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So, Comrade Hiddinski… we meet again!

June 18th, 2008 | By: Jan | 41 Comments »

So what is that with Golden Guus Geluk Hiddink?

Is he a phenomenon? A brilliant tactician? A super motivator?

He is smart. That’s what he is. He will always work for the underdog. I don’t think we’ll ever see him move to Chelsea or manage the English national team. Because there’s room for failure and ridicule. You can only lose! Ask Avram Grant.

No, Guus seeks out underperforming, under-developed nations. With players and football associations who are hungry, talented and have some dough to spend. Not that Guus is expensive, per se, but because Guus wants to organize and facilitate things for the team in such a manner that 1) everyone is comfortable and can focus on the performance and 2) Guus can attract a strong team of support-staff and 3) Guus immediately becomes a popular “can-do” guy in the eyes of the players.

Guus is smart. With South Korea, he had the cultural advantage of a servile people who’d follow Guus where ever he’d go (turned out to be the semi finals!). The Australian sports mentality was another bonus for Guus when he managed the Socceroos. Plus, every one could see Aussie football is on the rise and with Emerton, Viduko, Kewell and Neill you do have some power in the team. And the Russians? Well, they ooze talent (as we all know from the Lobanowski days) and they sweat money these days. Football is fashion in Moscow and Guus was smart enough to enlist Igor Korneev – the former Barcelona and Feyenoord playmaker – as his assistant. Korneev – working as youth coach at Feyenoord – is Hiddink’s loyal assistant, cultural advisor and translator.

So Guus tells everyone: “The EC is too early for us, we’ll focus on the WC2010.” Setting expectations, that’s called. And from that underdog position, he creates the circumstances for his team – keeping them out of the wind – to perform well. With gusto, bravado and fun as important terms in his vocabulary. I don’t think Hiddink is a masterful tactician. In Zeist, they even thought he was lazy.

But he picks his employers shrewdly, is master motivator/communicator and oozes confidence.

The talented Russian players will do the rest.

I’d rather would have played Sweden. Or Italy for that matter.

Russia is really a dark horse. I am not worried (because worrying takes a lot of time and brings you basically, eh…nothing), but I am a bit tense. The Russians have nothing to lose, they can attack in a free-flow style and Guus does have that auro of “Guus Geluk” (Lucky Guss). And it’s about time the puppet master wins a big title too…

More in-depth analysis on the Russian team laters, alligators…

Tags: Euro 2008, Hiddink, Holland, Netherlands, Oranje, Persie, Robben, Russia, Sneijder, Van Basten

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Comments

Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 41 comments.

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By Stasio | June 18th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

If i were Dutch i would think they have the 2nd easiet draw for the quaters yet i am sensing some fear from you, but to say you rather face Italia then the Russian’s you must be full of false security from the first drupping but we get stronger and stronger as the tournament’s progress, just look at our resume.. Good luck to you i believe you shall take care of the russians.

By Van Basten | June 18th, 2008 at 10:18 pm

Hey Jan…Excellent blog!Thanks for all the work you do…your commitment.
I love Holland…and every about the Dutch!But there is no soccer player that I love the most like Van Basten. I certainly want to see him succeed as a coach at the heighest level(Euro,World Cup, Champions League).
I was wondering about Netherlands vs.Russia…Guus Hiddink has said “It’s a special game because I know the (Dutch) players, I know the coach (Marco van Basten) and more people within the squad I worked with. But we play the style that they like to play.”
Can Guus Hiddink outcoach Van Basten dung the quaterfinals?Guus knows everything about “Total Football”, being both a student and professor of the Dutch style of play. But does he know Van Basten’s philosophy, can he predict what Van Basten will do, and counter?
I just want to know how both of those minds are working for that game, and what Guus will do to counter, knowing everything about Holland, and being more experienced than Van Basten.

Posted from United States

By --HedonistiX | June 18th, 2008 at 10:36 pm

Here are my picks for 1/4 final and onward:

Germany over Portugal: I know, I know ….. Portugal is hot, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world BUT I’m just feeling it for the Germans this year. Not sure if this is driven by my hatred of Portugal or by the sheer consistency of Germany in tournaments. It’s also worth noted that this is the first time in my life that I’m rooting for Germany to win (or not to lose, to be precise, I don’t love them that much).

