same time lets not be too casual. we can win battle at the midfield and ultimately we can win the game.
Ruud, we all know ur ability and we hope u would give us a victory again
Nigel and Orlando shud be very careful at the mid much more than wat they did vs italy.
Gio can have tough time at left but its ur experience that counts
Edwin, as always u r the leader and u know how to lead the team to victory
Posted from
Nepal




It is funny you mention that France is scared right now.
There is a fantastic interview on the BBC with Desailly, he discussed the state of the French team and what he is thinking. He seemed a little uneasy and the commentator asked him if he was scared. He said yes he is. He mentioned how well we played and that our midfielder are superb. I was really taken aback that an ex player would say he was scared of us and where his team was.
I am a little more confident today and ready to get this match kicked off.
I am in the U.S. so I have trouble sleeping before game days. It is 7:30am here and I am wide awake reading about the dutch. We need the 3 points today, I do not want to go into the Romania match needing a result.
Posted from
United States




@ ryan
same story here man, i am in the u.s and the night before the game i can’t sleep, the oranje is on my mind , they don’t leave me for one second!
Posted from
United States




I want to have the Oranje Angel on my mind, but unfortunately I keep thinking Domenech needs a haircut instead…
I think I have serious problems.
Posted from
United States




Hahahaaaaa ![]()
Posted from
Australia


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