Croatia over Turkey: Turkey can’t repeat their heroic, goalie red-carded in previous match. Plus Croatia beat Germany. I’m predicting a repeat meeting in the semi.

Holland over Russia: Good old Guus knows Oranje like the back of his hands and nobody can’t deny his coaching prowess, but too much Oranje this year and lack of experience for this Russian team. Probably the only lopsided matchup in this year 0.25 final.

Spain over Italy: It’s like a repeat of Oranje vs. Italy. Young attacking squad vs. old defensive squad sans Pirlo (best player for the Italians) and Gattuso. Luca Toni should have scored 2-3 goals against France. Italy will join France and Sweden in the regeneration process.

Semis:

Germany over Croatia: see above re. Germany.

Holland over Spain: my dream matchup of 2 quality attacking teams with (rather) shaky defense. Call it bias (*duuh*), I’m picking our Oranje to scrape through Spain (I dare not even predict how many goals this match – if happening – will produce). Would have loved to see these 2 teams meet in the Final.

FINAL:

Oranje – Germany: the classic 2 – 1 score (No Frank Rijkaard, no Rudi Voeller, nobody got spitted on their hair, probably Rijkaard will spit on C. Ronaldo to revenge for WC 2006, if he’s becoming Portugal’s coach like what Jan wrote)

This is our year, enough said!

GO ORANJE!

–H

By Gene_SF | June 18th, 2008 at 11:41 pm

I won’t make predictions, but I’ll be pulling for Russia on Saturday. I was 14 when the USSR team had its last great run in the Euro, beating the Dutch 1:0 in the group stage, only to lose to the same team in the finals, thanks to two superb Van Basten strikes. It was a heartbreak loss for many.

Now, for the first time since the Soviet times, one of the former Soviet Union countries is playing great attacking football. It has been a long-time coming and I wish them the best of luck. The Netherlands are a very very tough and talented opponent. It should be a great game.

Posted from United States

By Michel W | June 18th, 2008 at 11:57 pm

The Russians have an excellent young team, very ably coached by a Dutchman who knows how to build quality sides. I think it’ll be a very good match, with both sides playing similar styles. I think the Dutch will come out on top due to superior quality, but it should be an excellent match, as long as the Russians don’t play scared.

BTW, Gene, Ruud Gullit scored the first goal from a Van Basten headed pass in the 88 final, Van Basten with his wonderstrike, scored the second.

Posted from Canada

By Jan | June 19th, 2008 at 12:51 am

I’m sorry for the word servile… I actually thought it was a “normal” word. English is not my first language, so I make a mistake like that every now and then. It wasn’t meant in a meanspirited way.

As for Guus vs Marco… I never thought Guus was a tactical master to be honest. He is great in getting the best of his players and giving them confidence. He’ll tell his players to go for glory and enjoy themselves. The way Russia play is probably the only way they can play, so why try anything else.

Holland will play as they have this tournament but we mustn’t forget we were lucky at times.

The biggest difference to me – apart from the actual skills of the players – is this: Oranje is very effective in scoring goals (I don’t know the ratio chances : goals but it is very high), take Robben’s for instance, and Russia struck me as wasting heaps of opps. That could be the definitive difference on the day. But then again: a Dutch proverb says: The Ball is Round… (meaning anything can happen)

By Carlos | June 19th, 2008 at 1:51 am

Jan ? The Ball is Round ! Thats a common saying in English too, however do the Brazilians have that saying ?
That probably translates into – The Ball is Ours – sometimes we let you play too !!

Posted from Singapore

By Rob | June 19th, 2008 at 1:54 am

Balls. I did not want a resurgent Russia.

Posted from Japan

By russian exile | June 19th, 2008 at 2:02 am

I think servile was legitimately used in this case. Do you know Koreans? Their football team trained like their TaeKwonDo team. Russia & Korea are about equal in terms of brutality (Russia more in the military, but less in general life, like teachers beating the shit out of their students).. but the difference between the obedient Korean players Hiddink had control of leading into 2002 and these lazy over-paid Russian footballers is like night & day.

Yes Australians love that barbarian glory, they all think of themselves like Rugby players. While in Russia it’s almost like football is thought of as a slower, more boring, more grassy version of Soviet hockey. Maybe that explains why Russian defenders are often found 40 yards further forward than they should be… too bad the goal and the field is often too big in this case to make up the difference. This is also why you often see players with big #’s like 88 or 63, (that’s hockey style). In fact maybe that’s why players are often out of shape, in hockey you can simply tag-in/tag-out. Ya, that sounds right, it’s all hockeys fault.

On that note, I found a hilarious posting, check it out: http://blackburn.theoffside.com/misc/rovers-hopeful-signings-no1-andrei-arshavin.html

Does this picture work?

Posted from United States

By russian exile | June 19th, 2008 at 2:28 am

BTW Jan thank you for mentioning Lobanovsky.. I still remember hearing how he died, just as the 2002 World Cup was starting. I found a good article about him for those of you who Hiddink or Capello are some kind of messiahs.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020519/ai_n12576614

check him out on wikipedia and all that as well

I believe as a player, he was the one to invent bending the ball (curve). Perhaps the Brazilians did it earlier in the 50s or so, but it was very minor.. However it was Lobanovsky who showed true bend

Posted from United States

By Carlos | June 19th, 2008 at 3:47 am

Russian Exile I love your comments – long may they continue…Lobanovsky will always be a legend… We have a player called “de Kromme” Willem van Hanegem who could put a ball on a dime with the outside of his left foot bending it much better than Beckham …Roughly translated into “The Bender”. He played in the ‘74 team.

Posted from Singapore

By Jelle | June 19th, 2008 at 6:24 am

Yup Lobanovsky is a legend. I’m still a young guy but I loved what he did at Dinamo Kiev, they played great football and i can still remember them hammering PSV and Barca.

Jan, while I do agree with most of your analysis of the coach Hiddink I think you underestimate his tactical abilities. It is true that he himself might be lazy in that regard but he does a very good job in “outsourcing” that task to one of his assistant coaches. Plus, he can read a game very well and bring on the right substitutes when need. That clearly requires tactical vision

I must say I am very impressed by teh play of the Russians, it won’t be easy to beat them. Their offence is very good in link up play. It does look like they need alot of chances to score though (vs. Greece and Sweden they could have scored ALOT more).

Anyway, it will be a good match for sure with two teams playing on the offence.

Posted from Netherlands

By Mitchell | June 19th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

Hey Jan I’ve been reading your blogs the passed 2 weeks because I’m addicted to football these days in a strong and disturbing way!
But enough about me, I have a comment on your piece about Hiddink: ‘I don’t think Hiddink is a masterful tactician’. I agree he makes the working conditions perfect so it is hard to compare him with a coach like Jose Mourinho who jumps into snake pits like chelsea and makes it a succes, what is not completely true as Guus has also had succes with Real Madrid, but Hiddink has made some incredible substitutions over the years that show he definately is a masterful tactician! So many times have his substitutes turned around games, from South-Korea to Australia!
Nothing but praise for this moustached guy, except the tax-evation thing (even though the Dutch government is a bit harsh on this subject), but unfortunately he has drawn the Netherlands so I can’t support him (damned priorities).
If not the Netherlands I would like to see Russia to win it with their fresh, ambitious and skilled team!! Croatia is also cool with JC lookalike Modric!
Jan keep up the mighty fine work and let’s hope Oranje keeps their cool after all this succes and reals in that cup (also defeating Spain in semi’s and Germany in the final)!!!
Hup Holland Hup!

ps: Is it just me or was van Persie’s first touch from Heitinga’s long ball against Romania Bergkampish or what?!?!?!

Posted from Netherlands

By Caleb | June 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

Mitchell – “so it is hard to compare him with a coach like Jose Mourinho who jumps into snake pits like chelsea”

To be fair, Chelsea wasn’t near as much of a snake pit when Jose came as when he left…

Posted from Canada

By Jan | June 19th, 2008 at 1:37 pm

Hi Mitchell, I suppose Hiddink is a better coach than I give him credits for… He has a hand of bringing the right subs, but I will never forget the remark made by Wim Kieft (I think): whenever a coach brings the right subs to change a game around, you could also say he started with the wrong eleven

That Van Persie / Bergkamp touch… yeah I did spot that. You know what? If Robin scored, this would also have been a great and admired goal, pushing Heitinga’s status up as well… But Lobont did great and in a week no one talks about this particular situation anymore…

By --HedonistiX | June 19th, 2008 at 6:27 pm

Nice pick on Germany beating Portugal against the odds. Hope my ultimate pick (the only one that matters) will come true!

GO ORANJE!

–H

Posted from United States

By Mitchell | June 19th, 2008 at 6:58 pm

The Germans did it again! Even though I predicted Germany to be in the final I never realy thought they would beat Portugal, I guess team spirit and determination are of the essence opposed to incredible skills..
Caleb your right, Chelsea is a snake pit now to be realistic, Avram Grant did a good job but was sacked anyway (guess being number 2 is only a good thing for a turd). But you get what I mean, or what Jan actually meant, Guus Hiddink is a master at building up a team where expectations are relatively low, I would like to see him try Brasil or another high expectation country for a change.
Jan, never heard of that comment, pretty cool though, but if it comes from Kieft then I’m not impressed as he is the commentator for Sport 1 where he does a horrible job every time;)
Russia shouldn’t be a problem for Oranje now, they will be a bigger menace at the WC 2010!

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | June 19th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

I’m not sure it was Kieft, but I liked the observation. Is someone a good coach because he brings the right subs or a bad coach because he should have started with them

Bit of a mystery coz you’ll never know…

By lowiesje | June 19th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

Not surprising the Germans won the game against Portugal, they were bluffing and it turned out well. Kudos to them. Portugal had no team-spirit at all and their bench isn’t that good to turn a game. Ronaldo is not a team-player, to selfish and to cocky in my humble opinion. He didn’t bring much, I think the many games in the EPL did bring his toll. Look at our boys, van Persie didn’t play much, nor did Robben or Boulahrouz… They are fresh, so to speak. And concerning Hiddink… he’s a magician, not afraid to let his team to play ball; which gives his team confidence; that’s his secret. He has it all under control, but he is just bluffing. I think the Swedes were surprised by their play, maybe they underestimated the Russians, don’t know. Against Spain the Russians made to many mistakes, under pressure, and Oranje will also give them pressure. Hiddink knows that.

Posted from Netherlands

By Alexey | June 20th, 2008 at 5:36 am

Dear Jan. It`s a good block you have here. And good of you to appolozise for calling Koreans servile people, but I should also say that calling all the nations Guus headed under-developed does not make your blog better either.

Posted from Russian Federation

By goose | June 20th, 2008 at 6:07 am

@Alexey; would you call Australia / Korea / Russia developed footballing countries??? jan is spot on; these are under-developed countries (on football!) and this what Guus likes….a team/nation wich he can structuraly change

Posted from Netherlands

By Alexey | June 20th, 2008 at 6:19 am

Jan. I wouldn`t call all these countries including Russia developed speaking about FOOTBALL (though our nation championship is ranked higher than yours, we have more teams in international cups, but that`s another story) No, I wouldn`t call. Unfortunately in the text it`s stated “under-developed nations”. Of course I realize the text is about football and I do hope the term “under developed” is used in terms of football. If so – no problems. You are a favorite without any doubt. But just a friendly recommendation to be more careful rendering your thoughts.

Posted from Russian Federation

By Alexey | June 20th, 2008 at 6:20 am

Sorry, the last message was to Goose, not to Jan.

Posted from Russian Federation

By manmeet | June 21st, 2008 at 4:31 pm

Hey Jan you almost saw the future
You were right!!
They did that

By Ivan Kuryachiy | June 21st, 2008 at 5:48 pm

Hey! We`ve got it!!! We won this EC favorites !!!!!! Grreat !!! Been on Moscow streets half an hour before – all the people are celebrating this GREAT VICTORY!!! Just as I predicted two days ago: after the winning over the Canada in this year World Hokkey Championship, nothing is impossible for Russia!!! Let’s get to the final and win!!!

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